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“Champion” by Justin Williams is a Grade 2.5 work for band. It was commissioned in 2025 for the Sycamore Springs Middle School Band the composer and commissioning group have allowed us to give this away as a gift to the band director community. It is being distributed for FREE for a limited time! Click here to access.
About “CHAMPION”
The piece “Champion” was commissioned in honor of Andrew Sauerwein. His father was a private lesson teacher at Sycamore Springs Middle School (the commissioning group) and when Andrew passed away in 2021, the band wanted to honor his memory with something he loved – music.
Andrew was a Special Olympics champion and we asked composer Justin Williams to help make that feeling of being a champion come alive in this commission. Since the premiere of the piece, Champion has been adopted as a Special Olympics theme song and is played at their events around the country.
You might notice some sounds in this work reminiscent of “Coco” which was Andrew’s favorite movie. In the middle of the piece there is a “Block Party” section that is specifically included to allow students of all abilities to participate in the performance. If you perform this with your band, you can invite students with special needs to join in that part of the performance by playing on percussion instruments, shouting, cheering etc.
Not only was Andrew a Special Olympics champion, he was also a homecoming king, musician, dancer extraordinaire and a prolific prankster with a laugh and smile that matched his joy for every day and moment. His enthusiasm for life continues to inspire us all.
Simplified Parts
Jana Galloway, band director at Sycamore Springs Middle School, has added simplified parts so that the piece can be played at combined concerts with younger players performing the simplified parts while older students cover the original parts. This would work for a combined 6-8th grade performance or could be a great fit for a high school band playing alongside a middle school band. We’ve even had feedback from a director who used it at a high school side-by-side where the 6th graders performed the simplified parts sitting right next to high schoolers playing the advanced parts.
Grab “CHAMPION” HERE Free for a limited time.
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