arrange • compose • conduct
A while back I fought through the haze of a cold to run my weekly Rockford Aces rehearsal. The previous week, I had a student come to rehearsal in a wheelchair, three days after knee surgery. It inspired me to recall the most epic story of being at rehearsal. In Gold Company […]
There are always multiple ways to notate something. One of the most important (and overlooked) parts of the composing/arranging process is choosing how to notate it. Forget theory or pretension – the only question you should ask is, “is this the easiest way to read this?” A few quick examples: […]
The coming revolution in online class offerings will be great for arts in schools. Right now, I regularly see students drop choir because they need to take, say, an algebra class. Or because they want a more rigorous academic transcript for college applications. In five years, those students who are self-motivated will […]
Eight things I’m thankful for: 1. An amazing family that understands and supports my passions. 2. A life that allows me to write music. 3. A career that keeps evolving into something that give me more joy and more opportunities to make music. 4. Gene Puerling. 5. Alice Parker. 6. […]
By this time in November, I’m happily shuffling more than 40 Christmas CDs in the family stereo. But this week I take a quick break to listen to some great Americana and celebrate Thanksgiving. For several years I’ve enjoyed the Public Radio special “Thanksgiving With Cantus” and happily, they have […]
Is it hubris for me to edit Mozart? I am no Classical-era scholar, but when I wanted to do a certain Mozart canon with the Rockford Aces, the available scores had two problems. 1. The key was too high. 2. I needed a very specific text. Mozart’s original text is […]
I had a marvelous music theory professor at Western Michigan University. David Loberg Code is clever, with a dry wit and a passion for theory pedagogy, he thoroughly engaged me in three different classes. In the last few years, he’s been using some more unusual approaches to present theory topics. I trust […]
I’m a vocal jazz guy. As much time as I spend on other choral genres, it’s vocal jazz I always come back to when I need to refill my musical well. Trouble is, vocal jazz is a bit of a stepchild in the choral music world. In the panorama of […]
I’m in the process of mixing the third CD from the Rockford Aces. My students and their friends routinely ask me: when are you putting it on iTunes? On Spotify? I’m not. I am not in the music business. I don’t care about downloads or streams – I care about memories. […]