arrange • compose • conduct
How do you know it’s your passion? I have written music at every hour of the day and night. I have the times I gravitate towards in 2023, but 2013 me used different parts of the day, and 2003 me was frantically writing a thesis and arrangements for class – […]
I love the magic of a piece before we sight read it. But it can’t last. Especially when it’s a new commission, the time between having the piece in hand and passing it out to students is particularly magical. First, because I’m the only person in the world who knows […]
I’m busy editing a number of scores. What else is new? It’s a privilege that I get to work with new works by other people frequently, in addition to my own writing. As I work through the editing process, I realize that the editing process is really never, ever finished. […]
Don’t take your creations too seriously. At least, I don’t. The third time my students read a rhythm differently than written yesterday, I changed it on the spot. As I said to them, “Just because I wrote it doesn’t mean I got it right!” I can make mistakes in my […]
Theory is good for understanding music. Well, the right theory for the right music. Roman Numeral analysis isn’t so great for understanding contemporary pop. Jazz theory isn’t great for Renaissance motets. Counterpoint is a great tool to clarify some aspects of much music, but if you’re trying to understand an […]
The more clarity you can give to the musicians reading the music, the better the reading will be. Nowhere is that more essential than when in a reading session like the Rockford Choirs Cabaret I do every year. We have a full band and allow just five minutes per song […]
I believe in the value of the D.S. It can save space in a score, making it easier to print; it can make it easier to learn a piece, because you don’t have to notice that a section is identical – it’s the actual same measures. It is also a […]
Which is most important to you? It has to depend on the context – if I’m picking a Renaissance motet, I’m more likely to focus on the music, because the Latin text isn’t going to be a significant resonating factor for my students. If I’m picking a contemporary choral piece, […]
Historically, composers drew no distinction between composing and arranging. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, virtually every composer since has transformed existing melodies for their own purposes. I don’t think of the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as an arrangement, and neither do you. The simple truth is that good arranging is […]
My primary strategy for solving my beloved Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest is asking the question, “What’s weird?” What’s unexpected, different, or unusual? What stands out from the background? Because very often, that’s part of the secondary puzzle I have to solve. I approach composing and arranging in much the […]