(This is a repost from my Prescott High School Wind Ensemble residency blog)

When I compose, I sometimes like to bounce ideas off of my wife, Maria. It has its risks, though. An idea that I have in my head may provoke a completely different reaction from her than what I envision. But one of the nice things about being married for almost 20 years is that I no longer need to tell her if I disagree with her. She can read that look in my face … the one that (unintentionally) says, “OK, I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree, and this conversation is no longer helping me.” And she politely backs off from her point and lets me take what ideas I did like from her.

I find it well worth bouncing ideas off of her, because sometimes, as a composer, I need a fresh perspective to throw in some new directions.

So, today I took a risk, and I learned what it was like to get fresh perspective from a high school band. Read More...

(This is a repost from my Prescott High School Wind Ensemble residency blog)

I teach piano, and just about all of the music my students are expected to learn are written by dead white men. When the listen to the radio, they hear music written by people living very far away from them. We live in the world where composing music is very distant from your average student.

This is one of the reasons that I teach all of my piano students to compose. Among other reasons – its fun, it helps us learn how music is constructed (thus, making it easier to learn), and, like all creative endeavors, it validates our existence on this planet. (OK – maybe that’s a bit existential ... )

So, while chatting with the band members of my residency this Monday, I mentioned that one of the reasons I compose is that I get tired of playing (or, more accurately, teaching) only music that is written by dead or far away people.

And then, a lone voice came up from the flute section in front of me. ”I wish we played more music by dead people.”
Read More...