With Vic and the boys living it up in Philly this week, I’ve been playing bachelor out here at the house. But rather than spend the entire day eating pizza and revelling in the ability to leave my dirty socks on the floor with impunity, I cranked the studio speakers up to eleven and got busy. Read the rest of this entry »
Always looking for something new to try, I’ve been inspired to start a series of reviews. I like doing reviews; I actually enjoy writing in general, and I don’t do nearly enough of it these days. So this series, which will go under the series title, Who Cares What McGarvey Thinks, is an attempt to flex my writer’s muscle a little more. I’m pleased to select as my inaugural topic Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 2.0, performing his own choral masterpiece, Sleep. Read the rest of this entry »
You could also call this article, Why Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ Is the Most Important Music Video Ever Made. Yeah, I’m going there, because there is something to be discussed here, both in terms of music, youth and media, but also in public perceptions on what popular music is and should be.
If you haven’t seen the video, first, get out from under your rock, go to YouTube and a search should produce it quickly enough. Go ahead, I’ll wait… Read the rest of this entry »
Memory flashback: Visiting fellow composer and former professor and mentor, Richard Toensing. Okay, it wasn’t really a social call. I was helping him with some yard work – part of how I paid the bills as a grad student. During the warmer months, I was there at least once a week helping him tend to any number of yard or garden projects, and we would use the time to have musical discussions I found more rewarding than anything we ever did in his classroom or studio. One moment that I remember most vividly, Read the rest of this entry »
Kindly pardon the self-induced fit of musical snobbery to follow…
This Spring I’ll be teaching an Intro to Music course at a Community College. Already I can tell that the pre-selected textbook and I are not going to get along. It cannot bode well when I disagree with the very first sentence in the very first chapter: Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been an interesting few months, to say the least, climaxing in a cross-country move that has found me back in my hometown, at least for the time being. The reasons for doing so are topic for another blog post, if I were inclined to discuss it at all, that is, and whether or not I find myself remaining here remains to be seen, restless soul that I am…
Being a National Guard bandsman, part of the move involved finding a nearby band to join, and that happened to be the 249th Army Band in Morgantown, West Virginia. Serendipitously, their current staff arranger (although I would prefer the term composer in residence) happens to be leaving, and I was told that I’ll simply slide right into that slot, with my first assignment being to compose a fanfare to start concerts. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the past year I sold all of my old electronic studio gear – synths, monitors, etc. – thinking that they had outlived their usefulness to me. Man, was that a bad call…
Those of you who know me know I’m a full-on sci-fi nerd. While lately my musical mind has been more focused on the performance and relevancy of ancient sacred music, when I come home from work I’m less inclined to tune into a Victoria motet than I am to zone out to an episode of Star Trek. That I should find a musical aesthetic principle common to both of these worlds is unlikely, but that’s the beauty of artistic discovery. Read the rest of this entry »
“Wow, Dan, that’s really pretty.”
As little as six years ago, I might have taken that statement as an insult. For someone who was initially drawn to the world of composition through abstract expressionism and actively sought to befuddle my audiences, recieving such a statement and appreciating the sincerety of its message seems almost surreal. Consider also, that this is where many composers begin their aesthetic journey, and it took me 15 years to get here. Read the rest of this entry »
Oh look, a blog! Hey…maybe I should write something in here so people won’t think I’m dead.
November 19th, 2007 since my last entry…the sun has risen and set 851 times. Children that weren’t even born then are now speaking full sentences! More importantly, Dan is still at it…not teaching anymore but directing full-time and composing whenever I find the time and can avoid life’s many distractions. Read the rest of this entry »
If you haven’t read the previous blog entry, it’ll give you a clearer idea what this is about, but to summarize: This is about the premeire of Brave on Nov. 10th, 2007, and the experiences I had at the concert and the rehearsals.
A few people have asked me recently, “Well, how did it go?” And the best answer I’ve been able to give has been, “Overall, not too bad,” which sounds like a generic platitude of an answer, but it really is truthful. There were some very nice moments, and there were some moments that made me cringe. At the end of the day, however, I have to say that I went home, if not walking on air, at least satisfied. Here’s how the day went… Read the rest of this entry »