This summer has been consumed by three main musical projects: getting non-profit tax status for my new music group, Sonic Liberation Players (quite the slow process); engraving recent and not-so-recent compositions using the MuseScore (not the most intuitive engraving program, but I love that it's both free and open source); and putting together a solo piano program for October.

I did manage to write two new pieces in early summer (or was it late Spring)--Pisces Rising (solo piano) and Two Scenes (kora and piano). I have a few pieces underway: a not-yet-titled piece for percussion, three violins, cello, and piano; a song for soprano and piano that is part of my "Humanist Mass" project; and a piece for kora and electronics. Far more in the back of my head.

More to come...

With permission granted from my friend, composer Nicholas F. Chase, I am linking a copy of his paper here.

Like myself, Nick is interested in creating sonic experiences and in investigating the psychological changes in the listener, during and after said experiences. Central to these experiences is the listeners' understanding of silence in its' many forms. This paper is an ongoing investigation into these forms and experiences. Enjoy! (And please visit his soundcloud page!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

2016--Year of Music

May 2015. I made it a priority to hear as much live contemporary classical music as I could find. Started out with hearing the West Coast premiere of John Luther Adams' amazing "Sila" at the Ojai Music Festival. I ran into old musician friends performing at that festival, including my last piano teacher, Vicki Ray, who told me she would be playing at the Bang on a Can Summer Festival at Mass MOCA that summer. So there was concert #2. Actually, five concerts over three great days! And concert #3 was the "Sick Puppy" marathon at NEC (GO to this if you have a chance). After hearing all of this music over just five weeks, I got inspired to start writing more and practicing more once again.

November 2015. I was feeling a little "funky" and was wondering why and I decided I needed to be playing more music with more people once again. Called up my friends from CalArts who have moved out to Boston area and we decided to put together a new music group. I've had the name for this group for about eight years, and finally some musicians to put in it! The Sonic Liberation Players was started.

February 2016. Looking over the next four months: three premieres of new pieces that I've written over the last 2-3 years, four different concert programs, and a total of nearly ten concerts. This is exciting and a bit terrifying and I have to remind myself I am doing this for the love of music and sound.

All of this being said, I can't wait to share with you the music that SLP will be creating together. It's a wonderful group of musicians! And I can't wait to share with you the music that I've been writing lately. See you then!
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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Slow Progress

When people ask me if I like what I do for a living, I tell them (truthfully!) that I absolutely love what I do, I would just like to do a bit less of all of it. 


I like that I have a varied work week. I spend about 33 hours practicing music therapy (24 with people with dementia, 9 with very small children with development delays, speech delays, motor delays, etc.), and about 11 hours teaching the piano (roughly 13 students). Maybe a little more teaching and a little less therapy? But generally, it works out quite well. And I am quite gratified by my work.

However, what is hard is finding the little times here and there to play the piano and to compose my music. I have several pieces in progress: a 16 movement song cycle (11 songs complete, 3 in progress); three lullabies for SATB choir (1 in progress); a set of three "meditations" for solo piano (1 in progress); and a piece for speaking pianist (in progress). I have to say that my average of 2 hours a week makes for some slow going composition. But I'm moving forward, little by little, until a time that I will have more time to devote to my own music. 

Patience...
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Friday, January 31, 2014

Studio Recital

My wife, Jessica, and I just put on our winter studio recital here in Lincoln, in Bemis Hall this weekend. Nine of her vocal students and eight of my piano students sang and played for a crowd of 70 family members and friends. The feedback, as always, inspired both of us to continue to seek to become better and better teachers and to continue to grow our studio.

The most flattering compliment came from a friend of Jessica's, who came to the recital simply to support us as teachers! She told me that she has been to many many similar recitals over the years and that this one had by far been the best! We are so proud of our students, and so happy to be working with eachother from the same philosophical standpoint. To be able to share one's music with others in the company of supportive and loving audience members is such a wonderful gift and we are blessed to be able to pass this gift on to other children and adults.

I heard a quote this last week that went something like this: "Carpenters make this world livable, doctors and police officers make people safe. But artists make life worth living."
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Sunday, July 14, 2013

A Day in the Life...

I'm now in a pretty good place balancing my work as a music therapist, piano teacher, and musician... Here's a typical day of the week (Sunday through Thursday)

9:00-4:00 (or 5:30) = Practice music therapy with individuals with Alzheimer's at an assisted living facility (5 groups a day) or practice music therapy as an early intervention provider with children with developmental delays (4 individual clients per day)

4:30 (or 6:30) - 8:15 = Teach piano (2-5 students per day)


I'm finally getting back into composing, spending 3-5 hours per week on my new work. I'm currently working on a song cycle, set to premiere in March 2014; a solo piano piece, set to premiere this autumn; and a choral piece based on Caliban's "Be not afeer'd" speech from The Tempest.


Self-care!!!!!!!!!!!
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Monday, May 21, 2012

5 easy ways to get involved in more music...

1. Join a group sing. They meet weekly or monthly. You get together with other people and ... yes ... sing! Folk songs, rock and roll, spirituals.

2. Take lessons. Taking lessons as an adult can be a very meaningful experience. Find a good teacher, explain your goals, and practice, practice, practice!

3. See live music. Go to concerts. Widen your interests. Try out a bluegrass show or a classical concert. You might be surprised. Talk to other concert-goers while you're there. Develop a community.

4. Join a community choir. Yup. Lots of these are low-pressure and they don't require much experience. The amount of camaraderie in these is amazing.

5. Listen to music. While you're cooking, put on Mahler's Song of the Earth. During dinner, instead of the television, put on Giant Steps. When gardening, listen to the sounds of birds. On the subway/train/bus, listen to the sounds of other passengers or listen to the Flaming Lips. Whatever you listen to, listen with INTENTION!


A few thoughts on how music can help save the world

1. Making music together creates community. Community creates wisdom (knowledge + compassion = wisdom).

2. When you're making music, you're not hurting anybody or anything. You're not buying things you don't need. You're not watching news programs that try to distance our relationship to the world.

3. Music gets people in touch with their emotions. We live too much in the brain and not enough in the heart. Fairness comes when we combine the two...

4. Listening regularly to music can teach us how to listen to other people, animals, plants, trees, the wind, the water. Listening creates deep compassion.
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For those musicians out there, musicians must be advocates for their community and for the world. Tell the world about what you already know. Create work that brings people together.

For those non-musicians out there, make music more a part of your life (and your significant other, children, friends, etc.)! The act of making music activates more parts of your brain than anything else (except for, maybe, meditating). Music is good for you and good for the planet!
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

What Will June Hold for Me?
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I moved across the country over two years ago to start a new life and career as a music therapist. Two days ago, I completed and submitted my master's thesis and by the end of this coming weekend, all of my coursework for my program will be over. In under a month, my final internship will be completed. The question is....what now?

My wife, Jessica, has asked me what I would like to do if I could choose. And the thing is, I don't know. I love everything that I have done with music therapy so far and have learned so much more than I could have imagined in such a short time. I've worked with people with dementia, mental illness, brain injury, and developmental disorders, and I love it all. I've developed a protocol to work with other therapists (and soon, musicians) using a music-and-mindfulness group setting, and loved that.

This is an exciting time and I can't wait to get into the world and show others what amazing things that music is capable of. I can't wait to begin performing and composing again this summer.

I plan on being a certified music therapist by June 1, meaning that I have a month and a half of strange limbo before I can take any work that I am offered. So I must take this time to breathe and smile and return to music for myself!