Composition

I’ve been a life-long music lover, spending at least forty years learning, playing, and reading about music.

But aside from my high school years, that passion was always a reactionary one. I would be presented with someone else’s roadmap (score) and attempt to honor the destination (getting the right notes) while showing some artistry of my own. It was not without frustration at times. Performing optimally below the bass clef and more comfortably stacking ledger lines below and not above, I never was very set up to relish art song or oratorio and opera.

That took me to conducting for many years as a church director of music.

Tangential to that, my Parkinson’s diagnosis introduced me to the reality that music making would be less of a reality as I have no ability to forecast the fluidity of my fingers, arms, or “chops” at any point in the future. In this short post, for example, my WPM (words per minute typing) have cut in half for some reason. So, composing and producing, both of which happen on my own schedule and with frequent breaks to listen, have become my new voice.

And what a great way to contribute to what I’m thinking but can’t articulate.