October

When I first heard this song I was a mere 9th grader; new to the adventures that go hand in hand with being in a high school band program. This piece is so gorgeous, with it's wide range of emotional ticks and colorful balance, especially for euphonium players... Many...

years later, I am a high school senior and this song has definitely become my anthem for the past four years that I have spent in a high school band and all that I can really conclude is that if you are looking for a piece that your students will grow emotionally attached to, this is definitely one worth considering.

I love playing this song but the students have to be able to turn musical notes on a page into emotions & feelings. Otherwise, the character and meaning of the song will be lost.

October is a sensational piece of music that captures the scenes of the gorgeous autumn month of October. Everything from the oboe solo in the opening bars to the climatic peaks falling to peaceful pianissimos makes this piece worth playing. I would certainly recommend this piece to any and all...

concert bands.

This is truly a great piece. My high school band will be playing it this spring. I'm lucky to gave such a great concert band that can play a song like this with outstanding solos.

This is another one of Eric Whitacre's masterpieces. The recording I have of the piece is perfect. The oboe solo is absolutely stunning and so are the flute and picc parts. For such a young composer,(born in 1970), what Mr. Whitacre does to music is truly amazing. My...

wind ensemble sight read this piece one time on my request. For Eric Whitacre, this piece is actually considered "easy". The most difficult aspect of the piece is tone quality and breath support. "October" is slow (which can be more difficult than a fast piece)and has long chords. I highly recommend this work because I feel that it's one of the best works for wind band.