News & Views Monday, March 18, 2024

Composer Profile: Randall Standridge Tuesday, September 09, 2014

by Ken Tilger, Band Education Specialist

Randall StandridgeRandall Standridge has quickly become one of our favorite band composers first getting our attention with Afterburn and Adrenaline Engines. His bold, contemporary sound and modern compositional influences combined with driving rhythmic punch result in music that is fun to play, and popular with students and band directors. While his high school level Steel is also in this mold, Standridge’s music is far from one-note. His gorgeous melancholy setting of the Scottish ballad The Rowan Tree is a favorite for lyrical ensemble performance and nuance, while Gadget (exploring the wonder and innovation of mid 20th century technology) and Zooveniers (multiple movements depicting specific zoo animals) add a fun programmatic twist to developing band music.

His creative contemporary writing and consistency resulted in our selecting 6 (that’s right, 6!) of his new titles for promotion: Angelic Celebrations, Christmas at the Circus, Darklands March, IronHeart, Ruckus, and The Witching Hour, and both Angelic Celebrations and The Witching Hour are on the 2015 Ohio High School Class C concert band list.

Mr. Standridge received both his Bachelor’s of Music Education and Master’s in Music Composition degrees from Arkansas State University and was Director of Bands at Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, Arkansas from 2001-2013. In 2013 he left his band post to pursue a career as a full-time composer and marching band editor for Grand Mesa Music Publishers. His works are published by Grand Mesa, Alfred, FJH, Wingert-Jones, Band Works Publications, Twin Towers Publications, and Northeastern, and he is a contributing composer to Alfred’s Sound Innovations: Ensemble Development series. In addition to his career as a composer, Mr. Standridge is active as a clinician, and in demand as a marching band arranger, drill designer, and colorguard designer.

For more information about Randall Standridge and his music, visit his website and our Featured Composer category on Stanton’s Listening Library.

Stanton’s Recommends: Adrenaline Engines, Angelic Celebrations, Christmas at the Circus, The Rowan Tree, The Witching Hour

About the Author:
Ken has been with Stanton’s since 2004. He enjoys comic books, playing with his young son, and plays saxophone with Swing’s the Thing Big Band. You should check out their album Walk On Out the Door available on iTunes and Amazon.


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