"Coplandia" for young (or young at heart) orchestra. The title is a take-off on the famous "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius. But, the similarity ends there. The composer tried to use as many "Copland-isms" as possible, without actually quoting the great American icon, Aaron Copland. Even the "cowboy Copland" shows up for a while! There is a fair amount of 7/8 stuff, as well as some 5/8 and even an occasional 3/8, just to give young players a feel for navigating that. It is suggested that whenever such metric modulation occurs (that is, shifting groups of 2's and 3's) a slight accent on the first note of any group is appropriate. Doing so will help hold the ensemble together. The scoring calls for an orchestra most available in a variety of educational settings, where less common "exotic" instruments such as English Horn may not be available: 2 Flutes (2nd doubling on piccolo); 1 oboe; 2 clarinets; 1 bassoon; 2 French horns; 2 Bb trumpets; 2 trombones; tuba; timpani; cymbals (crash and suspended); snare drum; bass drum; triangle; tubular bells (chimes); glockenspiel (orch bells); xylophone; piano; and strings. There is also a version available for 2 string orchestras (advanced and intermediate), or one string orchestra alone, both with piano. There are liberal doublings throughout, and the conductor should feel free to eliminate as need be. Leaving the doublings intact works just fine as well, and will add an element of "safety". My thanks to Donzel Burkhart and Sherry Randall for help with bowings.