On Thursday, January 26th, the Adams State University Winds and Percussion Ensemble will perform my most recent commissioned work at the 2017 Colorado Music Educators’ Association clinic-conference. “A World in this Grain of Sand” features soloist Dr. Tracy Doyle on flute. Check out the program notes below! Growing up in Read more…
Driving home one evening, “Clocks” by Coldplay came on the radio. As an academic, classical music is beautiful to me for its tangible yet abstract architecture. This song by Coldplay (and many other pop songs) carries with it, however, an additional dimension less associated with classical music. That dimension is Read more…
“Harmony of the Spheres” is my latest composition, composed for Adams State University’s Zacheis Planetarium and Observatory. Given my interests in music and astronomy, this was a very engaging piece to compose. Some fun things to listen for in Harmony of the Spheres: Low, droning Bb symbolizing a black Read more…
There was a point, a turning point for me, when I chose the path of music. This choice was a reflection of my deep passion not only for music itself, but for the architectures it represents in and beyond our lives. For me, music is an expression of the complex Read more…
It has always seemed backwards to me that we go through life having infinite energy at the beginning but very little knowledge, and later, less endurance but much more knowledge. Wouldn’t it be convenient to have our maturity supported proportionately by endurance? It would be awesome if, as we learned Read more…
As per request, here are a few of my favorite brain breaks. These brain breaks are particularly useful to musicians because they allow the body to engage both sides of the brain, which is key to playing and teaching music at an optimal level. THE OWL Put your right hand Read more…
Thomas Edison is famous for having found many ways not to make a light bulb. And, of course, for having found one way to make a very good light bulb. Because he saw his experiments in this light, he never encountered a word many of us fear: failure. Being the Read more…
You’ve probably heard the following two phrases: 1) It’s what’s on the inside that counts. We’ll call this “content”. 2) Image is everything. We’ll call this “image”. It seems there is conflict in common philosophies about how we present ourselves to each other and to our world. If we align Read more…
I wanted to be a famous scientist when I grew up, or even before I grew up, if possible. So, I went to the library looking for books on science projects and information on how to be famous. I only found one kids’ book on the subject of fame and Read more…