N I C H O L A S J C A Z A R E S

Examples of What I Do :
New Music for Bands, Strings, Choirs, Keyboards, or Orchestras.
My wife is a music teacher. She teaches general music, band, choir, strings, and keyboards. Finding music for her band and strings proves difficult since the school is only 10 years old and not enough students join to round out a full ensemble. Together we found a solution.
I offer a service to provide music teachers with the music they need to make their student groups run smoothly. As a teacher, your time is too valuable to spend altering the instrumentation of your music library to fit the group you have that year. I can compose captivating music for your specific students, not just your instrumentation. As an educator, you then get to spend time working on music with your students rather then working to find music for them.
What I offer:
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Music for unconventional and standard ensembles alike.
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Personalization for the players in your group(s) to keep all your students interested regardless of skill level.
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Alterations each year to keep your commissioned piece consistently playable should your instrumentation change.
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Music for elementary school level to college/university.
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Professional sounding synthesized mockups available upon request.
In the fall of 2011, the Kalistos String Orchestra read and recorded one of my compositions. My wife loves the opening to the piece and wanted me to rescore it for her band to play during the next semester.
Her 2012 instrumentation included:
1 Flute
4 Clarinets
2 Alto Saxes
2 Trumpets
2 Percussionists
A week before the concert, I rehearsed the piece with band and then conducted it on their concert. The students were so thrilled to meet the composer! (This was before we were married so our last names weren't the same. I was her "colleague from Berklee.")
A year later, her students wanted to perform the piece again but her instrumentation was quite different from the previous year.
Her 2013 instrumentation included:
3 Flutes
3 Alto Saxes
3 Trumpets
2 Percussionists
I made the appropriate changes and have provided PDF's for both editions so you can see the differences. Also, I included the performance by the Kalistos String Orchestra so you can hear the entire composition.
Last spring I was tasked to compose for an interesting class taught at Berklee College of Music in the Music Education department. In the class, students who aren't principle string players learn how to play string instruments to better prepare them for teaching those instruments to students later on in their careers.
All the students in the class are Berklee level musicians who play string instruments at the elementary level. They already have a solid grasp of rhythm and syncopation and by the end of the semester are confident with the bow... but they're still playing in first position.
To the left is a link to the score and MIDI mockup for this project.
Below is an example of what your email could contain for maximum detail. This level of personalization isn't required in the initial email, but it's always helpful if you have a strong idea of what you want from your composition.
"My band has 2 flutes, 5 clarinets, 1 alto sax, 1 trumpet, and 2 percussionists. I’d like a piece that makes them think of knights and castles. They are all beginners except I have one terrific clarinetist who studies privately outside of school. To prevent her from getting bored in class, I’d like her to have a solo. Nothing too complicated but difficult enough that she could play it with practice. I’d like the flutes to have an arpeggiating sort of part but my second flute cannot play more then two measures straight without getting light headed (because I know she doesn't practice at home.) I would also like to have my percussionists work on a variety of rhythms, especially offbeat syncopation."
To hear more of what I've written, please visit my recordings page. Check back often because I'm constantly working on new projects. Thank you so much for your time on this site!
Each composition is unique. Subsequently, so is each quote. I'm always happy to discuss any questions you might have prior to committing to a commission. I can work with any budget because this is truly something I love to do. I'm very excited to hear from you and hopefully, get the chance to work for you. Please fill out the contact form below if you're interested.