Most directors ask me the same questions after our first conversation, so I wrote down the answers. Jump to the section you need, and if something isn’t covered here, email me at evanvandoren@gmail.com.
Sections: Fit and expectations | The music and adaptation | Cost and payment | Copyright licensing | Process and timeline | Add-ons | Using the music | About me
Fit and Expectations
What is an adaptable arrangement?
It’s a marching band show I’ve already written for another program and then rescored for yours. I rewrite the parts around your instrumentation, your section strengths, and your players’ skill level, so the show fits your band rather than a hypothetical one.
How is that different from a custom commission?
A commission is written from scratch for one program and takes several months. An adaptable arrangement starts from music I’ve already written and proven on the field, and I rescore it for your ensemble in three to five weeks. The writing quality is the same. The starting point and the timeline are different. I also take a limited number of original commissions each year, so if your concept needs entirely new music, we can talk.
What’s the difference between an adaptable arrangement and a Complete Show?
A Complete Show is published as a full package of winds, percussion and sound design, built from public domain music and ready to download today. An adaptable arrangement starts from a show in my catalog and is rescored around your band, covering the woodwind and brass book. One is ready now. The other is fitted to your players.
Do you write shows for small bands?
Yes. I regularly rescore shows for programs with fewer than forty winds, including first-year and rebuilding bands. Instead of keeping a separate small-band catalog, I rewrite any show around your actual instrumentation, so a smaller ensemble gets a full-sounding book instead of one with parts missing. We start with the players you expect on the field and shape the arrangement around them.
Do you only work with bands in Texas?
No. I’m based in Cedar Park, Texas, but I write for programs across the country, from UIL, Bands of America, and USBands circuits to high schools and universities nationwide. The process runs by email and video, so distance doesn’t change turnaround or communication.
Are the shows suitable for contest?
I write with adjudication in mind, for programs competing at UIL, Bands of America and regional circuits, and for bands whose biggest stage is Friday night. Pacing, contrast and clarity are built into every show, and the parts are written so students can play them cleanly, which is what judges hear first. I can’t promise placements, and nobody honest can. What I can promise is music your students will want to rehearse.
Can I mix music from different shows?
Yes. A lot of directors do. I rework transitions and adjust each selection so the final show reads as one cohesive production, not a collection of assembled parts.
Can I see the music before I commit?
You can listen to everything on my website and SoundCloud, where selections are grouped into playlists by mood and genre. Perusal scores are available on request. I send initial every-other-page scores and check availability for your region, and you get full-length perusal scores once I receive your payment or purchase order.
Do you write original shows?
Yes, but I take a limited number each year. Those start with a conversation about your season, your design team, and what you want the show to be, so the best move is to reach out.
Do you have anything for football season?
My stand tunes are written for the bleachers, football games, and pep rallies. You can buy them one song at a time on Sheet Music Direct and print them the same day.
The Music and Adaptation
What do I receive?
Woodwind and brass music adapted to your ensemble: PDF scores and individual parts, plus a personalized audio mockup so you can hear your version of the show. You also get Dorico and MusicXML files for rehearsal preparation and for working with your percussion arranger, and anything you add on comes with it.
Do you write percussion and sound design?
Not for adaptable arrangements. You have a few options. You can contact the show’s original percussion arranger or sound designer for their materials, bring in someone I recommend to write custom parts, or work with someone local you already trust. If you’re building a design team, I can connect you with people for percussion arranging, visual design, program coordination, costumes, flags, and props. Complete Shows are the exception, since they include percussion and sound design.
How hard will the music be?
I write for the middle of your group, about 80 to 90 percent of the ensemble. Your strongest players will pick it up quickly, with a spot or two that pushes them, and I keep them engaged with range, features and solos. Your middle should find it a real challenge, taking roughly half to two-thirds of the season to perform at a high level once the visual demands are added. Your bottom 10 percent may find it a stretch at first, which is true for every band.
After nine years as a band director, I’m also thinking about how the music will feel to play and teach: comfortable ranges, playable fingerings, and places to breathe.
Will you write easier alternate parts?
Not up front. Easier parts written before anyone has played a note tend to sell students short. Late in the season, once you know who needs what, I can lighten the specific spots that are too much while keeping the real music intact.
What changes are included?
Anything that fits the music to your band: 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, adjusting ranges. If the request is about who plays what and how hard it is, it’s included. If it changes what the music actually is, that’s a creative request, and it’s a separate conversation that may carry additional fees.
How do I tell you what to change?
Through my Adaptation Questionnaire, using measure numbers from your full-length perusal scores. A request like “make the horn solo at measure 98 a clarinet solo” is exactly what I need. If you’d rather hand the creative calls to me, tell me to use my judgment, and I’ll build around everything you’ve told me about your band.
What are your defaults on parts?
Piccolo players read the flute part and drop the octave where it makes sense. I choose how many parts each section gets based on what sets your group up to succeed, unless you have a specific need. If your low brass needs treble clef parts, flag it on the questionnaire and I’ll provide them.
Can I request changes once the season starts?
Yes. Adaptation revisions are included through your competitive season, specifically limited rewrites and musical edits from delivery until November 1 or the end of your competitive season, whichever comes first. Revisions usually turn around in a few days. Larger changes that alter the show are handled as a separate project with a quote.
Cost and Payment
How much does a show cost?
An adaptation of one of my shows is $3,500. That covers all the woodwind and brass music, fully adapted to your ensemble, along with the collaborative process described on this page. Licensing fees, percussion, sound design, and creative rewrites aren’t included unless your quote says so. An adaptation also costs less than a new commission, which leaves more of your budget for the rest of the production.
How do I pay?
Most schools send a check. I also accept purchase orders from accredited schools and districts, deposits, and credit cards, so tell me what your finance office needs. The first payment is due net 30 from the date of your quote. I start writing once payment, a deposit, or an approved purchase order is in.
My finance office is slow. Is that a problem?
Tell me, and we’ll work it out. Districts move at their own speed, and I’d rather solve it with you than escalate. I keep an updated W-9 on hand and can provide a sole source letter if your district needs one.
What if I need to cancel?
Reach out before your music is delivered, and I’ll look at a refund case by case. The further along the writing is, the less likely a refund becomes. Once the music is delivered, fees are final. Licensing fees and clinic fees are non-refundable in every case.
Copyright Licensing
Do I need copyright licenses?
For arrangements of existing songs, yes. Every piece in your show needs a license from its copyright holder, and a license only counts once it’s approved and paid. Licensing has to be handled before I start writing, so it’s one of the first things we take care of. Your program pays the license fees. My Complete Shows use only public domain music, so they need no licenses.
How does licensing work with you?
Your quote includes one of three licensing options. Waive Copyright Support means you handle all of the licensing yourself. With the Copyright Acquisition Package, I apply to copyright holders, track every approval, and you pay the license holders directly. With the Copyright Full Service Package, I apply, pay the license holders on your behalf, and you reimburse me for those fees along with transaction and service fees. My licensing guide walks through each route in detail.
When should licensing start?
The day you accept your quote. Approvals can come overnight or take weeks, and waiting only delays delivery.
Do I have to use Tresona?
No. Tresona is the easiest route for most directors, but it adds a service fee. Going straight to a publisher is usually cheaper and takes more legwork. If you go outside Tresona, keep me posted, since I won’t get notifications automatically.
Can you start writing before my licenses are approved?
My default is no. I wait for approval. If you’d rather not wait, you can choose to have me write while approval is pending. The risk is that if a license is denied, you’d need to pick replacement repertoire, secure its licensing, and pay a fee for the replacement arrangement.
Can I switch licensing packages later?
Yes. Email me, and I’ll take it from there.
Process and Timeline
What happens after I accept my quote?
You get an invoice and a client portal where your quote and documents live. From there, you handle three things: payment, licensing and the Adaptation Questionnaire. Once those are in, I review everything and email any clarifying questions. When you reply with final approval, I add your music to my writing schedule. You can see the whole sequence in this process flowchart.
How long until I get my music?
Three to five weeks once your project is green-lit, meaning your payment (or purchase order), your approved licensing and your completed questionnaire are in and you’ve given final approval. Everything arrives at once, and licensing fees need to be paid before I can send the finished music. With the Priority Music Delivery Package, it’s 7 business days.
When should I start?
Directors who need music before summer rehearsals generally start in the winter and early spring, though starting earlier or later is usually workable. Writing can begin well before February if your licensing and paperwork are ready.
Why wait for full-length perusal scores before the questionnaire?
The questionnaire asks for edits by measure number. You can’t tell me what to change in measure 98 if you can’t see measure 98. Full-length scores arrive as soon as I receive your payment or purchase order.
Will I hear from you while I wait?
Yes. You’ll get a short weekly update on where everything stands and anything I need from you.
Do I have to sign a contract?
Accepting your quote digitally means you’ve agreed to my terms and conditions, and that confirmation is binding. If anything in the process doesn’t match what we discussed for your show, reply and tell me.
Add-Ons
What does the Build Your Sound Design Package include?
For $675, you get a sample pack of ready-made audio files developed with sound designer Justin Shelton, a step-by-step guide showing which samples to use at which moments, and a tutorial on audio setups for every budget. Customization and technical support may be available at an additional cost. It doesn’t include sound design from shows I’ve written for other commissions.
What does the Music Fundamentals Package include?
For $875, I build a custom fundamentals program for your band: breathing, long tones, flexibility, articulation, and style, plus Show Articulation Exercises, short daily drills made from the toughest passages in your music. The exercises are simple on purpose, because students need to breathe, sound good, and articulate together before they can do it while moving. It’s delivered after your show music and is licensed to your program for indefinite use, though it can’t be shared with other programs.
What does Priority Music Delivery cost, and how does it work?
It’s $975. Your music is delivered in 7 business days instead of the usual 3 to 5 weeks. The clock starts once licensing is approved and paid, payment or a purchase order is received, and your edit information is in.
What is the Virtual Clinic Package?
For $1,175, you get three 45-minute Zoom sessions with Katie VanDoren, a two-time UIL 6A State Champion and former head director at Vandegrift HS. You send a rehearsal or performance video ahead of time (up to 15 minutes), and she gives feedback in a conversational format. The sessions expire at the end of the Performance Year.
What’s included at no extra charge?
Edits that fit the music to your ensemble, in-season editorial support, 15-minute check-in calls through the summer and your season, and recommendations from my network of designers.
Using the Music
How long can we perform the show?
Through the school year in which you first perform it publicly. A school year runs July 1 through June 30.
Can I share the notation files with my staff?
Yes, with anyone directly involved in producing your show, including drill designers, visual staff, your percussion arranger, and other directors working on it. Please don’t pass them to other programs.
Will another band near me have the same show?
I make reasonable efforts to keep identical or similar arrangements out of the same competitive environment, and that depends on accurate information from you. It doesn’t cover percussion, sound design, your show title or visual design from other sources. If UIL realigns classifications and two schools end up with similar arrangements, priority goes to whoever reserved first.
Can I use the original show’s drill and visuals?
My arrangement doesn’t include them. If you want to use the original production’s drill, choreography, props, flags, or costumes, you’ll need permission from the designers who created them.
Can we record or stream our performances?
That depends on the copyright license for your arrangement, not on my agreement with you. Check that any recording or streaming plans fall within your license.
About Me
Who writes these shows?
I did, and I adapt them myself. There’s no arranging team and no account manager, just me. I spent nine years as the band director at Cedar Park High School in Texas, where the band won three UIL State Championships, and now I’m the brass composer and arranger for the Santa Clara Vanguard. Learn more here.
How do I get started?
Browse the shows, listen to what grabs you, and send me a note with a title or two and a little about your band. Don’t worry if you don’t know your final numbers yet. Most directors don’t until summer. If we’ve already talked, just reply to my last email and tell me which music you want to pursue.
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