arrange • compose • conduct
I loved studying Euclidian Geometry in high school. I loved the formality of geometric proofs, the creativity and sense of discovery they provided. And I loved that the entire geometric world could be built by manipulating Euclid’s five simple Axioms. He basically said, “If we can agree that these five […]
I played a new little arrangement for dear friends tonight, and it included a tasty reharmonization that arrived once in each verse. My brilliant musician friend reminded me, don’t overuse the good stuff. As he said, overusing a powerful move can dilute its power. The surprise of a reharmonization is […]
Great singers are often gifted mimics. The ability to imitate what you hear, especially if it’s done well enough to win over an audience, is a skill that has direct impact on your performance level. If you can imitate whatever you hear, you can perform anything. And if your ear […]
When we learn to make connections between two phenomena, we can make better choices and have better reactions. There’s a particular color the sky gets before a severe thunderstorm; a distinctive pale green that sort of hangs in the air. It takes awhile to learn to recognize the color; but […]
This is a quick recommendation for those seeking growth and learning over the summer. My friend Dr. Jeremy Fox has been leading in-person week-long masterclasses called the “Jazz Harmony Retreat” for years, multiple weeks per summer. They are an intimate, carefully curated small-group class focused on giving music educators, and […]
Musical form goes deep into our subconscious. We feel regular four bar/eight bar phrases almost without thinking. Actually, definitely without thinking. I helped film a video of some people dancing today, and the song had a pre-chorus with an odd phrase length. Six bars instead of eight, I think. The […]