Morning Drive was written as a piece for the beginning band that reminded me of my daily commute during 2015.  The opening reference to “Morning Mood” by Edvard Grieg, was a familiar theme to my students and allowed them to figure out their parts as I used phrases of the melody elsewhere in the piece. The main melody is original and was written in a way that allows the director to teach a dotted quarter note value. If the students have trouble, have them take out the tie and perform it, until they feel comfortable enough to put the tie back in. The snare drum and the upper chords represented the busy clatter of rush hour traffic and the constant need to move forward. In the repeat of the melody, remind the students that dynamics are not only important, but also necessary for expression to happen in the music. This can make the opening, the melody, and the ending more effective. Let the bassline fill up the sound, using lots of air, without overdoing the tone quality. There are several occurrences where the bass may feel like they are just playing a bassline, but point out how they are phrases of the “Morning Mood” melody. The piece gives many mini solos to feature sections and a chance for your students to shine.