arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing creativity, both in and outside of music
Creativity is unpredictable. When every project is different on some level, it’s easy, when asked to take on a project, to say to yourself, “I don’t actually know how to do this.” It’s true – I don’t. I’ve never done this before, precisely, and I don’t know it can be […]
I’ll stop when it’s time to stop. My son asked me yesterday, “Will you ever quite writing every day?” And as a followup, “What if you run out of things to write about?” The second question is easier – there will never be a shortage of things to write about […]
This question has been one of the best tools I’ve found to improve my own art making. How do you make your art? I ask it of other artists: What’s your photo editing process like? Whats’ the hardest part about knowing when your poems are done? How long do you […]
It’s probably not, but today might be the day someone important is paying attention. “Every day is an audition” is a mantra I adopted from my mentor, because it’s true and useful. If you’re auditioning for next year’s ensemble, I’m watching you every rehearsal, every day to see how you […]
How do you avoid cliches? Avoiding cliches in your writing is advisable. Cliches tend to cheapen your writing by using bland, repeated phrases or “moves” that have been heard so many times before that they don’t affect your audience. Whether you’re creating music, writing words, or creating any other art, […]
I’m glad you like that music, even though I don’t. I work in niches of niches: vocal jazz, contemporary a cappella, TTBB choirs, etc. I love the niches I work in, and I have developed strong opinions about various genres of music – and specific pieces or performers – over […]
Good ideas come from combining pieces you’ve already got in your head. I find that when I look back at a good idea, I see that I was carrying around all the pieces for some time beforehand. Everything I needed to generate the idea was available to me, and it […]
Most of the time, good writing is the natural outcome of more writing. A common refrain to my composition students (and to myself) is, simply, “More bars!” No adjectives necessary to describe the bars. Just more. We can always choose the best ones. We can always edit, revise, reimagine, or […]
Don’t give me a list of the things you don’t like. A long time ago, I was an early subscriber to the Believer, a magazine put out by McSweeney’s publishing. One of the things I loved about reading it was an editorial philosophy prioritizing positive reviews. I don’t have their […]
Reflecting on a project when it’s fresh is the best way to improve the next one. I just built a new cast bio input form…for next year’s musical. Why do the work now when the need is eleven months away, and I’m neck-deep in work for next week? Simple. It’s […]