I used to have this dream that being a full time composer meant me sitting at my piano or my computer for hours of uninterrupted...

I recently wrote a piece of music for a friend who wanted something that his students could practice to improve such techniques as lip...

As a young director, which I am not any longer, I had grand ideas of being the head director of a program where I had a fully stacked...

So I was searching for repertoire for my middle school and high school bands and as I was looking on a popular distribution website, I...

Directions. I can give them, but I can't seem to follow them. I'm always taking a wrong turn when I'm following someone's directions,...

This! Ah, this is comfort, solace, and trepidation all in one. The empty hall prior to setup and performance. This and nature are my...

This is the audience we wish for. This is the audience we perform best for. So why do so many band directors gauge their own success or...

I have been thrust into a mosh pit before and had to shin kick my way out. In case you were born before 1975, the easiest way to explain...

As a new band director, I wish others would have told me a few things. I am no legendary conductor, I did not study with legendary...

I say it all the time to my 6-year-old and even my high school band students, "Let it go, Elsa. Just Let it go." I recently sat in a...

I could honestly end at the title. It says it all. But... This picture really sums up my experience thus far. Through my 12 years as an...

When I was a kid I could turn on the television late at night around maybe one or two in the morning and see static on the screen. This...

Surreal is the word. The only word that seems to sum up my experience with this wonderful group of composers. Though John Mackey invited...

Ok, so they aren't THOSE final preparations, I'm making my final preparations to attend Midwest. Since last time, I finished extracting...

There is a new trend on Facebook where you take and post one black and white photo each day for seven days, then you tag someone who is...

I see and feel inspiration surrounding me more and more each day. This inspiration is a creative spark that has ignited a new and...

Driving across Twin Bridges on my way to school one early morning this past week, I once again saw the beauty and mystery of our world. ...

There is a path laid out in front of me. I am beginning to see the fog lift as the morning dew evaporates from the untouched blades of...

I often experience Dejavu, as most people do. However, it seems that my recent experiences with this phenomenon are evolving into a...

Perspective. It's all a matter of perspective. Imagine two rocks that lie at the bottom of these trees looking up. One rock looks up at...

In the musical world I feel so alone. I take refuge in this realm. This is where I can truly feel the presence and solitude of my God. I...

At some point we all have moments, whether extended or brief, that our emotions seem to resemble this mangled and contorted tree. In...

As I look at this photo, I cannot help but see the wisdom, experience, and passion in those hands. They have spent years learning the...

The path I wanted was not the path I thought was available to me. Over the past 11 years as an educator, I have discussed the future with...