how do i get a composer to commission a piece for my school band?

Answer 1

Hello, I was just checking my email when I saw this question on the little sidebar and was amused at the convenience for I am a composer.

I have had about 7 years of composing experience and have composed for school bands before. I would direct you to my website for examples of my work but I am currently paying someone to redesign it and it is down.

Anyways, in general if you wish to hire a composer for a commission you usually have to provide the composer with information about the composition you want such as orchestration, difficulty level, style of music, and desired length. After which the composer with reply with a quote of price depending on his or her skills and credentials. If you accept the price he or she will compose your piece and then give you the required materials, like the score and parts, after you have paid. In most cases the composer will have a dedication line on the music stating it was commissioned by your school/organization so if he or she sells the right to perform the music to anywhere else people will know it was your school/organization that he or she composed the music for.

With that said I was wondering if you had a specific composer in mind or you are still looking for one. If you don't have a composer please consider me, for business for me now is quite scarce.

My rates, which were visible on my webpage, go for anywhere from $10 - $25 per minute for small orchestrations and a little higher for full orchestrations. If you ask anyone who knows the music business he or she will tell you that my price is incredibly cheap, the reason is that I don't have that much publicity. I have composed for many school bands, various animated shorts, solo performances, and one feature length film but until I get popular, like John Williams or Hans Zimmer, I won't be able to charge that much. Don't worry though I have taken many compositional courses and majored in music so it's not like your hiring an amateur.

I hope I answered your question well enough and provided you with adequate information on my own career.

Sincerely,
Alex Guzman

Answer 2

You commission a piece from him, which means to ask him to write a piece for you to perform. Contact the composer, or, more to the point, his management and ask what the process is.