Willmarth-On Thin Air (SP)-B/V/C/X/1-2M/3T/P

John Willmarth’s On Thin Air depicts what it might feel like to fly. The music evokes images of gliding, breathtaking views, and soaring high above the clouds. It is meant to evoke a sense of freedom, hopefulness, and wonder in the listener.

While the piece is written for younger groups with limited experience, it still communicates through a contemporary musical voice. The piece would also work well for more experienced middle school and high school ensembles with limited time to assemble and rehearse. Furthermore, to accommodate ensembles of different sizes and instrument capacities, five of the seven individual percussion parts are optional.

On Thin Air comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.

• Number of players: 9-14
• Difficulty: Elementary/intermediate
• Instrumentation:
• Player 1: Chimes
• Player 2: Glockenspiel
• Player 3: Vibraphone
• Player 4: Xylophone
• Player 5: Marimba 1 (4 octave or share w/Player 6)
• Player 6: Marimba 2 (4.3 octave)
• Player 7: 3 timpani
• Player 8: snare drum, hi-hat
• Player 9: mounted tambourine, small woodblock, ride cymbal
• Player 10 (optional): 2 toms
• Player 11 (optional): small triangle, sleigh bells, brake drum
• Player 12 (optional): mark tree, suspended cymbal
• Player 13 (optional): crash cymbals
• Player 14 (optional): concert bass drum