I’m proud to say I’m exhibiting with the CodaChrome Collective at the 2023 Midwest Clinic! Come visit me at booth no. 1814 and learn more about the pieces below. Whether you’re a band director, orchestra conductor, or performer, I have music that’ll interest everyone — and at all grade levels. Concert Band After Further Review […]
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New Works for Midwest 2022
I’m proud to say I’m exhibiting at the 2022 Midwest Clinic! Come visit me at booth no. 2008 and learn more about the pieces below. Whether you’re a band director, orchestra conductor, or performer, I have music that’ll interest everyone — and at all grade levels. Concert Band After Further Review 2021-22. Concert band. Grade 2 […]
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Top 5 Tips to Get Better at Composing
Whether you’re just starting out at composing or have been writing music for decades, improving your composing skills can help you find greater technical mastery, artistic fulfillment, and career success. Deliberately developing your composing skills is especially important if you’re not yet as good of a composer as you hope to be (which describes most […]
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Why Kindergarten Ruined Your Career
From Kindergarten onward, we’ve been programmed to picked: To be chosen for the playground kickball team. To get the SAT scores that’ll lead to a good college. To receive the grades that will get us into our major. To win the interview that’ll land a job. For almost the first three decades of our lives, […]
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Top 3 Reasons Composers Should Focus on Commissions
I know you WANT to get your music commissioned and performed. But, just like with the audience bell curve, it’s crucial to understand WHY if you’re going to make your maximal impact. “Because that’s just what composers do” is NOT a good enough reason to seek commissions and performances. Here are the three big reasons […]
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Why I Founded a “Wizarding School for Composers”
Because SOMEBODY had to. Someone had to demystify the magic of how to give audiences goosebumps — without the usual handwringing about “style” and “voice” and “am I good enough?” and “great music is only for geniuses.” Someone had to cut through the cynicism, jadedness, and ignorance that too many musicians use as a way […]
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Why Imposter Syndrome Actually Inhibits Your Career
Let’s talk about that feeling of “I’m not good enough.” Or of “My music is too ____ or not enough ____ to be successful.” Or, most of all, of “I don’t deserve my successes. When others find me out, they’ll mock and shun me.” As you know, these feelings are often called “Imposter Syndrome.” You […]
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When Bach Can Be a Dangerous Model for Young Composers
Recently, in the New Year Composition Jumpstart and on Facebook, I made the assertion that “J.S. Bach is a supreme composer but a *terrible* model for other (esp. young) composers.” Specifically, I called him “the worst model for developing ideas.” The comments have still been pouring in, though my favorite was the one that began […]
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My #1 Book Recommendation for 2022
Looking for a book the start the new year? Look no further. Read Child Composers in Old Conservatories by Robert Gjerdingen. The tl;dr summary: Classical composers were able to write the intricate music at the speed they did because they were not trained the same way musicians are in modern universities. Rather than teaching them […]
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A Composition Lesson from Stephen Sondheim
As both a lyricist and and composer, Sondheim was one of those rare artists whose craft and intellectual rigor were just as profound as his psychological insight and humanity. My favorite song of his is probably “Send in the Clowns” (Barbra Streisand’s version is fantastic), but “Being Alive” is a close second. Another connection I feel […]
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