The setting for this movement is the city jail, which lies just two blocks west of the brick avenue that bisects downtown Alliance. The jail is within easy ear shot of any parade traversing those reflective bricks.

Parades were a common occurrence in Alliance, but since no Indian children graduated from high school, they couldn't be found marching in the band or riding on the Varsity float. There were no Native American farmers to drive their tractors down Box Butte Avenue in support of the FFA (Future Farmers of America). There were no Native American merchants to sponsor a crepe paper float from which butterscotch candy was ejected into the crowd. No Native American ever perched on the back seat of a shiny, new convertible as it pressed those red bricks deep into the Nebraskan plains.

But there was always a group of Native Americans sitting on the curb at the intersection of 2nd and Box Butte, watching the 4th of July parade come to an end, watching another celebration of American Independence, watching a nation's tribute to freedom and justice.

The Parade and two other movements were originally scored for piano and narration in compliance with the rules of an international competition that requested works for solo piano "based on literature."

Stravinsky was correct when he stated "music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all, whether a feeling, an attitude of mind, or psychological mood, a phenomenon of nature, etc….Expression has never been an inherent property of music. That is by no means the purpose of its existence." Therefore, for a composition to be "based on literature," it must include the literature in its presentation. Otherwise, the reference is a myth.

The contest called for a delicate mixing of two completely autonomous art forms. Whether in the form of poetry or prose, literature has its own techniques for expression. Music, in this context, must take a back seat and play a predominately supportive role, finding ways to embellish the literary expression. Music must wait for its moment to shine, to dominate, and then withdraw into a supportive role. The trick is to make both art forms work together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The mp3 file of The Parade contained on the previous page is in its original "solo piano" form. In it's final form, it is supplemented only by the occasional presence of percussion instruments.