Winter Rhythms

Picture, if you will, a blustery January day. The sky has been threatening for a bit, but now a winter storm approaches in earnest. That's what this piece depicts. It begins with the sound of wind and wind chimes, then it builds to a rage, ebbs and flows. Finally, the storm begins to die down, and the music becomes more calm as at the beginning, and once again we are left with the wind and wind chimes, fading out. The entire piece has a minor feel to it, until the last chord, where it resolves to an A major chord, signifying that the storm is over.

This symphonic Celtic rock style includes strings, a synth choir, rhythm players, and big drums for an epic sound. And though we know last year's "Pat-A-Pan" (Music K-8, Vol. 32, No. 2) body percussion arrangement was enjoyed by some of you, we wanted to keep the part a bit easier this time around. If your students prefer more of a challenge, no worries! Just as you were free to simplify the body percussion on "Pat-A-Pan," you are also free to make the body percussion more difficult on "Winter Rhythms." Be sure to go over the road map of the song with your students, as it incorporates both a repeated section and a D.S. al Coda. There is both a body percussion only (audio) extra and an extracted body percussion part PDF at our web site. Special thanks to Kara Day for her excellent fiddle solo at the Coda.