A five-minute read before you fill out your Adaptation Questionnaire. It’ll make the questionnaire faster, and it’ll help me build music that fits your band.
Want the short version to keep next to you while you work? Download the Quick-Look Guide.
First things first: your full-length perusal scores
By now you should have two things from me: every-other-page perusal scores, and your Adaptation Questionnaire. Hold off on the questionnaire until you have your full-length perusal scores. Those come as soon as I receive your payment or a guarantee of payment, like a purchase order.
Here’s why I make such a big deal of it. The questionnaire asks exactly what you’d like me to change, down to the measure. You can’t tell me what to change in measure 98 if you can’t see measure 98. Without the full scores open in front of you, you’re guessing, and neither of us wants that.
So the order is simple:
- You already have every-other-page scores, so you can start getting to know the music.
- Once your payment or purchase order is in, I send your full-length perusal scores.
- Then, and only then, sit down with the questionnaire.
If you get a due-date reminder before your full-length scores arrive, or you need more time, just tell me and I’ll move the date.
The short version
Everything I do comes down to one idea: your music should fit your band. Not a band twice your size, and not the band you’re hoping for by October… the band that walks onto the field at your first rehearsal.
That idea shapes every choice below. Read it once, and the questionnaire will make a lot more sense.
How hard your music will be
When I adapt your music, I aim the difficulty at about 80 to 90% of your ensemble. In plain terms, I’m writing for the middle of your group, not the top and not the bottom.
Your strongest players will pick up the music fairly quickly, with maybe one or two spots that really push them. That’s on purpose. I keep them engaged in other ways: range, exposed features, solo moments, leadership, and the simple challenge of playing well while moving. They’ll be challenged as complete musicians, even when the notes alone feel a little easy.
Your middle, the majority of your band, should find the music a real challenge. Once you add in everything they’re doing visually, it should take them half to two-thirds of the season to perform it at a high level. That’s the sweet spot.
Your bottom 10% may find the music a bit beyond them at first. That’s normal, and it’s true for every band, whether you march 300 winds or 30. Challenging those students with the real music is usually good for them, and more often than you’d expect, they surprise you with how far they come by the end of the season.
Late in the season, once you really know your players, that’s the moment to customize. A student who can’t quite handle every bar can still play most of the real music, with a lightly adapted part for the few spots that are genuinely too much, usually a feature or a technical run. That keeps the arrangement whole while meeting each student where they are.
Why I don’t write alternate parts up front
For the reasons above, I don’t build alternate parts at this stage. Easier parts written now, before anyone has played a note, tend to sell your students short and water down the music.
The better move is targeted help late in the season, for the specific students and specific passages that need it. So when the questionnaire asks about alternate parts, that’s the thinking behind the question. If you have a situation you’d like to talk through, email me.
What I adjust, and what’s a separate conversation
This line matters when you get to the edit section.
Included: any adjustment that takes the music as it’s already written and fits it to your band’s size and strengths. Reassigning a solo, thinning a part for a weaker section, moving a line to a stronger group, simplifying a run that’s out of reach. That’s the work, and it’s all part of the process.
Not included: creative changes, meaning rewrites that change what the music actually is rather than fitting it to your band. We can absolutely have that conversation. It’s just a separate one, and additional fees may apply.
A quick gut check: if the request is about who plays what and how hard it is, it’s included. If it’s about changing the music itself, it’s a creative request.
How to give me great edit requests
The edit section is where you tell me exactly what you want. Be specific, and point me to measure numbers from your full-length perusal scores. The more precise you are, the closer the result lands to what you’re hearing in your head.
Requests like these are exactly what I need:
- “In the opener, measures 36 to 44, I’m worried about the trumpet range. Our trumpets are young.”
- “I’d love the horn solo at measure 98 to become a clarinet solo.”
- “The clarinet run at measure 112 feels too exposed. Can you thicken it or simplify it?”
And if you’d rather hand the creative calls to me, that’s a real option, and plenty of directors take it. Just tell me to use my judgment, and I’ll shape the music around everything you’ve told me about your band.
A few defaults, so you’re not guessing
Unless you tell me otherwise, here’s how I handle a few things.
I don’t usually write a separate piccolo part. Your piccolo players read the flute part and drop down the octave where it makes sense. If you’d like something different, the questionnaire has a spot for it.
I choose how many parts each section gets (how many clarinet parts, how many trumpet parts and so on) based on what gives your group the best shot at success. If you have a specific need, tell me and I’ll honor it.
If your low brass players need treble-clef parts, just flag it on the questionnaire and I’ll provide them.
Before you submit
A few tips that save us both time:
- List your instrumentation conservatively. Count the players you’re confident will be on the field, not the best-case number.
- You can save the questionnaire as a draft and come back to it anytime.
- If you’re working with a program coordinator, bring them in on this. Their input belongs in your answers.
- Put everything in the questionnaire in its final form, including anything you’ve already told me in an email or on a call, so I have it all in one place.
What happens next
Once your questionnaire, payment and licensing are all in, I’ll review everything and send you any clarifying questions. Your final approval puts your music on my writing schedule, and you’ll have it within 3 to 5 weeks after that. If you’d like the bird’s-eye view, here’s how the whole process works.
Take your time with the questionnaire. The more you tell me, the better I can build to your band. Questions along the way? Email me at evanvandoren@gmail.com.
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