BandQuest FAQs

Music FAQs

Q: When will the next BandQuest piece be published?
A: The American Composers Forum is working to raise money for the next BandQuest commission. Stay tuned, or click here to contribute.

Q: I'm doing a clinic session and plan to talk about the BandQuest series. Do you have materials I can use in my clinic?
A: Absolutely! Email or call us at (651) 251-2840 and we will try our best to get you what you need for any clinic or presentation including the BandQuest series.

Q: I want to talk to one of the BandQuest composers. Can you give me their phone number?
A: No. Our policy at the American Composers Forum is to pass along your contact information to the composer so they can contact you. That being said, many composers have their own websites that include their email addresses or contact information for their publishers.

Q: I love new music and I want to commission a piece for my band, but I'm afraid I can't afford it. Do you have any advice?
A: It might not be as difficult or expensive as you might think to get your band playing new music. There are a few options to consider.

First of all, not all composers write on commission. Some write music that is in their head regardless of whether they are getting paid. It might be that the piece you are looking for has already been written and just needs a band to play it. The American Composers Forum has an "Opportunities" listing and in the quarterly newsletter "Sounding Board" where you could submit a request for scores from composers to see what music is already written for band. Simply write up the guidelines of what kind of piece you are looking for and ACF will list it for free.

You could also utilize this service if you decide you'd like to commission a composer for your band or for a consortium of bands. Write up the guidelines for a piece that would like to commission and include the amount that you would be willing to pay. Every composer charges differently, but usually by minute, i.e.: a minute of music from an established composer would probably cost around $1000, but for a less-established composer it would cost much less. Include the length of the piece and amount you are willing to pay in your guidelines to be sure you attract composers that would be the right fit for you. Again, this service is free to you-just email us your guidelines and we will make sure it makes it to the Webmaster. Some composers request that their materials be returned to them (since it's quite costly to copy scores) but you could write something like this: "Composers who wish to have their scores returned MUST include a postage paid, self-addressed stamped envelope."

We suggest you be as specific as possible in writing up your guidelines but try to remain open to the creative process of the composer. The more specific you can be with composers the better - that way they know what you're looking for and you'll find the best match for your needs. Sometimes, though, they come up with new ideas and ways of doing things that move beyond the original guidelines, which is all a natural part of the creative process.

At a session about commissioning at the 2007 Minnesota Music Educators Midwinter Conference, Dr. Andrew Boysen of the University of New Hampshire shared a strategy that he employs with his graduate composition students. Every year, Dr. Boysen selects a graduate student to write a piece for a local high school and gets paid $100. The school gets a new piece of music every year, the students have the opportunity to work with an emerging composer, and the composer gets their first commission to add to their resume. It's a win-win-win situation!

Q: I have tons of money in my school budget! How can I partner with American Composers Forum to commission the next BandQuest piece? (Okay, so you can probably tell we made this one up. But it might happen someday!)
A: We would love to continue the BandQuest program with more commissions, curriculum for every piece in the series, and a more comprehensive website. As a non-profit organization, every penny we make from the sales goes back into the program. We have even launched a new program called ChoralQuest and have talked about expanding the program into OrchestraQuest or StringQuest, but first let's talk about BandQuest. We would love to work with you and your band-please call (651) 251-2840 or email us to discuss this possibility.

Q: I'm a composer-how can I get involved in BandQuest?
A: Currently we do not have the means to support the creation of new BandQuest pieces. To be considered for a BandQuest work, please email us your contact information and biography. All composers are chosen by our advisory committee.

CD-ROM FAQs

Q: When will the next CD-ROM be released?
A: We're currently researching the best way to share the BandQuest curriculum online. This is an easier, faster, and cheaper way to share information with you, and we plan to post the current CD-ROM content on our website as well as additional content for all the BandQuest pieces.

Q: I'm projecting the CD-ROM in my band room from my laptop PC, and for some reason the video is not appearing on screen. What gives?
A: It takes a lot of computer power to run video. Even while the technology has advanced to the point that many computers can play DVDs, not many computers can project DVDs. This is because the computer not only has to play the video on the computer screen, but also on the projector screen, which means the computer is doing twice the work. The way computers avoid this extra work is by giving the user the option to choose to play video either just on the computer, just on the projector screen, or sometimes on both at once.

PC laptops have function keys along the top of the keyboard. One of these function keys will have an LCD/FCN label. On our BandQuest laptop it's the F8 button, but every PC is different. Please check your system for the proper function key to use. Press and hold the control button, then the appropriate function button (whichever button has the "LCD/FCN" letters). This will tell the computer to change the way it's handling the video, and by pressing control and the proper function key you can swap between the settings on your projector and computer.

When giving BandQuest presentations, we use this function when demonstrating the various video components, and then switch back to the original setting to demonstrate the rest of the CD-ROM.

Q: I would like to include screen shots from various CD-ROMs. Can I do this, and how would I do it?
A: Unless you are including screen shots for educational (i.e.: classroom) purposes, please email the details of your request for permission.

To capture screens of the CD-ROM into a classroom presentation when on a PC, open a word processing application, and then open the CD-ROM. Find the page you would like to copy in the CD-ROM. Press and hold the "control" button and then press and hold "Print Screen" (sometimes abbreviated "PrtSc") to copy the page. Let go of those two buttons and go to your word processor and press and hold "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the screen into your word document.