Creativity and Composition Archive

There seems no end to sci­en­tists try­ing to tie all the abstract loose ends of music into a neat lit­tle bow. The lat­est efforts explore the ways music can take […]0March 29, 2009

Music is medicine

There seems no end to sci­en­tists try­ing to tie all the abstract loose ends of music into a neat lit­tle bow. The lat­est efforts explore the ways music can take […]

Recently I posted about court­ing the per­form­ers who can help you have a suc­cess­ful career. This prompted one of my staunchest sup­ports — a muse, you might even say — […]1March 24, 2009

Thank your muse!

Recently I posted about court­ing the per­form­ers who can help you have a suc­cess­ful career. This prompted one of my staunchest sup­ports — a muse, you might even say — […]

I’m read­ing Howard Gardner’s influ­en­tial book on mul­ti­ple intel­li­gences, Frames of Mind. Gard­ner adds this quote from Arnold Schoen­berg, “hardly known for his sentimentality”: Music is a suc­ces­sion of tones […]0March 23, 2009

Schoenberg the sentimentalist?

I’m read­ing Howard Gardner’s influ­en­tial book on mul­ti­ple intel­li­gences, Frames of Mind. Gard­ner adds this quote from Arnold Schoen­berg, “hardly known for his sen­ti­men­tal­ity”: Music is a suc­ces­sion of tones […]

Bob Dylan has an inter­view on his web­site in which he has some inter­est­ing things to say about audi­ences and styles. About the craft of cre­at­ing music, for instance, he says: […]0March 18, 2009

Bob Dylan on audiences

Bob Dylan has an inter­view on his web­site in which he has some inter­est­ing things to say about audi­ences and styles. About the craft of cre­at­ing music, for instance, he says: […]

The critic Vivien Schweitzer writes, “The Amer­i­can com­poser Arlene Sierra has been inspired by an unusu­ally wide range of sources, includ­ing bees, poetry and Chi­nese and Roman mil­i­tary tac­tics.” What […]0March 17, 2009

Inspiration from everywhere

The critic Vivien Schweitzer writes, “The Amer­i­can com­poser Arlene Sierra has been inspired by an unusu­ally wide range of sources, includ­ing bees, poetry and Chi­nese and Roman mil­i­tary tac­tics.” What […]

Have a look at this baby girl, col­or­ing in a col­or­ing book. She is enjoy­ing the sen­sory expe­ri­ence of it, the tac­tile sen­sa­tion of hav­ing crayons in her hand and […]0March 16, 2009

Coloring inside the lines

Have a look at this baby girl, col­or­ing in a col­or­ing book. She is enjoy­ing the sen­sory expe­ri­ence of it, the tac­tile sen­sa­tion of hav­ing crayons in her hand and […]

I’ve writ­ten before about the impor­tance of get­ting your piece out to per­form­ers. There’s an added some­thing else to con­sider: find per­form­ers who are get­ting gigs for themselves. Some­times per­form­ers […]0March 12, 2009

Courting Performers

I’ve writ­ten before about the impor­tance of get­ting your piece out to per­form­ers. There’s an added some­thing else to con­sider: find per­form­ers who are get­ting gigs for them­selves. Some­times performers […]

Recently, a col­league and I were dis­cussing com­po­si­tion and the cre­ative process. I was asked, “Do you con­sider your­self a suc­cess­ful com­poser?” and with­out hes­i­ta­tion I answered, “yes!” Since then, […]0March 4, 2009

Being a “successful” composer

Recently, a col­league and I were dis­cussing com­po­si­tion and the cre­ative process. I was asked, “Do you con­sider your­self a suc­cess­ful com­poser?” and with­out hes­i­ta­tion I answered, “yes!” Since then, […]

Alex Ross’s superb book The Rest is Noise has a great web­site adden­dum, full of lis­ten­ing exam­ples. Of par­tic­u­lar inter­est, see this page which fea­tures numer­ous sound exam­ples from music since 1980. […]0March 2, 2009

Listening to Music Since 1980

Alex Ross’s superb book The Rest is Noise has a great web­site adden­dum, full of lis­ten­ing exam­ples. Of par­tic­u­lar inter­est, see this page which fea­tures numer­ous sound exam­ples from music since 1980. […]

When I wrote my Vio­lin Sonata last year, I was grap­pling with sev­eral ques­tions from the realm of New Musi­col­ogy. I thought I would share them here to see if […]0February 24, 2009

Is there a gendered aesthetics? A few good questions

When I wrote my Vio­lin Sonata last year, I was grap­pling with sev­eral ques­tions from the realm of New Musi­col­ogy. I thought I would share them here to see if […]

In 2008, Mau­reen Dowd, a writer for the New York Times, ana­lyzed why Hillary Clin­ton lost out to Barack Obama in the demo­c­ra­tic race for president. Dowd wrote, “[Hillary Clin­ton] […]0February 20, 2009

A political lesson

In 2008, Mau­reen Dowd, a writer for the New York Times, ana­lyzed why Hillary Clin­ton lost out to Barack Obama in the demo­c­ra­tic race for pres­i­dent. Dowd wrote, “[Hillary Clinton] […]

It’s not a show I usu­ally watch, but I hap­pened across some­thing called Hell’s Kitchen on tele­vi­sion the other night. For the unini­ti­ated, it’s a real­ity TV show in which […]0February 18, 2009

What Chefs Can Teach Composers

It’s not a show I usu­ally watch, but I hap­pened across some­thing called Hell’s Kitchen on tele­vi­sion the other night. For the unini­ti­ated, it’s a real­ity TV show in which […]

I was at a con­cert of new music recently, and in the time before the start of the pro­gram I got to think­ing. I was going to be hear­ing a […]2February 27, 2008

Looking forward to new music

I was at a con­cert of new music recently, and in the time before the start of the pro­gram I got to think­ing. I was going to be hear­ing a […]

I’ve been a fan of Radio­head since their album OK Com­puter. I some­times ask myself the ques­tion, “What music will still be around in 200 years?” and I think Radio­head […]2October 7, 2007

The Music Business Continues to Pass

I’ve been a fan of Radio­head since their album OK Com­puter. I some­times ask myself the ques­tion, “What music will still be around in 200 years?” and I think Radiohead […]

It was announced this week that Dawn Upshaw is a recip­i­ent of MacArthur Foun­da­tion “Genius Award”. Why? The MacArthur Foun­da­tion said that Ms. Upshaw is break­ing down styl­is­tic bar­ri­ers and […]0September 25, 2007

Congrats, Dawn Upshaw

It was announced this week that Dawn Upshaw is a recip­i­ent of MacArthur Foun­da­tion “Genius Award”. Why? The MacArthur Foun­da­tion said that Ms. Upshaw is break­ing down styl­is­tic bar­ri­ers and […]

I came across this link about music and tech­nol­ogy and wanted to share it. These are some good ques­tions to think about when you are lis­ten­ing to music. If you’d […]0September 17, 2007

Good Questions about New Music

I came across this link about music and tech­nol­ogy and wanted to share it. These are some good ques­tions to think about when you are lis­ten­ing to music. If you’d […]

In the 9/6/07 issue of Rolling Stone mag­a­zine, with Maroon 5 on the cover, lead singer Adam Levine’s mother makes a provoca­tive state­ment: “I wouldn’t let him lis­ten to kid’s […]0August 29, 2007

What Is “Children’s Music”?

In the 9/6/07 issue of Rolling Stone mag­a­zine, with Maroon 5 on the cover, lead singer Adam Levine’s mother makes a provoca­tive state­ment: “I wouldn’t let him lis­ten to kid’s […]

In our busy, crazy lives it can be hard to find the extra time to com­pose. Those of you who lis­ten to my audio pod­cast know that I’m an advo­cate […]0August 24, 2007

How to Have 54 Weeks a Year

In our busy, crazy lives it can be hard to find the extra time to com­pose. Those of you who lis­ten to my audio pod­cast know that I’m an advocate […]

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