FAQ

I currently do not distribute videos other than one video which includes all of the following shows:

In the Shadow of Dragons
Medusa
Pandora’s Box
The Rise and Fall of Rome

The cost of this video (VHS) is $25.00 delivered. (US addresses only)

My list of recommended designers, arrangers, and choreographers constantly changes. I will do my best to establish and update email addresses of these creative people. Please contact me for my latest list.

Composing a show is an extremely lengthy process. In general, it takes three (3) times longer for me to compose a show than to arrange one. I prefer that all commissioned compositions be scheduled before February 14 (Valentines Day).

You will first need to purchase a 3-ring binder and some sheet protectors. I recommend the Avery heavyweight, clear, non-glare sheet protectors. Place the sheet protectors into the 3-ring binder and turn the binder 90 degrees clockwise. Place page 1 of the wind score into what is now the sheet protector on the top and place the corresponding percussion score page on the bottom. Continue the process until you are finished!

All KPM shows come with an automatic area of exclusivity so that you will not compete against the same show. The area that is covered varies from state to state or circuit to circuit as follows:

CALIFORNIA (WBA, SCSBOA, NORCAL, etc…)
Exclusivity is provided within one’s primary circuit (by class). You will be contacted by us if another group in your area is interested in purchasing a work that you have already chosen. After analyzing each group’s show schedule, we will collectively determine the likelihood of a conflict. The first group that purchases a work along with KPM will make the final decision.

NORTHEAST STATES (USSBA, TOB, MAC, etc…)
Exclusivity is provided within one’s primary circuit (by class). You will be contacted by us if another group in your area is interested in purchasing a work that you have already chosen. After analyzing each group’s show schedule, we will collectively determine the likelihood of a conflict. The first group that purchases a work along with KPM will make the final decision. Additional exclusivity will be considered for bands from different circuits that fall within 100 miles of one another.

TEXAS (UIL)
Exclusivity is by UIL region within your class.
(UIL “Area” exclusivity is available at an additional charge)

OTHER STATES
Exclusivity is typically provided statewide (by class). You will be contacted by us if another group in your area is interested in purchasing a work that you have already chosen. After analyzing each group’s show schedule, we will collectively determine the likelihood of a conflict. The first group that purchases a work along with KPM will make the final decision. Additional exclusivity will be considered for bands from different circuits that fall within 100 miles of one another. Please let us know if your school is near a state line or if you tend to compete outside of your state!

BANDS OF AMERICA (BOA) &
WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL (WGI) EVENTS
Efforts are made to avoid duplication at BOA and WGI events. Please notify KPM if you are attending one of these events. We will do our best to avoid any duplication of a show within one’s class.

DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL (DCI) &
DRUM CORPS ASSOCIATES (DCA) EVENTS
All drum corps will be given complete exclusivity per competitive season.

The most significant advantage of using a KPM work is the regional protection against show duplication that you receive automatically. If you use an arrangement of a famous work, bands right next door to you also have the opportunity to acquire a license for that same work. Under no circumstances will I send out music until I have the signed documentation. Please plan for the additional time required for the documentation to be processed by the publisher and ultimately be received by KPM.

Another advantage is that the original works are programmed with the competitive arena in mind. Pacing, exposures, impact points, velocity, variety, visual concepts, etc… are all well thought out and are completely designed for a competitive edge!

A. Shows are to be used for one competitive season. If a group wishes to use music beyond one competitive season, additional permission is required.

All marching band, drum corps, and indoor marching percussion scores are printed horizontally (landscape) on 8 ½” x 11” paper. Parts written prior to 2004 are also printed horizontally on standard 8 ½” x 11” paper. Works written in 2004 to present are printed vertically (portrait) on standard 8 ½” x 11” so they may fit comfortably in a student’s binder.

I do not offer electronic files to anyone. This is a common procedure for most publishers. Piracy has been a huge problem and not sending out my “investment” via electronic form helps curb that significantly.

Every composition or arrangement is designed to bring out the best sound possible! The level of the orchestrations is primarily Grade 2+ to 5. Most of the technical demands are written in the 1st parts. In virtually all cases, these works were originally commissioned by bands who wanted more depth than is currently available in stock charts.

Medium Easy: Generally Grade 2 to 3
Medium: Generally Grade 3 to 4
Medium Difficult: Generally Grade 4-5
Difficult: Generally Grade 5

When the 1st trumpet part gets high in my compositions, I tend to write divisi parts. The upper register pitches are completely optional and are geared for bands with players that can handle them. These “high notes” are typically at the major impact points so having trumpet players who can reach them is purely considered “icing” on the cake.

Key Poulan’s reduced instrumentation winds are designed for small bands. With fewer parts it allows for more
members on each part while maintaining rich scoring.

Key Poulan’s marching band arrangements and compositions have won 1st place and high music at Bands of
America Grand Nationals as well as virtually every state contest in the United States. Key Poulan’s musical
style allows students to achieve at the highest level while performing music tailored to each student’s level.

Licensing is easy because it automatically comes with Key Poulan Music compositions and public domain
works.

Key Poulan Music can provide marching band music within 24 hours of ordering.

All of the files are available as a free download on this site. You are free to create a CD from those files!

Please send me a email and I can send it to you. I don’t publish personal info on the internet.

KPMPracticeTrax™ are sold as a class set through the band director. Orders can be placed here: www.keypouklanmusic.com/ordering

Yes, we do! We are extremely flexible with payment options and due dates!

There are a few situations for which I will hold a show. I will hold a show while you are obtaining copyright clearance, while you are working on securing a P.O., or if you need a couple of days to finalize the selection with your design team.

As a former band director myself, I understand the cash flow problems that can exist at the end of a band’s fiscal year. Although I prefer to be paid up front before I send out a show, I can be flexible. If necessary, I can even delay the due date on the billing until the upcoming fiscal school year. Bottom line, I am willing to do whatever it takes to make my works available to you and your band as quickly as possible!

Shows vary in price depending on what you are interested in. Please contact me by email for a quote. keypoulanmusic@earthlink.net

We need the following information when you are ready to place an order.

SCHOOL INFORMATION
School Name:
School Mailing Address:
(If PO Box, please also give street address for UPS shipping)
School City, State, Zip:
School Phone / Extension:
(If you have a direct band office line, that is preferred)
School FAX:

DIRECTOR INFORMATION
Who is the main director/contact for the marching band?:
Head Band Director Name:
Head Director Home Phone:
Head Director Mobile Phone:
Head Band Director Email (School):
Head Band Director Email (Home):
Assistant Band Director Name:
Asst. Director Home Phone:
Asst. Director Mobile Phone:
Asst. Band Director Email (School):
Asst. Band Director Email (Home):

BAND INFORMATION
What is you band’s web site address?:
What Region (Texas Only) are you in?:
What Area (Texas Only) are you in?:
Number of Bass Drums you march:

CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Primary Competitive Circuit / Class:
What is you primary circuit’s web site address?
Secondary Circuit / Class:
What is you secondary circuit’s web site address?
Bands of America Event(s)? List all:
Any other special events?:

If this is your first time contacting Key Poulan Music, how did you hear about us?

For marching band, shows are available to be reserved on or after November 1 at 8:00 AM (Pacific Time). For indoor marching percussion, shows are available to be reserved on or after August 1 at 8:00 AM (Pacific Time).

Yes! That kind of synchronization licensing automatically comes with the music. We encourage you to create DVDs / CDs for that fund raiser. We only require additional synchronization licenses when video/audio companies record contests. That is to be acquired and paid for by the specific video company…not the band.

As far as mp3s are concerned, it is perfectly fine to copy, burn and distribute any of my personal compositions and public domain works. For that matter, I really appreciate the additional publicity!

Percussion perusal scores are not available. Past instances of plagiarism and piracy have caused me to develop this policy in order to protect our percussion writers.

No it does not. If you want to reserve a show, you need to contact me with the order.

Wind perusal scores are available for viewing by interested band directors. In order to protect the originality of these works, the perusal scores show the odd pages only. This format allows a band director to see voicings, general ranges, and the level of difficulty. Wind perusal scores for my original works and public domain arrangements are available in a pdf format. I can send up to 3 perusal scores per inquiry. Email accounts should have adequate space to receive these larger files. In most cases, “free” accounts (such as hotmail, yahoo, etc…) do not provide adequate mailbox space to handle these files. In addition, some school servers have blocks on accepting larger files. If there is a question regarding what your inbox can handle, please supply KPM with a different account such as your home or another staff member’s email.

These wind perusal scores can be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. For your free copy, click on the “Get Adobe Acrobat Reader Icon”

We are working diligently to provide complete recordings (including all percussion parts) for all of my original works as well as public domain arrangements. Since Virtual Drumline 2.5.1 by Tapspace (http://www.tapspace.com/vdl2/) has been released, this process will be a priority for our company.

I recommend that you first eliminate the duplicate instruments such as Vibraphone 2 and 3, and Marimba 2, 3, and 4. If you need additional custom work in reducing the front ensemble to a specific number of players, KPM offers a customizing service for an additional fee.

In many cases, we do a full and complete orchestration for the percussion section. The more recent orchestrations include the concept that we call “Pit by the Numbers”. This system of writing makes use of 4 to 10 players in an order that places the most important parts in the first several pit players. Seven players cover all of the most essential parts.

PIT BY THE NUMBERS (2007 – Present)
Percussionist #1: Glockenspiel + Accessories
Percussionist #2: Xylophone + Accessories
Percussionist #3: Marimba 1 + Accessories
Percussionist #4: Concert Bass Drum and Tam Tam + Accessories
Percussionist #5: Accessories
Percussionist #6: Vibraphone 1 + Accessories
Percussionist #7: Chimes + Accessories
Percussionist #8: Timpani + Accessories
Percussionist #9: Marimba 2 + Accessories
Percussionist #10: Vibraphone 2 + Accessories
Snares
Tenors (Quints)
Basses (3 Bass Drums)
Basses (4 Bass Drums)
Basses (5 Bass Drums)
Cymbals (Field Cymbal Line)

STANDARD PIT ORCHESTRATION (2006 and prior)*
Glockenspiel / Crotales
Xylophone
Vibraphone 1
Vibraphone 2
Vibraphone 3
Marimba 1 (TC)
Marimba 2 (BC) (Could be lower end of Marimba 1)
Marimba 3 (TC)
Marimba 4 (BC) (Could be lower end Marimba 3)
Chimes
Timpani
Percussion 1 (All Mounted Cymbals: Susp, Splash, China, etc…)
Percussion 2 (All Pitched Misc Perc: Concert Toms, Temple Blocks, Brake Drums, Wood Blocks, etc…)
Percussion 3 (Toys: Wind Chimes, Effects, Bell Trees, Toys, etc…)
Percussion 4 (Impacts: Concert Bass, Tam Tam, etc…)
Snares
Tenors (Quints)
Basses (3 Bass Drums)
Basses (4 Bass Drums)
Basses (5 Bass Drums)
Cymbals (Field Cymbal Line)

*Standard Pit Orchestrations can be altered to the “Pit by the Numbers” for a small additional fee.

KPM is proud to work with many of the top writers in the industry. These include but are not limited to (alphabetically):

Matt Altmire
Jeff Ausdemore
Leonard Bedoian
Nate Bourg
Mark Branson
Dan Bryan
Ariel Campos
Dennis Carty
Jim Casella
Adam Clay
Nathan Eby
Kirk Gay
Gary Gill
Shawn Glyde
Ralph Hardimon
Ralph Hicks
Mike Huestis
Mike Jackson
Allen Joanis
Scott Johnson
Jason Hall
David Knight
Bret Kuhn
Brian Lowe
Steve Maldonado
Brian Mason
Shawn McAnear
Mike McIntosh
Alex Mendoza
Phil Minnis
Kevin Murphy
Paul Rennick
Sandra Rennick
Chris (Romo) Romanowski
Dimitri Saliaris
Fred Emory Smith
Greg Valenzuela
Jim Weaver
J.J. Wren
Jim Yakas

KPM provides percussion parts for all original compositions and public domain works at an additional charge above and beyond the cost of the wind scores and parts. Many of the arrangements of works requiring copyright clearance have also been completed and any of those works that need to be completed can be done so quickly.

We do allow that but we don’t split shows until after May 1. Show exclusivity is important to us and when multiple shows are involved, it tends to eliminate sales of the shows with those movements.

Absolutely! The most important part to being competitive is to have your group sound the best it possibly can. Editing and altering the music is a normal process with competitive ensembles. I’m sure that any altering of the music will be approached tastefully.

Yes! There are several groups who like to adjust titles so they fit a specific visual concept. Please choose alternate titles carefully. One group retitled my “Rise and Fall of Rome” show as “Stonehenge” which is also the name of a work by another composer. Consequently, the school had to prove that the work was in fact the “Rise and Fall of Rome” even though every printed program had it listed as “Stonehenge”. “Stonehenge” is difficult to get copyright clearance and the school district and myself had to spend a lot of time dealing with the lawyer who represents that particular composer. An interesting side note is that this scenario occurred 4 years after the piece was performed.

Any alterations to a show such as transitions, low brass part reductions, re-titling, or anything else that requires custom work, is possible at an additional charge. Please note that even simple “cuts” require a healthy amount of work especially when you factor in cleaning the music (separating collisions of various markings or revising the new rehearsal marks) as well as extracting and reformatting the new parts.

I can simplify (or water) or reduce the instrumentation of the wind scores of my original compositions or public domain works. This service is provided for an additional fee and may take a little time depending on the age of the work. Please contact me for more details.

In many instances, most of my longer marching band shows have already been adapted to fit between 7 and 8 minutes. If you require additional modifications to a show, there may be a charge. Please contact me for details.

Yes… Several Shows cover that. First ones that comes to mind are Lunar Phases Mvt. 3, Attraction: The Music of Scheherazade Mvt. 3, and The Rise and Fall of Rome Mvt. 3.

I have a 3-tiered system depending on the time of delivery. Please email me and I can get you all of the details regarding what we offer and the various ways we can go.

Here are the publishing companies who prefer that you get clearance directly through them:

Boosey & Hawkes: www.booseyandhawkes.com
C. Alan Music: www.c-alanpublications.com
Cirque du Soleil: www.cirquedusoleil.com
European American Music Distributers: www.eamdllc.com
Hinshaw Music: www.hinshawmusic.com
Manhattan Beach Music: www.manhattanbeachmusic.com
Oxford University Press: www.oup.com
Southern Music Company: www.southernmusic.com
Schirmer: www.schirmer.com
TRN: www.trnmusic.com

For non-Public Domain arrangements, a permission to arrange agreement from the copyright holder is required in order for any arranger to create an arrangement. If you are interested in an arrangement where the copyright is administered by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., Neil A. Kjos Music Company, Post Meridian Music, or Kilar’s music, I will be able to help you obtain the permission to arrange. Other publishing companies prefer that the band director secures the “permission to arrange” licensing. Most of the publishers have a web site with the directions on how to do this. Once I have received the signed documentation from the copyright holder, I can proceed with the arrangement. No exceptions will be made. Please plan for the additional time required for the documentation to be processed by the publisher and ultimately be received by KPM. Bands are responsible for all “permission to arrange and/or perform” licensing fees.