With each new project I create as a composer or arranger, I have a few personal goals for growth (beyond crafting a good piece, with clear notation, that suits the ensemble I’m writing for, etc.).
- Do Less. For the arrangement I’m currently finishing, I’ve had three arrangements worth of ideas. Once upon a time, I would have crammed as many ideas as I could in. Now, I intentionally do less. If those other ideas are really compelling, they’ll still be compelling in the next arrangement. I think that selecting the best ideas, and using just enough of them, I’m more likely to create something that is of value.
- Learn Something. In every arrangement, I am trying to learn something new; it might be a new trick in my notation software, a new writing technique, a new type of ensemble, or even a new approach to the actual process of writing. Whatever it is, I am intentionally trying with each new work to add one (small) additional tool to my toolbox. In the beginning, I had to add all the tools at once to craft a piece; now I can be more selective and use just the tools that are best suited to the job.
Do less. Learn something. Then start again with the next piece.