Strive to be happy for Marimba Solo - 4 Min.; 4.3-Octave-Marimba; 4 Mallets, intermediate

Video (youtube)

Strive to be Happy (2014) is a marimba solo dedicated to Aaron Staebell, one of my best friends and favorite musical collaborators, and is written for 4.3 octave marimba. Aaron introduced me to “Desiderata”, a prose poem written by American writer Max Ehrmann in 1927. The poem is a simple and positive credo for living life, and one that both Aaron and I cherish and take to heart. The poem ends with the simple phrase, “Strive to be happy.”