I live down in Florida and i attend University High School a band of over 200. We played American Elegy during Marching Band; beautiful, especially at the woodwind feature off course because I play the Clarinet. I also enjoyed the Trumpet solo and Horns sound help the song flow throughout. I have a lot of respect for this song and im going to miss playing it at the games and competitons.

I`m in the U.S. Air Force band (western winds) and I`ve played a great deal of music. However, this piece remains one of my personal favorites. I play Trombone and I played this piece in High school. It is an amazing song, if you haven`t played it, beg your conductor to get it! Take care.

i didn`t, but my high school`s wind ensemble did. what an amazing song, it`s absolutely gorgeous.

just played this piece yesterday in a concert. it`s really touching, and i got to this site because i still cant get over it, and was searching for recordings of the columbine high school alma mater (school song) by frank ticheli (same composer for an american elegy).

the song itself was short, (only 4 lines) but very powerful.it`s nice to see how he integrated the song into the piece. anyone who knows the piece shd listen to the song at least once.

hi. i`m a cornet player and will be playing the offstage solo for my concert. but i just cant get the feeling correct. any help? i just keep squeezing the high notes.

Im a fresman in HS and over the summer for the HS summer reading i read the book She Said Yes which is all about the shootings...first day of band, my conductor passed this out...we played it and i got goosebumps. It is such a moving song. Its now on my iPod and i listen to it 24/7....

Probably the most touching piece i have ever played.

Yeah I played An American Elegy.That is such a beautiful song I`ve ever played. Especially the trumpet solo near the end. I played it my freshmen year in high school advance band we call wind ensemble.

Hey has anyone played other songs by titchelli?Like Vesuvius or Simple Gifts?

hey all. i`m currently a junior bass clarinet at freedom high school in orlando, FL (to the university high school post a few posts earlier, i saw your show at marching MPA, it was AMAZING, i was in tears!. anyway, i played this song as a freshman in the top band at the NAI in atlanta (in the first year of our school being open, pretty awesome! as a freshman, i remember being so nervous, because it was a HUGE honor just to be on that stage). the performance hall was sooo amazing. when we played american elegy, the director, and the whole band, were in tears. when we got to the part with the alma mater, i had to stop playing for like a measure, and wipe my eyes and try to keep on playing. i cry every time i hear that song, and get major goosebumps. one of the judges was retired and from the US Army Band. he said about our band, "nothing short of phenominal". at that time the wind ensemble was over half freshman/sophomore. the trumpet solo was sooo incredible. as well as the great french horn parts.

all in all, an american elegy is something that everyone should perform at least once in their band career. the difficulty lies not in the rhythms or notes, but in the musicality. (why it`s a grade 4 i`ll never know...). what an amazing piece of work, and a wonderful tribute to those lost in the tragedy of columbine.

frank ticheli is my hero.

I play in a band in Wisconsin and we play American Elegy at least 20 times a year, our director is a MAJOR Frank fan! I play the alto sax and it`s a great song. Everytime we play we think of the students and we make our director cry! I love it!

We are playing An American Elegy right now at Bay Port High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin and i luv the song! it is so moving and just beautiful!

Heard many different bands playing it. The Texas All State band played it last year, it was an O.K. trumpet solo. Our school played it last year too, very crapy solo.

An American Elegy is another one of Frank Ticheli's well thought out, expressive pieces of music composed in honor of those who suffered the massacre at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999. A great festival piece if you are a member of MSBOA or and festival state.
If anyone has a copy or can send me a free copy of the flute part I would greatly appreciate it.

I actually attend Columbine High School, and we're playing it.... It's a beautiful piece...

Hi, my name's Sara and I'm a sophmore from Juneau, Alaska. I attend Juneau Douglas High School and sit second chair in the flute section. Our band just got back from New York just over a week ago, where we got the awesome opportunity to participate in the New York Wind Band Festival in Carnegie Hall. It was a wonderful experience. Among our program was the piece An American Elegy. It is, by far, the favorite of our band and all of the people that we performed for. This song is the most emotionally complicated and beautiful that I've ever played. Personally, I was nearly moved to tears when we played it in Carnegie. Frank Ticheli has created an amazing work of art that never fails to touch the hearts of those who play and hear it. I hope that, if you haven't already, you will get the chance to experience this piece from either audience or band.

I played it my first concert my senior year. It was a simple piece but the emotional opportunity was really why we played it. It is such a gorgeous song and I absolutely love it.
Ticheli is amazing and we played his Sanctuary at my last senoir concert, and that is a very fine piece also.