2021 started and ended with huge rises in COVID spread. It’s tempting to say that it was 2020 all over again, but it was palpably different. With vaccinations and more knowledge about effective mitigation, we were able to do a lot more normal things, even as we missed out on many others. And because of all the cancellations of 2020, I appreciated all the things I got to do like I never had before.
Writing
I published a new post on this site every day in 2021, totaling 364 posts (plus today!).
I wrote over 75,000 words written for my blog this year; That averages to over 6,000 a month or around 200 per day, or a little less when you factor out a few longer posts. That’s always my goal – an easily and quickly readable post.
I created one new series this year, a chapter-by-chapter close reading of The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker.
My goal remains to publish a post every day under three main tentpoles: education, vocal music, and creativity. Almost everything I write pertains to one of the three. I’ve also begun categorizing each post for easier searching; but it’s a big hurdle to go back over more than 2,000 old posts and 500,000+ words to add categories to all the previously published posts.
Composing/Arranging
I completed two arrangements premiered by Shades of Blue this year: “Can’t We Be Friends”, which I finished writing in 2020 but premiered this spring (publication forthcoming), and “Remember Me” from Pixar’s Coco, which was performed as part of a GRCC Choral Concert themed around Día de los Muertos (available via Sheet Music Plus, recording coming very soon).
I was called by a member of my longtime-collaborators Noteworthy to write an arrangement for a flashmob choir at a wedding, which was a fun challenge and came out well. I also did a couple of other quick arrangements or adaptations for choral conductor friends.
Rockford’s annual Cabaret returned in 2021; we presented four great performances of student interpretations of Disney songs. This was one of our first repeat themes from the last 14 years, and I was surprised at just how little was repeated from the first to the second. I was bandleader and wrote 36 arrangements in just over a week. (Using Dorico for the first time for Cabaret, I found that the charts were noticeably clearer to read and faster to write. I can’t recommend it highly enough.)
I completed the exercises for 2022 MSVMA High School sight reading for Choral Festival and Solo & Ensemble, once again after a hiatus because of the pandemic.
I completed several new arrangements for The Rockford Aces, including a quick setting of The Wellerman Sea Shanty when it was taking over TikTok.
I transcribed and arranged the Bing Crosby/The Andrews Sisters version of “Jingle Bells” for a Shades of Blue-Bradley Sinclair collaboration performance, and then adapted it for piano-4 hands for the Rockford Choirs Advanced Treble Ensemble. It’s a fun version of the song at breakneck speed.
Finally, for my Patreon, I completed a number of projects, including two public domain vocal jazz arrangements (What’ll I Do? and Fascinating Rhythm), a set of nonsense canons, and an original wordless composition titled “Going Home.”
I’m blessed to be able to stay busy writing music I’m excited about. If you’re interested in commissioning something in 2022 or beyond, now’s the time to hit me up!
Conducting
The Rockford Aces are now in their 14th year. We were able to return to our Fall Retreat location, have had concerts and other performances, and are working our way back to normal. Recording sessions to begin our sixth album are planned for the spring. Last June saw our Aces Concert return, with masks and somewhat abbreviated, but incredibly thrilling after the Long Quiet. 2020 saw the largest turnover in our fourteen years, so only one member of the group was in the group pre-pandemic; it’s been an opportunity to reimagine and reinvent, and to relearn the positive traditions. Most significantly, my own son, Owen, successfully auditioned for the group this year; it’s been a true joy having him in the Aces.
I am now in my fifth year directing GRCC Shades of Blue. During Winter Semester, we transitioned from full virtual to in-person, and ended the semester with two more virtual choir performances (Can’t We Be Friends and Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens) as well as the first live concert for the department (still available to view online), held outside in sub-50º weather just after the semester ended. I was so proud that we could salvage our work and make a live concert happen. This semester, we have been working hard to overcome lots of obstacles, and ended up giving all of our usual concerts as well as singing as part of my former student Bradley Sinclair’s Christmas show at The Listening Room.
Professional Growth
I continue to serve MSVMA as Supervisor of the All-State Jazz Choir. We were able to get it back on its feet after the loss of MMC 2021 and plan to have an excellent ensemble singing in January, 2022 under the direction of Christine Guter.
In addition to conducting Shades of Blue, I continue to teach applied lessons at GRCC – I have been teaching both jazz piano and composition. This spring, a 4-semester composition student changed directions and is now a composition major rather than a music ed major at a 4-year university. I’m proud of the growth of all my students! I’ll be teaching a class in Jazz Theory again this Winter Semester.
Speaking of Jazz Theory, my first book went through multiple draft revisions in 2021, and I am excited to potentially finalize it soon. A number of trusted people have been reading it for clarity and content, and I hope to be able to present Jazz Theory For Choral Musicians in the near future. I’m already at work on planning the next book.
In other publication news, I have begun publishing through leading independent jazz publisher Anchor Music. I think so highly of Matt Falker’s leadership and keen eye and ear for vocal jazz, and I’m hopeful to publish many more of my arrangement with him in the future. Right now, look for “This Can’t Be Love” and “Fly Me To The Moon“, which will be featured at the new vocal jazz reading session at the JEN Conference next week (sung by many of my heroes and friends!).
I also continue to have arrangements in print with UNC Jazz Press, Pavane, and at Sheet Music Plus. And I added a score store to my website this summer!
In addition, I started a new Patreon, focused on writing vocal music. Under my model, a $5/month commitment earns you performance rights to the work I publish there each month. I’ve experimented with original choral compositions, arrangements of public domain songs, and more. I do hope you consider joining me there! (It’s also a way for me to “underwrite” commissions for ensembles who can’t afford my whole commission fee.)
I rebuilt my website from the ground up, which means it’s now much more responsive and easy to read on mobile devices, and has other new features like dark mode. As I mentioned above, I’m working on categorizing all past posts, but in the meantime, I still publish daily.
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 120 loaves of bread in 2021, and hardly a week went by without some of our family staples: homemade pizza, pancakes, waffles, focaccia…. Cooking and baking remain outlets for me to clear my head of music, and a tangible way to express my love for family and friends. 70 loaves of my sandwich bread means my kids can’t really imagine what store-bought sandwich bread tastes like. I like that.
I spent another year as my sons’ Scout Troop Committee Chair, and spent seventeen nights camping with the troop and my boys. I didn’t expect a return to Scouting after I left when I aged out as a teen, but I have had a marvelous journey getting more involved with it through my sons, and especially watching them grow and mature. Highlights included a week at Scout camp (I walked 55+ miles in six days) and our high adventure, backpacking and hiking through the Porcupine Mountains. My son Owen and I collaboratively designed a commemorative patch for that event, which was a special experience as well.
I read 12 books in 2021. 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.
Our dear dog Bijou remained a blessing – she gets me out into the world every day.. Thanks to her insistence, I walked around 750 miles in 2021. She doesn’t care about the weather – she just wants to be out in it. She has definitely slowed down a little bit this year (she’s 9) but 2 miles every morning is essential.
My favorite week of the year was almost certainly the week off of the grid in western Massachusetts. Reconnecting with Alice Parker, but also reconnecting with our family, with play, and with the world. I seek more moments like that.
I can’t imagine doing any of what I’m doing without my amazing partner, Mandy. She inspires and motivates me, is my first and most trusted editor and confidant, and makes everything I do better. Here’s my second Patreon project – a setting of Irving Berlin’s What’ll I Do? that I arranged as an anniversary gift for Mandy.
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.