Boogie Woogie
Young Musician Composes First Song; It's A Hit With Grade School Bands
Saint Louis Post Dispatch
Virginia Hick
Date Unknown
Mozart composed his first song when he was five. Stevie Wonder recorded his first composition when he was 13
Michael Heeley of Florissant is 12. And the elementary school bands in the Hazelwood School District are playing his song.
"Band Boogie" is Michael's first "real song," he says. "I wrote little songs in my head before, but this is the first time I've sat down and written it out."
Michael's band director, Alan Moss, estimated the Michael had spent 30 hours working on his song. First, he transposed it from the key of C, the easiest for piano playing, into the key of B flat, which is the standard key for brass bands.
Then, with a little help from Moss, Michael wrote out the individual parts for each instrument.
The song has become a favorite among his fifth- and sixth-grade band pupils, Moss said. When Michael's fellow band members saw his name, "They began giggling," Moss said. "But after the initial reaction, they really like to play it."
The bands at other schools didn't even realize that the song had been written by one of their contemporaries, Moss said.
The Lawson Elementary School band played the song's premiere late last month. Earlier this week, the Armstrong Elementary School band became the second group to play Michael's composition in concert.
"When you get a song like that, you want to use it," Moss said.
The song is based on a blues progression with jazz embellishments, Moss said. he blieves band students should perform a variety of music, and he always includes some jazz selections in the repertoire.
Michael "just picked up" the chord progressions and "boogie woogie" elements for his song Moss said. The director has not discussed chord progressions with his pupils, or the particulars of what makes jazz.
"He's a very creative student. He's like a sponge when it comes to music. He understands things that high school students don't understand yet," Moss said.
This is Michael's fourth year in band. he started by playing the trumpet, but then switched to the french horn. That sometimes requires him to transpose the music written for trumpet into the proper key for a French Horn.
"That's a difficult thing to understand, much less do," Moss said. "I explained it to him, and he said, 'OK, no problem.' "
Last year, Michael started taking piano lessons, too. That was his instrument of choice for composing.
Michael said "top 40's" rock and roll and heavy metal are actually his favorite types of music, but he likes to listen to a variety of types, including jazz.
Michael says he comes from a musical family. His mother, Carolyn, plays the drums.* One brother plays the keyboard, and another plays the drums. His father, Robert was the sound man and backup guitar for a now-defunct country and western band called The Grits.
Michael said no one had taught him how to write songs.
"I just sat down at the piano one day and started making it up. i wanted something that sounded jazzy," Michael said. "You can't do rock and roll with a school band."
Moss, who is a published composer himself, warned Michael about the "emotional hazards" of haering any group play his composition for the first time. "There is no such thing as a perfect performance," Moss said, "especially when a band is learning a piece.
"When you turn a song over to others, you are giving something you've created," he added. "It never sounds right the first time you hear it."
Michael admitted he had trouble listening the first few times. But after some tinkering, the band's performance met his approval.
Moss said Michael's composition is ready to make the rounds of music publishers. While the band director has been successful in getting some of his own songs for elementary bands published, he says the market has changed. It may be difficult to get attention of publishers now.
Michael says he wants to write other songs. Eventually, he wants to be a professional musician, writing and performing his own songs.
Also on the agenda are guitar lessons. "That's the instrument for rock and roll," Michael says.
* Played the drums in marching band in high school
Mozart composed his first song when he was five. Stevie Wonder recorded his first composition when he was 13
Michael Heeley of Florissant is 12. And the elementary school bands in the Hazelwood School District are playing his song.
"Band Boogie" is Michael's first "real song," he says. "I wrote little songs in my head before, but this is the first time I've sat down and written it out."
Michael's band director, Alan Moss, estimated the Michael had spent 30 hours working on his song. First, he transposed it from the key of C, the easiest for piano playing, into the key of B flat, which is the standard key for brass bands.
Then, with a little help from Moss, Michael wrote out the individual parts for each instrument.
The song has become a favorite among his fifth- and sixth-grade band pupils, Moss said. When Michael's fellow band members saw his name, "They began giggling," Moss said. "But after the initial reaction, they really like to play it."
The bands at other schools didn't even realize that the song had been written by one of their contemporaries, Moss said.
The Lawson Elementary School band played the song's premiere late last month. Earlier this week, the Armstrong Elementary School band became the second group to play Michael's composition in concert.
"When you get a song like that, you want to use it," Moss said.
The song is based on a blues progression with jazz embellishments, Moss said. he blieves band students should perform a variety of music, and he always includes some jazz selections in the repertoire.
Michael "just picked up" the chord progressions and "boogie woogie" elements for his song Moss said. The director has not discussed chord progressions with his pupils, or the particulars of what makes jazz.
"He's a very creative student. He's like a sponge when it comes to music. He understands things that high school students don't understand yet," Moss said.
This is Michael's fourth year in band. he started by playing the trumpet, but then switched to the french horn. That sometimes requires him to transpose the music written for trumpet into the proper key for a French Horn.
"That's a difficult thing to understand, much less do," Moss said. "I explained it to him, and he said, 'OK, no problem.' "
Last year, Michael started taking piano lessons, too. That was his instrument of choice for composing.
Michael said "top 40's" rock and roll and heavy metal are actually his favorite types of music, but he likes to listen to a variety of types, including jazz.
Michael says he comes from a musical family. His mother, Carolyn, plays the drums.* One brother plays the keyboard, and another plays the drums. His father, Robert was the sound man and backup guitar for a now-defunct country and western band called The Grits.
Michael said no one had taught him how to write songs.
"I just sat down at the piano one day and started making it up. i wanted something that sounded jazzy," Michael said. "You can't do rock and roll with a school band."
Moss, who is a published composer himself, warned Michael about the "emotional hazards" of haering any group play his composition for the first time. "There is no such thing as a perfect performance," Moss said, "especially when a band is learning a piece.
"When you turn a song over to others, you are giving something you've created," he added. "It never sounds right the first time you hear it."
Michael admitted he had trouble listening the first few times. But after some tinkering, the band's performance met his approval.
Moss said Michael's composition is ready to make the rounds of music publishers. While the band director has been successful in getting some of his own songs for elementary bands published, he says the market has changed. It may be difficult to get attention of publishers now.
Michael says he wants to write other songs. Eventually, he wants to be a professional musician, writing and performing his own songs.
Also on the agenda are guitar lessons. "That's the instrument for rock and roll," Michael says.
* Played the drums in marching band in high school