The Escape

For Percussion Ensemble

Listen:

Program Notes

The Escape is a musical exploration of our increasingly complicated relationship with technology.

When the piece was written in 2012, smartphones and tablets were rapidly becoming a constant presence in everyday life. Even then, it was becoming difficult to walk through a public space without seeing people absorbed in a screen. In the years since, that relationship has only deepened. Technology now connects us, entertains us, informs us, and accompanies nearly every part of our daily lives. At the same time, the constant stream of notifications, information, and digital noise can make moments of genuine quiet increasingly difficult to find.

The Escape imagines what might happen when one person finally decides that enough is enough.

Using a familiar ringtone as a recurring musical representation of technology, the piece unfolds in six sections as its protagonist attempts to escape the circuits, screens, and signals competing for their attention. What begins as frustration with an overwhelming workday gradually becomes a search for something increasingly rare: the experience of being completely disconnected.

Section 1 — “Office Frustration”
The relentless sounds of the workplace begin to pile on top of one another. Distractions multiply, tension rises, and an increasingly frantic heartbeat leads to one unavoidable realization: I need to get away.

Section 2 — “The Scramble”
The protagonist rushes out of the office in search of relief, only to emerge into the noise and chaos of a busy street. Leaving the building, it turns out, is not the same as escaping.

Section 3 — “Down the River”
The city finally begins to disappear behind them, but one connection to the outside world remains: their phone. There is only one thing left to do—lose the signal. What better place to disappear than a canoe drifting through the forest and down a secluded river?

Section 4 — “The Drop”
At last, the signal disappears. No notifications. No ringing. No digital interruptions. For the first time, there is only the sound and beauty of the natural world.

Unfortunately, there is also the sound of a rapidly increasing current.

Perhaps taking the right fork in the river wasn’t such a good idea…

Section 5 — “Still Ticking”
After an unexpected trip over a waterfall, both traveler and phone somehow survive the plunge. Against all odds, that persistent little piece of technology is still ticking.

There is only one solution left.

Section 6 — “Euphoria”
The phone is finally tossed into the river.

The recurring technological interruptions disappear, and in their place comes a sense of freedom, stillness, and euphoria. For the first time, there is nothing demanding attention—only the world that had been there all along.

Although The Escape was composed in 2012, its central question has only become more relevant with time: In a world designed to keep us constantly connected, what might we discover if, even for a little while, we allowed ourselves to disconnect?

Performance Notes

Mallets
Mallets that are not specified in the score:

• Snare and field drum mallets should just be standard concert sticks.
• Tam-Tam mallets should be a medium-soft.
• Hi-hat should use standard drum sticks.
• Ride and China cymbals should use Medium-soft mallets unless otherwise specified.

Special Percussion

• Computer Keyboards – This is exactly as it sounds. If possible use older computer keyboards that are very noisy. In the first section, “Office Frustration”, the performers will begin to softly type and increase in both volume and intensity as the section progresses.
• Typewriter – The older, the better! A typewriter that is loud, clanky, and makes a ding when you reach the end of a line. This may be substituted with another computer keyboard if absolutely necessary.
• Stapler – Exactly as it sounds. Try to use a stapler that is fairly percussive and noisy.
• Paper – I would prefer the use of large and loud construction paper here, though, newspaper works as well. Long tears and rips, as noisy as possible will create the best sounds and effects. The large pieces that are ripped will then be crumpled and thrown across the stage when specified in the score.
  

Other Percussion

• Toms – The range should be as wide as possible. The top-most tom should be around a 8” and the bottom as low as a 16”. Discretion is up to the conductor.
• Bike Horns – One low and one high.
• Congas – One low and one high. Discretion is up to the conductor.
• The ocean drum may be substituted with a large rain stick if necessary.