2019 was a wonderful year, both professionally and personally.
Here’s an overview of my work year:
Writing
I published a new post on this site every day in 2019, totaling 368 posts.
I wrote over 75,000 words written for my blog this year; That averages to over 5,000 a month or around 200 per day, or a little less when you factor out my longer Dare To Lead series and my ACDA National Conference preview posts. That’s always my goal – an easily and quickly readable post.
I tried and failed to maintain a weekly newsletter collecting my writings for that week, and offering as some extras (weekly recommended media and updates on my work). My goal is to figure out a way to streamline this and get back to it in 2020.
Composing/Arranging
I completed a commissioned composition, “Raise Your Voice” for the Elk Rapids HS Choirs (Rob Stow, conductor). It sets words of Mandy and Daniella along with Rumi and Howard Thurman. Mandy and I collaborated on the composition – our first time working together – and I think the piece came out really well. It offers some unique opportunities within the composition for creative thinking and meaningful conversation within the performing ensemble.
I also completed a commissioned work for MSVMA, celebrating the career of Ginny Kerwin, their recently retired Executive Director. It was a true honor to write the piece for her, and I was so pleased with how “Towards a Brighter Future” came out. It’s a setting of two quotes of Nelson Mandela selected by Ginny; they are a powerful pair for setting intention with an ensemble or in a concert.
I completed three a cappella SSAA arrangements for my friends and long-time collaborators Noteworthy.
I wrote thirty-seven band charts in a single week for this year’s Rockford HS Cabaret, “Don’t Stop Believin’: Music of the 1980’s”. Phew!
I wrote and premiered an arrangement of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” for the Rockford Aces. The TTBB a cappella arrangement is now available on SheetMusicPlus, and will be performed by a collaborative choir at the Intercollegiate Mens Choruses Biannual Symposium in March.
I also wrote and premiered an arrangement of “Little Jazz” by Roy Eldridge and Buster Harding for GRCC Shades of Blue Vocal Jazz Ensemble. I used Ella’s recording as a sonic model, transcribing her scat syllables and adding words for the instrumental sections in her arrangement. I hope to seek publication for it soon.
I saw my 2019 sight reading for MSVMA published (both Choral Festival and Solo & Ensemble) and completed the 2020 editions. This is my ninth year writing sight reading materials for MSVMA.
Finally, I rounded out the year writing a brand-new setting of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky which will be premiered by The Rockford Aces at their performance at the World Choir Games in July.
I’m blessed to be able to stay busy writing music I’m excited about. If you’re interested in commissioning something in 2020, now’s the time to hit me up!
Conducting
The Rockford Aces completed their 11th and began their 12th incarnations in 2019. They have given a string of excellent performances throughout the year, and are well on their way to an outstanding arc to this year. We were hampered in early 2019 with a series of snow days that really impeded our forward momentum, but they were still able to reach their potential and give a fabulous 2-hour concert in June, as well as complete recording their fifth studio album (coming soon!) The Aces also commissioned and premiered a wonderful original composition from Jeremy Fox, a setting of Loveliest of Trees from A.E. Housman.
GRCC Shades of Blue remains a highlight – I am now in my third year teaching and conducting at GRCC. The professional atmosphere is positive and supportive, and the singers and instrumentalists I get to work with are consistently passionate and committed to achieving musical heights. We recorded four songs in spring 2019, and will record enough more this coming year to release our first album.
I also had the honor of preparing a choir for the Grand Rapids Symphony for the first time in 2019, working with a 20-voice TTBB group to sing with the symphony in their live performances to the film of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. It was a fascinating and fun experience to work hard and fast on the film music, and then to be onstage singing and leading the choir and watching GR musical legend John Varineau conduct the orchestra to match up with the film. I’m excited to do it again in the next few months (with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)
Professional Growth
In 2016 I started the Michigan Choral Commission Consortium, whose mission is to facilitate new choral works by putting together groups of choirs across Michigan. In 2019, our third cycle, we commissioned an additional three choral works for 35 ensembles across Michigan. We received scores from Z. Randall Stroope (SATB, I Have Loved Hours At Sea), Stacey V. Gibbs (TTBB, I Can’ Tarry), and Michael Bussewitz-Quarm (SATB+Piano, What Ships Are For). (I also offered Towards a Brighter Future for MC3 members as a bonus piece). In 2020, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote, we will be commissioning all women composers, and will hold our first choral composition competition.
After nearly a decade on the ACDA-Michigan Full Board and Executive Board, I passed the website/editor reins on and committed to more time on my own projects. I feel so blessed to have served with so many remarkable choral leaders and cherish the time I spent on the board serving the state.
As overseer of the Rockford High School Performing Arts Series, I produced an amazing concert in Rockford featuring The Real Group. Don’t miss the chance to see them – they are amazing musicians and human beings. Both the Aces and Shades got the chance to receive some coaching from them, as well.
I continue to serve MSVMA as Supervisor of the All-State Jazz Choir. Jennifer Barnes conducted a marvelous concert in January, and we are in the final run-up to Duane Davis’s turn as conductor at the Michigan Music Conference next month. Each year we have seen more schools participate and more total auditionees – a great trend to see for the viability and visibility of this art form in the state.
In addition to conducting Shades of Blue, I have taken on some applied lessons at GRCC – I have been teaching both jazz piano and composition. I am also slated to teach one or two courses down the road – Jazz Theory and Jazz Arranging – and have been involved in rewriting their curricula.
I’ve also been secretly at work on some longer-form writing projects to be announced soon! I am also looking into a Patreon-based composition project in 2020. Stay tuned!
Every day I am looking for more and better ways to give back to my professional community – with my time, with my attention, and with my words. If you have an idea for a project we could work together on to make the choral community stronger, please contact me!
Personal Growth
I baked nearly 100 loaves of bread in 2019, and hardly a week went by without some of our family staples: homemade pizza, pancakes, waffles, focaccia…. Cooking remains an outlet for me to clear my head of music, and a tangible way to express my love for family and friends. 60 loaves of my sandwich bread means my kids can’t really imagine what store-bought sandwich bread tastes like. I like that.
I read 17 books in 2019. I find it hard to carve out as much time for reading as I want to, but am also mindful that I read a lot more than many. It fills my spirit.
The summer, for us, was about quiet connection and family. It was, of course, busy – but busy in profoundly different ways from the school year. Highlights included a truly joyous celebration of our daughter’s legal name change, and a return trip to the Berkshires to visit and connect with both Alice Parker and a new friend and one of our favorite authors, Catherine Newman. Mandy and I celebrated our 17th anniversary with a visit to a mindfulness retreat in Southwest Michigan.
Finally – our dear dog Bijou has settled firmly into our family. A year ago she was still sleeping in a crate and would go on there to spend much of her day. Now the crate’s nowhere to be seen and she seems more and more a part of the family and trusting and affectionate. We don’t know what her previous six years were like before we adopted her, but we do know she’s adjusted well to life with the Scotts. Oh yeah, I also walked close to 900 miles with her this year in all kinds of weather.
My life is full in the best possible ways, and on the horizon I see possibilities I couldn’t have dreamed even a few years ago. Every day I try to do the best I can at the job in front of me, and on most days I see positive change.