Speak Now: A Habit of Hearing
Helping society to cultivate a habit of hearing may be the timeliest goal a company of composers might undertake together today. I suggest that composers give up using their music to change people’s minds (their beliefs, opinions, and convictions). Music is poorly suited for that. But music is very well suited, or at least it can be, for helping people to change their habits, especially habits of thinking and perceiving.
Daugherty's Tales Of Hemingway Dominates New Music Grammy's
Michael Daugherty’s Tales Of Hemingway was the big new music winner at the 59th annual Grammy Awards celebration. Third Coast Percussion playing Steve Reich and John Corigliano’s The Ghosts Of Versailles also picked up trophies.
Ecological Wisdom, Living Soundscapes
The geopolitics of our time frequently divides the world’s people and ecologies into two categories: “center” and “periphery.” The world of global environmental politics is not particularly appreciative of the musics of the “periphery”—or of music in general, for that matter.
Our Second Festival of American Music
When I came to the Louisville Orchestra as music director, one of the first things I wanted to do was to think about ways of reconnecting with the orchestra’s heritage—incredible, almost unheard of numbers of commissions, world premieres, and recordings which were a result of an extraordinary partnership between the Louisville Orchestra and the city of Louisville.
Forty Years in New Music
Having produced new music recordings for 40 years, I’ve seen some tectonic shifts in both the welcome expansion of the stylistic landscape of the music itself, as well as huge transformations in how new music is delivered to listeners.
Third New Music Gathering Announces May Line-Up
Percussionist Steven Schick, the International Contemporary Ensemble, New Music Detroit, and Michigan’s Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble have been announced as the headlining performers for the third annual New Music Gathering, this year slated for May 11–13, 2017, on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Listening in a Time of Climate Change
Perhaps it is music—the music of nature in particular—that can help us understand the practice of sustainability, and the means through which we can all participate in the co-creation of a more sustainable world.
Some Stuff I’ve Learned Writing Music for Advertising—Why I Keep Doing This
What really makes or breaks a relationship with a freelance composer working in the advertising business is the revision process. Composers who can make changes in a quick and friendly way rise to the top of the list, whereas those who constantly present resistance and debate fall to the bottom of the list.
The Empowering Art of Music
Teaching students who have allowed the art of music to deepen their sense of humanity has been a privilege. They shared the common bond of music and learned to celebrate their uniqueness while respecting the differences of others.
Five Timely Tax Tips for Musicians
January is a great time to get ready to file your income taxes. With some planning and good record keeping, tax filing can go very smoothly. And you can manage to keep a lot of the money you earned. Here are five major tips for keeping as much of your money as possible.
And the 89th Academy Award Composer Nominees Are...
The nominees for the 89th Academy Awards have been announced, including nods in the category of best original score to composers Mica Levi, Justin Hurwitz, Nicholas Britell, Thomas Newman, and the team of Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka.
Some Stuff I’ve Learned Writing Music for Advertising: References, Briefs, and Conference Calls
Being able to look at an underscoring assignment through the lens of theory is a huge head start to writing a piece of music that gets chosen and aired. Yet most clients I’ve worked with don’t have this vocabulary, nor do they often have any vocabulary about the building blocks of music.
Speak Now: Our Job as Composers Has Now Changed
I straddle the worlds of being a composer on the one hand but also a journalist and foreign policy commentator on the other. These things unite my passions, but today I can also see them being united in other ways.
Songs of Hope
Joe Fish Dupont, curator of the Kiowa Museum in Carnegie, Oklahoma, invited me to work with him on a project to preserve Kiowa children’s songs.
Matthew Browne Wins ASCAP Foundation Nissim Prize
Matthew Browne has been named the recipient of the 37th annual ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize for his composition Cabinet of Curiosities (2015-16), an approximately 23-minute work for saxophone quartet and orchestra.
Speak Now: Turning Around, Turning Away, and Turning Over
Staying in a place of worry is reliable because it feels real, it comes naturally, it’s not something we have to work at. But when the worry creeps in, composer Kristin Kuster has found that its antidote is patience. And social media teaches us, and fosters in us, the precise opposite of patience.
Speak Now: It Is Time to Create
What change for good can I possibly effect with my distinctly non-political pieces? What can my small drop in the ocean of music do to help anyone at all?
Speak Now: Amplifying Our Voices
The 2016 presidential election was a seismic event for the United States and the world. Today we’re introducing “Speak Now,” a series of posts by artists sharing what they’re thinking in their roles as creators and community members.
American Composers Orchestra Appoints Edward Yim as President
The American Composers Orchestra has announced the appointment of Edward Yim as president, effective February 21, 2017, succeeding Michael Geller who held the position from 1996 to 2016.
Stuff I Learned Writing Music for Advertising—Problem Solver, Not Widget Maker
The road to the perfect score for a commercial involves a whole bunch of thinking that hasn’t been done yet. This is why the composer must become a partner in the creation of the whole piece of media.
Musical Minds
The Music and Memory program brings personalized music into the lives of the elderly or infirmed through digital music technology. Staff and family members are trained to create and provide personalized playlists using portable media players that enable residents to connect with the world through music-triggered memories.
Stuff I Learned Writing Music for Advertising—The Evolving Ecosystem and Tearing Down Walls
Some networking, research, and lucky timing got me an interview for a coveted studio assistant position at a “jingle house.” Eighteen years later, I’ve had more music on TV than I can keep track of, though hardly anyone would know my name.
Little Band of Dreamers
I had this crazy idea that music could somehow help the children at a rescue center who were victims of either sex trafficking or domestic abuse deal with their pain. I quickly learned that music making became a survival skill for them.
A Model of Generosity and Wisdom—Remembering Karel Husa (1921-2016)
As a mentor and teacher, Karel Husa was a model of generosity and wisdom. In addition to my composition studies with him enabling me to have a true artistic breakthrough, Husa was also an extraordinary teacher of conducting. The skills I learned in his class inspired me to pursue for a time a career in conducting along with composing.
