Let’s talk about the part of the composition process that no one likes talking about: getting stuck. Welcome back to The Composer Challenge. Today I want to dive into the less glamorous part of composing, but it’s something we all experience. There comes a point where we hit a block; where material doesn’t flow easily, you can’t quite...
I’ve written and rewritten this blogpost about five times this week, with varying degrees of criticism and indifference. There is no debating the fact that getting this piece out was hard. REALLY hard. But I keep teeter-tottering between if I like the final product or not; if it’s effective and successful. The truth is, I’m not sure...
Today on The Composer Challenge, I'm going to break down the tools I use for composing and how they work together to capture my ideas. As an artist, inspiration can come from anywhere so I needed to develop a system that can work for me no matter where I am, or what form the idea comes in....
By some miracle of God, I did it! In four days, I have written my first composition of the month. Whew, I deserve an award — oh wait, I got one. It’s this brand new piece that didn’t exist last week. A Dozen Doubts was inspired by the existence of this challenge. I looked at the month ahead...
Happy November, my friends! The air is crisp and the inspiration is strong. What a perfect day for this challenge to begin.I woke up with the concept in my head for my first piece of the month. It’s exciting to think about how this piece will evolve and take a new shape, different from what’s in my...
Warming up isn’t fun or glamorous, but it’s a fundamental part of being a professional singer. Each vocalize can target different aspects of the voice and strengthen it as a whole, making the experience more consistent. Here are a few of my favorite vocalizes I use to warm up! ...