SLANG is a one-movement work in three sections. Its title refers to my use of jazz, boogie, and twentieth century 'new music' slang throughout the composition. The idea for SLANG came while I was working on a commission for the Ohio Ballet. I am fascinated by the dynamic and fluid nature of American English and our propensity to create and use slang as a quick way to identify with particular groups. American culture, dynamic and fluid, has evolved a vast array of musical languages and I was taken by the idea that just as we have developed slang in our speaking language, we have also developed a lexicon of musical slang. SLANG explores this idea, asking the performers to freely change performance styles as the musical language dictates.