A timber wolf howls, and is answered by a soprano saxophone. Another howl, and a singer calls out. A choir joins in, accompanied by drummers, chamber orchestra, and pipe organ, in celebration of the beauty of the earth. Missa Gaia/Earth…
On May 29, my intrepid students and I performed transcribed jazz solos in the Spring recital for an appreciative audience at the Courtyard at Mt Tabor in Portland. During March, April, and some of May, we each listened to a…
Those insinuating riffs that get stuck in your head. Usually people have a negative connotation with musical earworms, but I propose they can be enjoyable if it’s a song you like. And even if it is not a song you…
This time last year, I was on retreat in Washington on the Lewis River. My days were filled with hiking, meditating, and writing music. It was a sweet 4 days of time alone in nature, away from my daily workaday…
Contentment is the new work for wind ensemble by myself and Kelly Dugger. It will have its world premiere on March 29 in Las Vegas. I’m flying down for the performance and a visit with my sister and her family.…
I’ve been looking forward to this day; Personal Theme Song Day. Everyone should have a Personal Theme Song. And when you walk into the office at your job, your co-workers need to sing it to you! Sure, that might be…
Day 25: Composer whose last initial is the same as yours. My last initial is G. I choose Gershwin! And my tune is Rhapsody in Blue, written in 1924. Love this tune for its combination of jazz and classical references.…
Accelerando; Italian word meaning to accelerate. Used in the musical world as a reference to tempo, which by the way is another Italian word meaning time. I immediately thought of Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice as a great example of accelerando. This…
Day 21 is string quartet music. Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and others wrote many more string quartets than Tchaikovsky, who only wrote three.
Day 19 was yesterday. Dolly Parton. I chose 9 to 5. Today is day 20. Choral. There is so much beautiful music to choose from. One of the things I love about choral music is the sound of human voices…
I’m not a real fan of Country music. But I included Loretta Lynn, one of the giants of Country singers, in my list for balance. This list has, I hope, something for everyone. We got a little educational thing happening…
I’m not too proud to admit that at age 55, I’m a Katy Perry fan. And I have my 11 year old niece, Annabelle, to thank. Her songs are empowering and uplifting with positive messages. What more can you ask…