Susan Botti

Eye of the Hawk

Eye of the Hawk was inspired by the beautiful and majestic Hudson Valley. I wanted to base the piece on something that would resonate with the band who would be premiering it... my local, exceptional, middle school band. The hawkbecame our spirit animal, and represented to me many of the qualities that are inherent in a young person of that age - bold, instinctive, elegant - a fierce creature who owns the sky. The music conveys power, freedom, andconfidence. Just like the students. -Susan Botti.

BandQuest®, an exciting series of new music and accompanying curricula for band, is a program published by the American Composers Forum. The series was startedas a response to feedback from music educators that there is a pressing need for new, fresh band music. The heart of this program is new works written by a diverse group of leading American composers who have created challengingpieces that are a true departure from standard middle school repertoire. Every BandQuest project includes a residency component in which the composer works collaboratively with a middle school as they create their new piece. Many BandQuest pieces are accompanied by an interdisciplinary curriculum designed to assist students as they learn the music and to integrate each piece with non-music studies.