arrange • compose • conduct
Start with the impact you want to make. I’m in the middle of figuring out whether I want to take the leap on a new project I’ve been dreaming of. I think with any project, you have to start with the question, “What impact do I want to have?” Want […]
Dreaming big comes with failure. If I dream of commissioning ten new pieces in the next 2 years, but only commission six, is that a failure? It is inarguably a success – I’ve helped bring six new pieces into the world. But if I measure it only against the metric […]
Sometimes questions are meaningless.
My son said, “You’re smarter than me.”
Just because something is easy doesn’t mean you’re not learning.
Zip your lips and let ’em go.
You’ll never start. I’ve had a lot of students over the years who knew they were going to accomplish something specific – as soon as they were ready. “I’m going to be a composer, once I’ve taken all the classes to have the skills.” “I’m going to write a book, […]
What are you trying to get better at? What are the stakes you’ll have when you’re good and how can you lower those stakes now? I got good at writing by lowering the stakes. If I had sat down at my computer and said, “I’m going to write an essay […]
I tend not to think about the projects I work on as jobs. I think of them as educational assignments. The projects are there to help me learn a lesson, develop a skill, or chart a path towards whatever I’m going to do in the future. My writing here? Helping […]
Pity it happens at the end. One of the great tragedies of school ensembles is that they end just when the group locks. My ensemble learned new notes and basic choreography in mere minutes today – things that would have taken much more time in September. They lock because they […]