arrange • compose • conduct
“Is it okay to make mistakes?” she asked. “No!” (she answered her own question.) “But seriously, in performance, is it okay to make mistakes?” The students started nodding. “NO!” “All right, don’t make mistakes, but if you have to it’s okay, right?” “NO!!!” She went on, “It’s okay to make […]
Clare Fischer grew up close to where I live, in Grand Rapids Michigan, and came to be one of the most important voices in contemporary harmony and arranging. He died ten years ago today. You can remember him fondly for his work as arranger and pianist for The Hi-Lo’s (like […]
The only way to memorize anything is repetition. (I generally repeat this until my students memorize it.) So, as I said to my students today, get your reps in! If you know it’s going to take a certain amount of repetitions to get to memorized, there can be no good […]
I’ve begun incorporating a solo project into my winter semester with Shades of Blue. It’s a good opportunity to explore beyond ensemble singing, and a new experience for most of my students, who don’t get other opportunities to sing jazz in an authentic solo way. Step 1 is for each […]
One of the things I have missed most about in-person conferencing is that my ideas get to cross-pollinate. They get to mix and mingle with other ideas, and I come back with novel fruits to share with my students. It can happen in lecture sessions, in concert sessions, even in […]
With each new project I create as a composer or arranger, I have a few personal goals for growth (beyond crafting a good piece, with clear notation, that suits the ensemble I’m writing for, etc.). Do Less. For the arrangement I’m currently finishing, I’ve had three arrangements worth of ideas. […]
We all have options for the tools we use. In the music world alone, there are DAWs, notation programs, microphones, instruments, and so many other tools that we can choose from among many good options. Why do we choose one or another? My Mentor/Hero Uses It. Think of Jacob Collier […]
I consider my understanding of jazz theory hard won: I worked and worked to become fluid, because it didn’t come naturally to me. Comprehension of this incredibly complex music comes easily to some, but for me it took time and effort. As hard won as this knowledge is, I find […]
It’s time for students to begin thinking about registering for classes for the next school year. Inevitably, there is going to be a push to take more AP and early college classes, more GPA-lifting Honors classes, more career-prep STEM classes…more, more, more. What falls off the schedule when students take […]
How creative are you before you create? Before you write a note of your new piece… …make a word cloud of adjectives to describe the piece. To describe each phrase, each section. …draw a map of the shape, the way John McPhee would to craft an essay. …speak, dance, time […]