Sample audio:
Anticipated Musical Information:
Key: Ab (with B and E naturals)
Difficulty: Grade 2.5
Length: c. 3’ – 3’30”
Anticipated instrumentation: 1st Flute, 2nd Flute, Oboe, 1st Clarinet, 2nd Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone
1st Trumpet (straight mutes), 2nd Trumpet, Horn in F, Trombone, Euphonium, Baritone T.C., Tuba
Timpani (3 drums), Mallet Percussion, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Crash Cymbals, Suspended Cymbal, Tom-toms (2)
Join the IGNITION Consortium
What is a Consortium?
A consortium is a collaborative commissioning model where multiple band programs come together to fund the creation of a new work. Instead of one program bearing the full cost of a commission, directors pool their resources to make high-quality, original music accessible and affordable. By joining the consortium, you're not just purchasing a piece, you're becoming part of its creation story, directly supporting a living composer, and giving your students the opportunity to be a part of this process.
About IGNITION:
IGNITION is a Grade 2.5 concert band work that captures the excitement and wonder of reaching for the stars. Inspired by space exploration, this piece embodies the energy of countdown, the thrill of liftoff, and that powerful moment when hard work ignites into something extraordinary. It's about momentum, possibility, and looking upward—both literally to the cosmos and metaphorically toward the future your students are building. Written with middle school musicians in mind, IGNITION balances technical accessibility with musical substance, giving your ensemble a rousing and memorable experience.
Key Details:
Fee: $125 per program
Delivery Date: March 4, 2026
Grade Level: 2.5
What's Included:
Director name(s) and school program listed in the final published score
Zoom session with students to discuss the piece and composition process
Full score and parts upon delivery
Exclusive performance rights for the first six months after delivery
An opportunity for students and directors to directly contribute to the creation of a new concert band work
Join The Consortium By Filling Out The Form Below:
ABOUT ME
Ernesto Aguirre is a drummer, percussionist, and composer whose work fuses storytelling, rhythm, and cultural depth into a distinctive musical voice. A first-generation Mexican-American and graduate of the University of North Texas College of Music, Ernesto draws on his heritage and lifelong connection to percussion to create emotionally resonant music for both the screen and stage.
Beginning his musical journey at just two years old behind a drum kit, Ernesto has since expanded his expertise to encompass marching percussion, Latin, Brazilian, West African, and South Indian traditions, jazz drumming, and orchestral percussion. This rhythmic foundation shapes his work as both an orchestrator for film and television and as an educator, helping composers and musicians worldwide refine their craft through online resources and his YouTube channel.
As a performer, Ernesto has toured nationally with Drum Corps International as lead vibraphonist for the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, performed across Eastern Europe with the YOSA Philharmonic Orchestra as timpanist, and appeared with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra at the world-class Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
Ernesto is the founder of Twin Drummer Publishing, a music publishing company dedicated to original works and educational commissions. He receives several commissions each year, and his music is performed by school ensembles across the United States as well as by musicians and groups around the world. His catalog includes works for orchestra, concert band, percussion ensemble, and chamber settings, written with a focus on musicality, accessibility, and educational value.
His formal studies include percussion with Mark Ford, Paul Rennick, Sandi Rennick, and Christopher Deane, and jazz drumset with Steve Barnes. He broadened his musical language through world traditions, studying Latin and Brazilian percussion with José Aponte, West African drumming with Gideon Alorwoyie, and South Indian music and rhythm with Poovalur Sriji, and further expanded his compositional voice through jazz arranging with Grammy-nominated composer Richard DeRosa.
Ernesto continues to hone his craft through mentorships with acclaimed industry figures including multi-Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated composer Bruce Broughton; legendary Hollywood orchestrator Tim Simonec (Up, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Rogue One, Spider-Man: Homecoming); film and television composer Trevor Morris (Vikings, The Tudors, Olympus Has Fallen); renowned concert band composer Carol Britten Chambers; and Emmy-nominated composer Amanda Jones (Home, MurderBot, Adventure Time).
Ernesto is a proud member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the Composers Diversity Collective (CDC), and the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL).