We never know where a piece is going to go when we begin its journey – and it’s always we. Sure, the composer writes it, but the commissioning path includes organizations, performers, venues, sometimes festivals or events; and yes, the composer too. Kayla Solomon and Danielle Guina, the performers of “The Stars of November” have been an inseparable part of the process. The piece was … Continue reading “The Stars of November” at ITG2023!
Hey team, I love music – I really do. I think about it quite a lot, but when both my day and night jobs are music, sometimes I get so burned out that I can’t see the forest from the trees; or rather, the beauty in the sonic fabric from the succession of pitches in a unidirectional harmonic progression. Sometimes, we play music; sometimes, we … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Lighthouse Music (Part 1)
I’m writing this as my baby is fussing in the crib beside me — not crying or screaming, just kind of whining. We’re in the midst of sleep training our seven-month old and there are many days where I feel like what we’re doing just isn’t working. Even a week into this, there is still a lot of fussing and particularly around nap time. It … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Long Game
The following is a story about how I finally did the thing that most people I grew up with did when they were twelve. In the past sixteen years, I have started The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time four times. The first time, I only got to the Goron Village and then I had to return my friend’s Nintendo 64 because it was 1998, after … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – …Because They’re Hard
[Some spoilers, but come on, the game came out fifteen years ago!] I’ve really put this on the backburner, but I’m still slowly working through one of the most important series of my life. I’ve put a lot of time and love into these stories, and it’s quite a bit different revisiting them as an adult – not better or worse, just different. I was … Continue reading BEAT ALL THE FINAL FANTASIES: IX
I have a confession to make: Despite being into games for my entire life, I have never beaten the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I know. How can you trust anything video-game-related that I have to say? I haven’t even been through the core literature of our genre! It’s like loving science fiction without having seen Star Wars, or liking fantasy without having seen/read Lord of … Continue reading Music Ed M… Tuesday: I BEAT THE FOREST TEMPLE (AND YOU CAN TOO!)
Happy Easter! The day is here! Prairie Wedding is published and available for purchase! You can find it at the Daehn Publications website! (or your favourite local music dealer!) It feels like so long ago that I submitted it for the 2012 CBA Composition Competition and here we are, halfway through 2014 and it’s finally in print. I don’t mean that in a critical way … Continue reading Prairie Wedding is Available!
When I walked into Complex Games that fateful Spring day of 2013, I saw 3D models of, what looked like, the nephews from DuckTales, but immediately put it aside. I had a meeting with Noah Decter-Jackson (the CEO of the studio) because he wanted to talk to me about an upcoming project. “… No…” I thought to myself in disbelief. “I must be mistaken.” I … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Big Leagues
While at Grade 10 Band Camp, the chaperones (all of whom were educators) were discussing the trials of teaching and one of them said something that I haven’t forgotten: What really troubles me isn’t when they don’t get the material, but when they resist it. If they’re trying, then they’ll get it eventually, but when they resist it, they will always miss the beauty. That’s what is really … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – When They Miss the Beauty
So, I’m reading a book that’s blowing my mind. It’s called The Curse of the Good Girl and it’s by Rachel Simmons. I’ve had it on my book shelf for about three years – I bought it in the same shopping trip as The Purity Myth, which also blew my mind. Clearly, this was a good day at the bookstore. The Curse of the Good … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Double Bind of Truth-Telling
