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 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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The Importance of Stupidity in Music Composition
Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite articles: “The importance of stupidity in scientific research” by Martin Schwartz from the Journal of Cell Science. Don’t let its title or source put you off. It has EVERYTHING to do with the creative process. As composers, we reach a point when our teachers, […]
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Flow like Water: Developing a Professional Creative Process
Last week, I wrote about the two fluencies that professional composers must have: technique and process. Professional composers generally all achieve a baseline of technical fluency. Many, especially those in media music, also develop a reliable process fluency. Without both fluencies, you can’t be like Michael Giacchino, for instance, and take on a project like Rogue […]
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The Two Fluencies Professional Composers Must Have
All composers began as amateurs. You wrote music, with no or minimal training, because you loved it. Sure, being an amateur had its frustrations. It often took you a forever of fumbling to find the figures you imagined. But that earnest stumbling was part of the fun. In the end, simply hearing your music and […]
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