Oh, April....

April is a busy time for musicians, at least school teachers and their student musicians. Lots of contests, concerts, and other events keep us about as crazy as a cat in a rocking chair factory, but mostly it's a lot of fun.

Today, I got to work with an area middle school orchestra and enjoy their performances of my music "Brigid's Fire."  It was fun to work with students other than my own and to watch a great colleague in his classroom.  Sometimes, when we're the busiest, it's nice to stop and take inventory of what's really important.

So, as we head into this busiest time of year, it's nice to just stop and smell the lilacs (or roses, or tulips, or dandelions).  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get my tail out from under this rocker....

Peace,

Jeffrey

Ah, Spring....BREAK!

Beautiful weather here at the Tower of Composition.  Nothing like nice weather to make us want to do, well, NOTHING!  I'm really enjoying catching up on sleep and getting ready for the busiest time of the school year.  I meet with my advisor later in the week to begin my studies on the PhD in Music Education at Kansas State University, but other than that, life is pretty simple.

I did manage to get a new choral composition up over at my YouTube Channel, though.  You can check it out here.  I've been writing a lot more choral stuff and just loving it.  I've got a lot more percolating in my head....maybe even another opera?  We'll see....

Until then, enjoy the weather!

Peace,

Jeffrey

New Works Released for Publication

Two new works of mine are being released just in time for the 2012 American String Teachers Association Conference next month.  The first, Concerto a4 in D Major by Torelli, is an arrangement that I made last year for my freshmen.  It's a great Baroque style piece and, I have to admit, I love Torelli, so it was a pretty easy gig!

The second one is an original concert work that I wrote in honor of Capt. Jon-Marc Thibodeau of the US Army Medical Corps. "Flight of the Blackhawks" is a programmatic work depicting a day in the life of these amazing heroes that work so hard to save our wounded soldiers.  I have never been more proud of a piece, and I'm thrilled that my publisher did such a great job with the recordings!  Check 'em out!

And, as always, peace.

Jeffrey

Voices from Heaven (well, close...)

Spent the afternoon recently working with the Shawnee Mission West High School Chorale.  They commissioned a new a cappella piece in commemoration of their appearance at the 2012 Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshop (the state convention for all us music teachers).  Their director, Laura VanLeeuwen, is an amazing musician and probably one of the best teachers I've ever seen work a group of kids.  When I showed up to listen to my piece and they were warming up, I knew it would be awesome.

And they didn't disappoint.

Laura asked me to set the King James Version of Solomon 8:6, the famous "Set me as a seal" passage from the Old Testament.  Most of the versions of this setting see it as something joyful, or praiseful, but I didn't read it that way. Rather, I envisioned more of an imploring, almost begging, for forgiveness.  So, being the weird little composer that I am, I wrote it to that end.  And those kids are just singing the crap out of it!  Superb intonation, amazing articulation, and more importantly to me, they really, really get it! 


So, "BRAVA" to you Ms. V!  And "BRAVO, BRAVA!" to the members of the SMW Chorale.  I look forward to your performance at KMEA!

Until then, all y'all....

Peace,

Jeffrey

String Flingin'

Well, all-state auditions are done, so that only means one thing: String Fling weekend is upon us!

I'm looking forward to heading west to Kansas State University to conduct the 8/9th grade orchestra at the 39th Annual "String Fling."  It's a two-day event featuring students from across Kansas.  It's a lot of fun, with lots of non-orchestra events planned for the kids (nothing like going swimming during the coldest months of the year in an indoor heated pool)!

Exciting, too, is the fact that I'll be starting my Ph.D. work at Kansas State this year!  I'm really looking forward to getting back in the classroom and getting my doctorate completed.  It's been way too long since I've done research and serious academic pursuits, so I'm excited to get going.

So, for all you Wildcat fans out there: EMAW!

And, until next time, stay warm out there!

Best,

Jeffrey

Now THAT'S What It's All About....

'Tis the season, as they say.  And today, I remember the true reason for the season.

It began yesterday when I was contacted by a colleague at school.  He teaches our community service program. He's an amazing gentleman and he and I often waste many a minute in the halls talking about classical music, a mutual passion for us both.  He had been approached by a principal in a neighboring school district about a family, and in particular, their young musician.

It seems that this particular young musician's family was undergoing some hardships.  His mother was a para-professional in the school district and her parents, her father suffering from Alzheimer's disease, had moved in with them recently.  She was the only wage-earner in the extended family.  And, if you know anything about how well we pay teachers in this country, you can imagine how much less a para-professional earns.  She had to take the young man, Jim, aside and tell him that there was no way that they could afford Christmas this year.  Jim smiled at his mom and said, "That's okay, mom.  All I want for Christmas is a new violin. I wrote a letter to Santa and he'll take care of it!"

You can imagine the mother's dismay.

That's where my colleague came in.  He contacted me and asked if I might be able to help.  I sent out an email to my orchestra booster group and asked if anyone could help out.  And I was dumbfounded by the amazing responses.  Not one, not two, but three different families offered Jim a violin!

I worked with one of my seniors and her dad to get the violin brought to school this morning.  I spent an hour polishing the instrument and fine-tuning it a little bit.  This particular senior had switched to cello her freshman year and was no longer using the violin - a very nice instrument.  So, after a little tweaking, I packed it up with a nice little note and some Christmas carols written by one S. Claus, and delivered it to my colleague.

I can only imagine this young man's face on Christmas morning.  He's nine years old, so he's right at that delicate age at which Santa may not be real, but he's not willing to risk not believing it just yet.  I'd like to think that my student's donation, along with the note from "Santa," will give this boy the joy and wonder enough to believe in miracles for a little while longer.  To have hope that, even when life is rough and it doesn't look like there will be enough for Christmas, someone, somewhere, cares enough to give love and hope.

I am overwhelmed with emotion in recalling this small miracle in which I played a very small part.  It gives me hope for humanity. It gives me hope for Jim's future.  And it gives me hope for my future.....

And after the year I've had, with the ups and downs, the amazing lows and the heart-pounding highs, this reminds me once again that THIS is what the season is all about: miracles are just people who love more, care more, and give more than the average person.

Surround yourself with miracles, my friends.  They're out there, if you just ask nicely enough.

May you have a blessed Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, or just an amazing New Year.  But don't do it alone.  Be that miracle in someone's life.  I beg you, please, be that miracle.

Peace,

Jeffrey

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

As we pause to give thanks today, I count my friends, family, and fans among my many blessings.  I hope that you are sharing your holiday with loved ones and enjoying the little things that make life so good.  Have a great day, watch a lot of football, and know that you have one composer in your life that counts you as a friend.

Happy Holidays, y'all!

Jeffrey