“Collective Illusions” is a three-movement work for wind band and solo percussion. It is an honor to have been commissioned to write this piece thanks to Dr. George Schrader at Oklahoma Christian University, which is where I completed my undergraduate degree. Part of the DNA of this piece is a reflection on my valuable time there as a student. The musical inspiration behind the opening theme is a ‘tip of the cap’ to TV and film composer Bear McCreary and his music from the Battlestar Galactica remake of the mid-2000s. This repetitive single-note idea acts as a common thread throughout all three movements and is presented in different instruments and pitch centers. 

What is truly at the core of this piece is accessibility. That’s reflected in the difficulty of the individual parts, the overall length of the piece (around nine minutes), and the fairly standard instrumentation.  The individual parts are written at a grade 4 level while the section percussion parts range from grade 3 - 5. The solo percussion part is a grade 6 and is an achievable challenge for a well-rounded percussionist with an even balance between both two and four-mallet playing on marimba as well as a mixture of technical and groove-oriented drumming on concert toms and snare drum. Each of these components add up to what makes Collective Illusions an attainable and accessible piece to feature a percussionist alongside a concert band.