arrange • compose • conduct
Some say it as, “Early is on time; on time is late.” My family calls it “Scott Time.” It’s the habit of arriving early so you’re ready when an activity starts, instead of hustling to be on time. I prefer the way I heard it, repeatedly, throughout my college career […]
…however you live,There’s a part of you always standing by,Mapping out the sky,Finishing a hat… Excerpt from “Finishing the Hat” from Sunday In The Park With George by Stephen Sondheim I don’t always feel like Sondheim’s George Seurat does in that remarkable musical, but I do feel drawn to lean […]
I’ve been busy for the last year, but not in the usual ways. I haven’t been busy with concerts and performances. I haven’t been busy with in-person lessons. I’ve been busy a lot in front of my computer. And of course those early months of the pandemic had a lot […]
My new Patreon is focused on creating a new vocal/choral work each month, and a big part of that is arranging songs newly released into the public domain. In April, I created a new SATB arrangement of the Irving Berlin standard “What’ll I Do?” – and I’m working to find […]
I’m excited that my first live concert in over a year is just one week away. With tremendous support from leadership at GRCC, and incredible work from Shades of Blue, I’m excited to present a concert of live jazz, out on the lawn behind the Music Center. We’ll present three […]
For the last three nights, I have sat in a darkened auditorium – masked, socially distanced, and fully vaccinated – and watched live theatre. The performers were masked too – masked as they sang, danced, tumbled, ran, and performed their hearts out. And I wept. I wept for the lost […]
I’m wrapping up lessons for the semester at Grand Rapids Community College, and I’m reflecting with each student on goals and what they’re carrying forward. At the heart of all my teaching is this: tools not tunes. I’d rather my students learn one fewer new tune in a semester, but […]
When I write music, I often scratch out the rhythms long before I write notes. That’s especially true with vocal music – I’ll layout the meter on a notecard and draw in rhythms that reflect my phrasing of the text. Then and only then will I experiment melodically within my […]
Don’t outsource your rhythm: own it. Who might you outsource your rhythm to? A drummer. A fellow ensemble member. A conductor. The only outsourcing that’s worthwhile is a metronome in the practice room. And even then, you should still be engaging actively with the rhythm, so that when the metronome […]
When I am working through familiar challenges, I tell myself, “You’ve been here before.” It’s the week of the musical and the whole family is involved at one level or another? You’ve been here before. You’re two weeks out from your first concert, and the music isn’t as well-prepared as […]