The purpose of this project was to: (1) describe a brief history of Salvation Army works for euphonium and piano that are relevant to the larger euphonium repertoire, and (2) produce a professional-quality compact disc recording of these works for study and reference. Part I of this project is an annotated bibliography discussing selected works for euphonium and piano written exclusively by Salvation Army composers. Each bibliographic entry is accompanied by a brief annotation, including information on each composer, hymn tunes used in each work, and difficulties encountered in performance. Part II of this project consists of a professional-level recording of these works. The recording and bibliography is intended to serve as a reference guide for students and teachers of Salvation Army euphonium literature, and is also intended to serve as a pedagogical tool utilized in the development of high school and university-level euphonium students. Five solos and one duet with piano accompaniment were selected for this project, works that represent a wide variety of Salvation Army compositional styles. The works also cover a wide range of technical and musical challenges, and are appropriate for study by both undergraduate and graduate students of music. All of the works are currently in publication as of this writing. The following works are included in this project: "The Song of the Brother" by Erik Leidzén, "Ransomed" by George Marshall, "Ochills" by Ernest Rance, "The Better World" by Norman Bearcroft, "Symphonic Rhapsody for Euphonium" by Edward Gregson, and "Timepiece" by Norman Bearcroft.

This paper is the writing component of a project the author under took to create an entertaining program for a chamber ensemble. It discusses ways for chamber ensembles to create entertaining concert programs for today's audiences. Information was gathered by analyzing four interesting and successful groups--The Canadian Brass, Mnozil Brass, Les Trompettes de Lyon, and The Blue Man Group--and identifying common traits. These traits help facilitate the ultimate goal of making connections with audiences and include originality, comedy, choreography, memorization, continuous presentation, musical appeal, high quality presentations, and the proper personnel. These attributes were then implemented into the author's experimental group, the Omni Brass Ensemble, for testing with live audiences. Materials were used from published interviews, articles, newspapers, ensemble websites, and recordings of their performances. From the author's performances with the Omni Brass Ensemble, indications are that these findings work with live audiences.

Every year hundreds of aspiring musicians audition for positions with professional orchestras throughout the United States. This study is designed to provide a comprehensive look at professional orchestral auditions for trumpet. While other resources rely on the single opinion of their author, this study gathers information from a broad range of sources to develop its conclusions. This project was completed in three phases. In the first phase, lists of excerpts from trumpet auditions were compiled. In the second phase, an online survey of musicians who have served on a trumpet audition committee was conducted. In the final phase, four principal trumpet players of major orchestras and one conductor were interviewed to look further into the criteria and procedures used in orchestral trumpet auditions. The results of this study can be grouped into four categories: the desired qualities sought in a trumpet audition, common mistakes and concerns for those taking auditions, common mistakes and concerns for audition committees, and a discussion of the top fifteen excerpts asked in auditions. The data from this study can be used to consider two different perspectives: what does an aspiring trumpet player need to do to win an audition? And also, what should a committee want to hear? Although there is a broad range of opinion when considering trumpet auditions, certain standards remain. Also, while most of those involved in this study agree that the audition process is among the fairest ways to determine the winner of a job with an orchestra, they also agree that significant changes to the process still need to be made. This is especially true with reference to the types of excerpts asked and the audition procedures used.