arrange • compose • conduct
I teach a jazz theory class and (don’t tell anyone) recently finished my third draft of a jazz theory book aimed at choral musicians. Full disclosure: I say “jazz theory” but I honestly don’t like either one of those words in this context. I always prefer “music literacy” to “theory” […]
How you have to finish the hatHow you watch the rest of the worldFrom a window while you finish the hat […] That, however you live There’s a part of you always standing byMapping out the sky, finishing a hatStarting on a hat, finishing a hatLook, I made a hatWhere […]
I want my students to graduate with the same constellation of skills, regardless of the year they graduate. There needs to be some consistency to the experience, year after year. I want to have novelty – I am teaching between 15 and 20 pieces per year to each of my […]
Part of the draw of board and card games is that they serve as a microcosm of life. “Here’s how skill is important, but here’s how luck plays a role.” “Here’s capitalism around a card table.” “Learn how much you can trust people as stakes get higher.” “This game starts […]
I have said many times that living at the same time as Stephen Sondheim is a blessing akin to living at the same time as Mozart or Da Vinci. Starting today, we can no longer say that: Stephen Sondheim died today at 91. It’s a profound loss, but look at […]
Thanksgiving, while an American holiday, is in family of festivals from across the world that celebrate the harvest. It’s a time of gratitude, and a time of family. Sometimes I think it’s my favorite holiday; setting aside the American additions of televised athletic conflicts and impending consumerism, the holiday, at […]
I have come to believe that more than anything else, creativity is a habit. Whether it’s Beethoven, Emily Dickinson, or Lin-Manuel Miranda, we hear stories of them prioritizing their daily creative time above all else. They knew that doing the act, day after day, is the best way to get […]
I’ve been revisiting some old works of mine recently, and simultaneously thinking about the current musical trend of harmonic maximalism.* I love the rich harmonies that are at the heart of harmonic maximalism, but my heart isn’t in exploring that path. As I’ve looked at older and more recent works, […]
I am very occasionally late to rehearsal. I don’t love it, but I do like to learn one important thing about the ensemble. The ensemble that is owned by the conductor waits for the conductor to start. The ensemble that is self-owned starts when it’s time to start. I love […]
Last week I said a contemporary choral piece we’re working on “sounds kind of metal to me.” I got pushback: this isn’t a metal piece by any stretch of the imagination, and moreover, it’s being sung a cappella – metal has thumping bass, distorted guitars, massive drums. But I stand […]