Ballard graduated magnum cum laude with his Master of Music degree in Composition from the University of Tulsa in 1962. He was quickly appointed Performing Arts Director at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe New Mexico.
Scenes From Indian Life is a satirical, musical depiction of scenes he observed from his new home in Santa Fe. Two locals, one Navajo and one Taos, were building a wall out in front of his house. He heard the two greeting each other; each in their own language. These utterances became the opening motives heard in the clarinet and the trombone. A musical dialogue takes shape and the themes are developed in each movement. Additionally, Ballard noted how “the stylized rhythmic elements of Pueblo music are utilized” throughout the work. The first three movements were dedicated to Mrs. Stewart Udall, founder of the Center for Indian Arts of America, and premiered by the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra under Howard Hanson in 1966. The composer arranged the original three-movement work for elementary and advanced band. As a result, it has been one of the most often performed of his works. The final movement, Feast Day, was added in 1994. According to Ballard, this movement is not tribe specific. It is “the world of the Rio Grande.” The San Jose Symphony and Leonid Grin premiered the work January, 6th, 1995.