arrange • compose • conduct
When you finish a job, are you energized or drained? Could you keep going? It’s a good indicator of which direction to move in your life. It doesn’t matter how “talented” you are at something: if you are wasted at the end of the day, then it will cost you […]
For high schools across the country, January brings the end of Christmas music and the beginning of Festival Season. Time to take a closer look at the adjudication rubric, reincorporate daily sight reading, and polish a couple of pieces to an absolute shine. Right? Or… Continue to make music the […]
What would it take for you to commission a new piece of music? It’s not the money: you are a choir teacher: you know how to fundraise. It’s not the contacts: you know a composer or know someone who does. Even if you didn’t, you know how to find them […]
The last 48 hours before school starts are the hardest. You know what’s going to happen, you are ready for it, and you can do it. But 48 hours out, you start to feel apprehensive. Like most people, I was always nervous for the first day of school in elementary […]
A recent startup company named Jukedeck caused a stir in the composer and arranger community. Basically, with a few sliders encompassing genre, tempo, emotion, etc. this online tool can “compose” unlimited new pieces of music with no further input from a human. I can understand the fear – this software […]
Don’t make any New Year’s Resolutions today. Instead, resolve to keep going. Improve what you’re doing. Get 5% better at the things you already do well, and 20% at the things you’ve just started. You’ve watched too many resolutions come and go with no real permanent change. You know that […]
This was a remarkable year for me and my family; here are a few of my highlights. 1. Composed/Arranged Piano/Vocal Arrangements: 2 A Cappella Arrangements: 8 Band Charts to Accompany Singers: 27 MSVMA Sight Reading Examples: 50 64 bars later, something like a finished […]
Do you rely on the threat of imminent failure to get motivated? I do, too. Do you realize it’s fear of finishing that is underpinning it? “The reason is simple: they can’t push through the common fear of completion unless they can create a greater fear of total failure.” – […]
The Wait-till-I-Get-There Syndrome: “I’ll do my best when it counts.” “When I get a lead, then I’ll put in the hours.” “Once I get into Chamber Singers, they’ll see what I can do.” There are two problems with this mindset. 1. Every opportunity leads to the next one. If you […]
Yesterday I wrote about trusting yourself with your work. It’s equally important to have someone else you trust just as much. Have someone who you trust to say, “that voicing sounds weird” or “this passage in the piano doesn’t work.” And believe them. I spent three hours yesterday with my […]