Comp Lessons from Unlikely Teachers: Coffee
Photo by nomilknocry. CC-A. My mornings often start the same: a sunny alarm jingle. A lingering war with the snooze button. A reluctant trudge from the bedroom to the shower. Highlights from last...
View ArticleGo, Fight, Win
Photo by DMJarvey. CC-A. NHL hockey is back. NHL hockey is back, my friends. Let me repeat that. NHL. Hockey. Is. Back. Granted, it’s back from what was an absolutely absurd lockout which insulted the...
View ArticleYou Don’t Own Me
Here’s a little-known fact: it wasn’t long ago that, for a while, I seriously considered giving up composition and going to law school. It wasn’t because I was tired of music – far from it. It wasn’t...
View ArticleSchool’s Out Forever
Photo by velkr0 – CC-A. Way back in 2007, I had a conversation I’ll never forget with a Professor at an Important University. I had just accepted my admissions offer from the University of Colorado....
View ArticleComposing Diary: Getting Started
Photo by Hamed Saber. CC-A. Having sent off the finished version of my latest piece (Dragonfly for Neal Titus, a percussionist at UNC Greeley) a few days ago, I spent the weekend in that comfortable...
View ArticleComposing Diary: Color and Light
“Composing Diary” is an ongoing series detailing my misadventures in writing a piece for Alarm Will Sound. You can see previous entries here. “Rust and Blue,” by Mark Rothko. Presented under fair use...
View ArticleRemembering Richard Toensing: 1940-2014
Last week, the American music world’s shine grew just a little dimmer. Richard Toensing (‘Dick’ to his students), a composer, conductor and music educator, passed away on July 3, just a month after...
View ArticleMusing: Second Verse, Same as the First
At one university I attended, Famous Ensemble came to visit the composers’ seminar: the topic was “How to Make It In the 21st Century Music World.” I walked into the room excited and bright-eyed,...
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