2024 was my last year composing sight reading exercises for MSVMA.
I truly enjoyed parts of composing sight reading. I especially enjoyed collaborating with MSVMA colleagues to make the sight reading reflect shared values. And I enjoyed the ever-challenging puzzle of writing exercises that reflected various difficulty levels while still feeling like actual music.
And yet, I’m stepping away. It came down to three points – three points that I think are solid justifications for leaving any ongoing project.
- I’d done it for a long time. I composed my first sight reading example for MSVMA in 2010. My teenage daughter hadn’t yet been born.
- The challenge was no longer exciting. I’d tried lots of ways to work out and play games with these sight reading examples. It no longer excited me, like a puzzle that you’ve solved too many times.
- It’s time for something new. I wanted to devote my time to other projects. Taking commission work for new compositions and arrangements. Writing a book! Taking on new creative challenges.
I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity to write these examples for MSVMA for the last decade-and-a-half. And I know the organization is in good hands with the new composer.