arrange • compose • conduct
“Self-directed” is one of my my favorite traits. It’s a trait I seek to cultivate in myself, and to praise and encourage in my students (and my children!). The thing is, being self-directed is much easier when you are committed to the task. Commitment is a prerequisite for self-direction. Maybe […]
If you want to get better at something, keep doing it. Slow down – it’s hard to do something well and quickly at first. When you’re embarrassed, or frustrated, with your artistic output, I take that as a sign that you have standards, and want to reach them. Then the […]
Here’s a little flow chart for how to interact with your own mistakes. I made a new mistake when I did this chart. And I learned how to fix it for this photo.
As my son navigates his first weeks playing the clarinet, of course he is squeaking and squawking as he learns to navigate the instrument, control his embouchure, and so many other basic skills. I reminded him that those cracks, those squeaks and squawks, are a natural part of learning to […]
When I’m adapting to a new schedule, the third week is when I figure it out. The first week is about reacting, moment to moment, to the demands of the schedule. The second week is about noticing the waves, taking care of the most important tasks, and starting to go […]
I taught myself to use a new notation software today, and I did it by being almost completely uncreative. I use notation software throughout my creative process – to complete scores, but also as I am composing and arranging. It is a creative tool. But when you’re using a new […]
Early correctives are so much more effective than late ones. It’s the beginning of the year/semester/trimester/quarter. Now is the time to make gentle correctives. A small, gentle corrective of a student in the early weeks can profoundly affect their trajectory. A much bigger correction at the end of term will […]
“In preparing for his oral qualifying examination, a rite of passage for every graduate student, he chose not to study the outlines of known physics. Instead he went up to MIT, where he could be alone, and opened a fresh notebook. On the title page he wrote: Notebook Of Things […]
I’m a big believer of digging in and doing the work. One of my favorite expressions is JKMF. Just. Keep. Moving. Forward. But it’s also acceptable to take some time off. To let go of the ever-present To Do List. JTSMF Just temporarily stop moving forward. Give yourself permission. The […]
A lot of it is just, knuckling under and, what’s the right analogy? Man, you just gotta dig harder and slow it down. Slowing stuff down is the biggest thing. You can see kind of a recurring theme here. My desire to create works of quality at a certain rate […]