Epperly 1

Undertow (2008)
Composed by John Mackey
Written for concert band
Listed under OSSAA level 4 music
Project by Erin Epperly
Piece Background:
Broad Description This was the first piece Mackey wrote for
intermediate band. It provides an ostinato that repeats throughout
much of the piece, and the various melodies feature standard but
pronounced articulations throughout. Many of the melodies were
inspired by the music that plays in Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, a
video game that Mackey would often play during the time he was
composing the piece. The pieces metric combinations (the almostconsistent alternation between 7/8 and 4/4 time) reflect inspiration
by the Tool song Undertow, whose instrumental breaks
experiment with asymmetrical meter. Overall, the pieces intense
sound, metric alternation, and level of technicality make this piece
a fun, exciting challenge to the secondary concert band.
Type/Genre Contemporary Concert Band Literature
Composers Life - Born in 1973, John Mackey grew up composing
music, starting in the early 80s with early music notation and
composition software. He originally worked to arrange Bach fugues
and similar classics, while also composing original works. He
eventually obtained a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Cleveland
Institute of Music and Master of Music degree from Julliard. While
not actually playing any instruments himself, Mackey composed
many instrumental works, with one piece, Damn, being played
at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Georgia. More recently, Mackey
composes works for dance companies, such as the Parsons Dance
Company. Currently, Mackey lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
and often travels and indulges himself as a photography
enthusiast.
Reasons for the composition This piece was commissioned by the
Hill County Middle School Band in Austin, Texas.
Original Performance I could not find any information regarding
the first performance of the piece. I do know that the Hill County
Middle School Band under the direction of Cheryl Ford premiered
it. The assistant directors name is Chuck Fischer, who is also a
percussionist, and he played the timpani part for the premiere.
Mackey had written the piece for six percussionists, since that was
all they had, but Fischer really wanted a timpani part. Instead of
cutting another part to add the timpani, Mackey wrote it as a
seventh line and Fischer played it for the performance.

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Performance Information:
Performance Traditions It is common for the conductor to conduct
in two in measures 154-169, since this is the only section that is
completely in 4/4. The melody in this augmented to twice the
length as when the melody first appeared in measure 10, so
conducting in two helps to show the students the connection
between the sections.
Solo Requirements Measures 54-61 feature a clarinet solo.
Measures 62-95 feature a flute solo. Measures 130-145 showcases
a percussion section feature.
Technical Challenges Students must get used to feeling a 7/8 pulse
and subdivided the last three eighth notes of 7/8 measures evenly.
Throughout the pieces, some instruments will have brief
interjections on upbeats, so their rhythmic accuracy must be
precise (i.e. Alto and tenor saxophone in measure 14).
Percussionists have to keep a consistent pulse and exercise
various techniques, such as glissandos, gong dampening, and
maintaining equal subdivisions, since they most often have
constant eighth notes and guide metric changes throughout. In
younger bands, finding/teaching a skilled piccolo player may prove
difficult. The third trombone part will be difficult because of glisses
that are a whole step in pitch but stretch from sixth to first
position, as found going from measure 19 to measure 20.
Additionally, there are some sections, such as the clarinet and
flute solo, where the balance will need careful attention, since the
soloists will have trouble being heard over all of the lows and
percussion that could easily overwhelm them.
Musical Elements:
Form ABCA
Rhythm Mixed Meter between 7/8 and 4/4. Has an ostinato pattern
of:

Often the last three subdivisions of the 7/8 will played as three
eighth notes to help solidify the counting in those beat, and is
found in many instruments through the piece. The ostinato is first
heard from measure 2 from the entire band, then floats around
between the bass and tenor voices, tambourine, high woodwinds,
maracas, etc.
Melody The melody first makes its appearance in measure 10
(rehearsal A) in the oboe and first clarinet parts. It looks like this:

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Throughout the piece, this melody has its rhythm varied, such as
changing the last three eighth notes into sixteenth notes on the
second beat like in measure 34; being split into different parts as
seen going from the clarinets and trumpets in measure 36 to the
tenor saxophone, horns, and euphonium in measure 38; to the
rhythmic augmentation found in flute line starting in measure 64,
then later in the flute and clarinet sections tutti in measure 78.
Harmony Written in F minor throughout, but tonal centers shift
occasionally. The overall tonal center shifts from F to G to C, then
back to F.
Timbre Dark, dissonant, heavy percussion
Texture Polyphonic/Homophonic
Expression The wind players experience a dynamic range of piano
to fortissimo, while a wider range of pp-fff is found in percussion,
although pp is found only in the maraca and suspended cymbal
parts once and the fff is found once in the bass drum part.
Phrasing expands throughout the piece as the main melody is
rhythmically augmented. The tempo is marked at 160 BPM and
maintains throughout, thus making the percussionists job all the
more important to keep time.
Heart of the Work:
What Attracted Me to This Piece I really wanted to a project on this
piece because I remembered having so much fun playing it in high
school. It was intense and had very involved percussion parts. It
grew to have such a special place in my heart that I wanted to
play it once every four years when I have my own program so my
students could play it at least once. That may be more optimistic
than I had initially realized, but I know that if I had so much fun
learning this piece, my students will too.
What Maintains My Interest Its a great piece to listen to. The
mixed meter keeps it from being the same thing over and over
again, the percussion feature keeps its energy up, and hearing the
trombone gliss down to this large arrival moment with the full
ensemble is continually exhilarating to me.
What Gives This Music Distinctive Qualities the continual ostinato
focuses the energy of the piece while it travels around the band
(low brass, marimba, etc.). The 7/84/4 mixed meters gives it a

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jumpy, unpredictable feel, as opposed to the calmer section thats
strictly in 4/4.
What Do You Learn About Yourself via This Music You learn about
struggle. Yes, this piece is fun to play as a performer, but the
sounds it elicits and the image it evokes reminds me of a struggle,
of being plunged into a water you cant escape. Everyone has an
undertow of sorts, from parental pressure, peer pressure,
internal conflict, and more. I believe that playing this piece with a
critical thought process can allow for a student to feel more
empowered to tackle that struggle, and to persevere when things
get hairy.
How Has the Composer Used Devices to Elicit This Response The
dropping of the eighth note in the 7/8 measures works to add a
sense of rush and acceleration to the piece, giving the sense of an
adrenaline rush. The different percussion colors of the tam-tam,
tambourine, and cymbals give the idea of debris flying around.
Whenever the main melody is presented in an augmented way, its
played in the lower range of the instrument its on, giving a
warmer, calmer feel. The stretch of time and lower of pitch gives
the sense of time slowing down, as it often seems to do in
situations where our adrenaline is running high. In addition, the
continual push of the eighth note subdivision evokes a pulse,
much like a heartbeat pounding throughout the experience.

What Can I Teach Through This Piece:

I could teach about inner conflict and empowerment, as mentioned
above. I could teach about environmental issues, since this piece
is about being underwater. It would be easy to start a conversation
about cleaning the ocean and other bodies of water. I could teach
about composition and using influences from pop music to create
ones own music.
Outcomes/Objectives:
Skill Outcomes
Trombones playing clear and even glissandos (third trombone)
Listening and applying proper balance
Maintaining rhythmic pulse in mixed meter
Using dynamic contrast to emphasize different sections
Adjusting ones own part to emphasize/compliment the soloist
Knowledge Outcomes
Background of the piece and its musical influences
Knowing how to count/subdivide 7/8 and play interjected
upbeats in an odd meter.

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Affective Outcomes
Mackey has said, Its hard to come up with a new idea for
each piece. Thats really the hardest part of writing something
its not picking the notes, but deciding ahead of time what
the reason is for the piece to exist at all. I want that idea to
become something the students really reflect on; that before
anything great can be accomplished, you have to first
understand what you want it to mean. I want this to challenge
them to always think ahead, to always put meaning into their
actions, and critically assess their feelings towards a topic on
their own.
Possible Teaching Strategies:
Individual Learning Strategies
Visual
o Finding a video of what it looks like being in an
undertow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQasUVffoME
o Charts showing fore-, mid-, and back-grounds in each
section
Auditory
o Adjusting different factors to get to the style we want,
and adjusting them to find new sounds that arent what
we want
o Use peer-assessment often in class, asking questions
like What did we hear that time? or What are they
doing with their tongue when they play that note?
o Listen to recordings
Kinesthetic
o Have student-led rehearsal sessions that include a
physical component, like a student acts out what they
hear in the different sections.
o Come up with a game that involves playing a recording
of the piece and having the students stomp around the
room to the macro while clapping the micro beats.
Student-Centered Strategies Give students the opportunity to run
rehearsals. This gives them a chance to develop a stronger sense
of ownership in the music and for you as the director to get a
better sense of how they hear the music. Often have a student not
play their part, come to the front of the room, and listen to a
section while you run a section, then have the student offer their
suggestions based on what they heard.
Daily Drill - For rhythmic accuracy, first, have student volunteers
create a rhythm thats comprised of separated eighth notes (like
theres at least one eighth rest in between each). Then divide the

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class into three sections. Take turns having one section play
straight eighth notes, one section play the composed rhythm, and
one section listen and give feedback on if theyre lining up. Rotate
roles, and each time you rotate have a new student write the
rhythm.
Take Out the Piece Ideas
o Take out the piece that was written by John Mackey.
o Take out the piece that was written in 2008.
o Take out the piece that was written for a middle school band.
o Take out the piece that is in F minor.
o Take out the piece that has flute and clarinet solos.
o Take out the piece that has a percussion feature.
o Take out the piece that starts with two beats of sixteenth
notes.
o Take out the piece that has mixed meter.
o Take out the piece with a continuous ostinato.
o Take out the piece that includes maracas and tambourine in
the percussion section.
o Take out the piece that was composed by a man who lives in
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
o Take out the piece with a form of ABCA.
Introducing the Piece Ideas
o Play a pop song that has meter changes and challenge the
students to conduct along to the music. When they realize
their conducting patterns dont fit the music, introduce the
idea of 7/8, ask how the students think 7/8 would be
conducted (assuming students havent previously
encountered 7/8 this year, or at least not often). Have them
practice 7/8 by playing a scale without the ninth on the top.
Like so:

Then make an exercise that gets the students to play in

alternating 7/84/4.
o Pull up some old video of one of the notation systems that
John Mackey used growing up (found here:
http://ostimusic.com/blog/). Approach the topic from a
perspective of the evolution of the composer, and also the
different methods of composition. It will also encourage the
students to composer their own pieces.
Assignments for Outcomes:
Skill Outcomes

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o Listening and Applying Proper Balance Observational and
Performance Assessment turn it into a game. Will draw on
board a mixing board, where each strip is a different
instrument. The strip/slide thing will have levels for 0 to 10,
with 10 being the loudest. Students will first decide the first
few mixes, playing with who will be more prominent and who
will be less. Then, later, Ill set the mixes for actual sections of
the piece. Students will offer opinions of proposed mixes, then
the group will come to a decision. Students will mark sections
with the number their instrument was labeled with (i.e. if the
clarinets had the melody in a louder section, they would write
a 9 weve got to save that 10). Students will apply the same
logic to other sections of the piece, which will be observed by
the conductor.
o Maintaining rhythmic pulse in mixed meter Self-Evaluations
Students will fill out a form about once a week. These forms
will not only be for rhythm, but also various concepts of the
piece. The form has several faces, ranging from sad to
ecstatic. There will be a couple of questions for them to
answer, each of which will result in them circling one of the
faces. Questions may include questions like:
o How do I feel about my progress on this piece?
o Do I feel ready to perform this piece on the concert?
o Am I happy with the ensembles interpretation of this
piece?
o Am I meeting my potential?
o I have a fully developed idea of what this piece means
to me.
o I have improved since last weeks evaluation.
o I am comfortable with the rhythms in this piece.
o I am comfortable with the melodic phrases in this piece.
o I am proud of how I approach my part as a musician.
o Using Dynamic Contrast to Emphasize Different Sections See
above
Knowledge Outcomes
o Background of the piece and its musical influences Written
assignment Students will write a paragraph (5-8 sentences)
on this piece. They made include information such as
composer background, what inspired this piece, the origin of
the piece, the meaning of the piece according to the
composer, and what the piece means to them. They dont
have to include all of those points, and they can cover others
as well. Well-thought and in-depth comments will be printed
as program notes for the concert. If the technology allows, it
may be worth it to project student comments during the

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performance of the piece at the concert so that parents and
administrators can see that the music really does mean
something to the students.
o Knowing how to count/subdivide 7/8 and play interjected
upbeats in an odd meter peer-led pencil and paper tests
group students in pairs. Everyone has the same rhythm
challenge in front of them. When one plays, the other writes
them feedback and offers them a grade (this may not be the
grade put into the grade book, especially considering how fair
one student may be to another). Everyone will have access to
the grading rubric, either by having a handout or by having it
projected at the front of the room. During this time, Ill walk
amongst the students and check in on how theyre doing. Ill
also resolve any conflicts that may arise, such as a student
receiving a grade they think is unfair.
Affective Outcomes
o Challenge the students to always think ahead, to always put
meaning into their actions, and critically assess their feelings
towards a topic on their own Journal Assignments These
will be weekly journal assignments that will be due every
Friday. Theyll be a completion grade, and theyll only be read
if the student marks on the top of the page that theyd be
okay with that. This assignment will not be for me, but for the
student to think about the world around them, to find a new
perspective, to reflect on their environment, peers, and
choices. There will be suggested prompts every week, in case
a student is struggling for a topic to write about, but in the
end its their choice. The journals may take the form of written
prose, poetry, or even music compositions. Depending on the
maturity of the class, we may have a day after the concert
where students can either share some of their journal entries
that meant the most to them or opt to have me read them
aloud. Of course, its volunteer only. This assignment is for the
student, and I hope that they can use it for the development
of their selves.