Original Music

• Instrumentation: Art Song (Soprano and Piano)

• Length: 2'

• Difficulty: Easy

• Opus No. 9

• Instrumentation: Organ and Narration

• Length: 4'

• Difficulty: Intermediate

• Opus No. 8

• Instrumentation: Art Song (Tenor and Piano)

• Length: 5' 30"

• Difficulty: Intermediate - Advanced

• Opus No. 7

• Instrumentation: Orchestra

• Length: 12'

• Difficulty: Advanced

• Opus No. 6

“Bluebonnet Boy” is a contemporary ballet written about the trauma that sexual assault causes a person. How it can lead to thoughts of suicide, how one can overcome that, and how even after that, reality can be shifty and odd for the survivor. Written in 4 dances, “Bluebonnet Boy” follows two boys; our antagonist and our protagonist. Our antagonist is the perpetrator of the assault. A closeted homosexual in an unsupporting family, our antagonist takes out his sexual frustration on our protagonist, forcefully and violently. Our protagonist, openly gay, is the victim of this assault and our “Bluebonnet Boy”.

• Invocation of the Male

  • This is our first dance. Written to be a haunting and wicked introduction to our antagonist, this dance should be played powerfully. All movements should be played attacca.

• The Assault

  • This is our second dance. The actual assault. This should always be metaphorical, never actually portrayed. The focus should be on the victim, not on the perpetrator. At the end of the dance, the perpetrator should hand the Bluebonnet Boy some vehicle in which he could harm himself. A gun, a knife (fake obviously). This leads us into the next dance, a contemplation of suicide.

• The Contemplation

  • This is our contemplation of suicide. At this point in the dance, it should be purely the Bluebonnet Boy and ensemble. The antagonist should not be seen again. This should be introspective and beautiful, while also being heartbreaking. At the end, the Bluebonnet Boy decides not to commit suicide.

• To Live On...

  • This final dance is meant to show how survivors of sexual assault never will have the same life again. Their reality is shifty, odd, and challenging. This is represented by the aleatoric and peculiar ending. This ballet should be unresolved. Never clean cut. Always messy.

“Bluebonnet Boy” is meant to show many things. It has many messages, lots of which can be up to interpretation. Survivors of sexual assault may interpret this in any which way, and these notes are meant simply to be a guide

• Instrumentation: String Quartet

• Length: 3'15"

• Difficulty: Intermediate

• Opus No. 5

When I was asked to write an opening theme for a production of Lorca’s “Blood Wedding” at my school, I gladly accepted. Originally, it was a short, flamenco style opening for two voices, but I quickly fell in love with it. So I transcribed it for two Violins. Inspired by the themes of fate and destiny that are present in “Blood Wedding”, I continued to write. After some easy writing as well as some difficult challenges, I had a String Quartet inspired by the haunting ideas of a destiny one can’t escape.

• Instrumentation: Handbell Choir and SATB Voices

• Length: 2'50"

• Difficulty: Intermediate

• Opus No. 4

One of my fondest memories with my Uncle is singing Simon and Garfunkel's rendition of the original English ballad, Scarborough Fair. When he passed, I knew I wanted to write something honoring his memory, so I wrote a reharmonization of Scarborough Fair. My Uncle was a great man, and a music lover himself, so it seems fitting that the homage I pay to him is in music form. I loved him very much, and I believe he would have loved this piece.

• Instrumentation: 6 Tenor Trombones, 2 Bass Trombones

• Length: 3'20"

• Difficulty: Intermediate - Advanced

• Opus No. 3

Written while I was in a compositional stump, "Fanfare for Trombone Octet" is an exploration of rhythmic ideas and the way instruments can interact with each other in a larger chamber ensemble. I wanted to write something fun and dynamic, something quick and "stab-by", something to get me out of my compositional rut that I was in. I succeeded, quite well I think. The piece stretches the range of the Tenor Trombone, specifically the higher side, so players with high stamina are very much needed. Have fun with the piece, play the louds loudly and the softs softly, and most of all, enjoy.

Contact kyleskinmusic@gmail.com for sheet music!

• Instrumentation: 4.3 Octave Marimba, Snare Drum, and Concert Band

• Length: 7'

• Difficulty: Intermediate - Advanced

• Opus No. 2

"dusk in the midst" is a Concertino for Marimba, Snare Drum, and Concert Band that aims to outline the American Identity through 4 sections. The first three sections follow various individuals who face different types of hardships. From an immigrant, to a person of color, to a woman, all three of these people face some sort of oppression and discrimination. Through harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic devices as well as certain instrumentation choices, each section showcases the individual's opposition and willingness to fight back. In the first section, we hear harmonic modulations in the marimba and the band that represent the individual's feelings while they fight back. From hope, to fear. In the second section, the soloist comes in on the snare drum. This represents the individual's harsh opposition to the oppression experienced. The third section is a cadenza on the marimba. This symbolizes the loneliness that one can feel when fighting injustices, while still maintaining hope. The fourth and final section is a combination of these three sections, not only represented through the soloist playing both snare drum and marimba simultaneously, but through rhythmic motifs and the chords mimicking the keys of each section. This fourth section showcases the American Identity. These recurring ideas, as well as the consistent minor tonality and key signature, represent that there is one thing that unites a country full of people with various ethnic, religious, and diverse backgrounds. That one thing is the advocation for true liberty against oppression. That is what the American Identity is, and that is what this piece is about.

• Instrumentation: 4.5 Octave Marimba

• Length: 5'30"

• Difficulty: Advanced (Grade 5)

• Opus No. 1

“i view our love as lavender.” is an expressive, musical personification of love and should be played passionately. It tackles various different styles, including a waltz, and has many contrasting ideas that all flow together neatly. Each style represents a different type of love in a relationship. Section A represents young love, whereas C and D represent a passionate, driven love, C containing rhythmic characteristics of a heart beat. F represents an older love, G an eruption of that type of love and we finish of with Section H, a fond, nostalgic reflection of the young love we experienced in Section A. The skills needed for this piece include quick octaves in a singular hand, odd permutations, and very quick inner mallet work. 

Review/s - 

•      "This charming composition uses a theme-and-variations form to depict various kinds of love. Beginning with a expressive, sweet chorale, Kyle Skinner moves on to a lilting, yearning theme in F-sharp major. After developing the melody, he takes the listener in an unexpected direction, transposing the melody into the distant key of C major. The piece returns to the home key of F-sharp, now with a more expansive and sweeping melodic line. 

The piece takes another unexpected turn halfway through, venturing into the keys on the flat side of the circle of fifths (B-flat Major, C minor, and D-flat major). First, Skinner explores an introspective, melancholy character through rubato and a lament-like bass line, then a dancelike, jubilant character through emphatic octaves in the upper register and full dynamics. This driving section gradually fades away into a sweet, nostalgic return to the opening theme.

"i view our love as lavender" is roughly 5 and a half minutes long, with some variance in performance time due to the rubato, expressive sections. The piece is fairly idiomatic; there are a few moments where the hands cross, but the necessary coordination is easy to develop with a little practice. Much of the melodic content is interwoven between the hands, in a texture evocative of Eric Sammut's "Rotation II." An excellent opportunity to develop musicianship and interpretation, "i view our love as lavender" is a great choice for an advanced high-school student or a beginner collegiate student."

-Hannah Weaver

Sheet Music Here