Promises, Promises

So I just got finished with my first ever Music Directing gig of the musical comedy "Promises, Promises" and let me just say, it was one of the best moments of my life, the cast was such a joy to work with and I made many friends that I will surely have the pleasure of working with again. The band pit consisted of Flute/Picc- Samantha Ramos, Alto Tenor and Soprano Sax as well as Clarinet- Joey Davis, Clarinet- Molly Bradfield, Trumpet 1- Ian Harland, Baritone- Logan Gamer, Piano- Joanna Keys and Drummer- Anthoney Hernandez. We had nights where the audience thought it was a professional recording of the music. I am so proud of the musicians I have selected and the memories of this show will last a lifetime. Hopefully I will get another opportunity to Music Direct another show in the future.

My Week

It's been a little while since I updated this blog. Then again, I do get pretty busy from time to time, especially now that im working on a special project with Eric Whitacre! First lets start with this past weekend (Jan. 7-9). Me and my friend Gamer along with four other kids in our county went up to Palm Coast for a Teal Sound Drum & Bugle Corp camp. Drum & Bugle Corp (for those of you that don't know what that is) is kinda like a Marching Band on steroids. DCI (Drum Corp International) Finals is the musical equivalence to the NFL Superbowl. We practice from 8am till about midnight everyday doing our Marching Show until it is absolutely perfect. I won't even begin to tell you about the physical training cause you'll get winded just reading about it. At the end of the weekend, I get a contract saying that I have what it takes to march with an elite corp and earn a spot on the field. Gamer and the other four from the county also received contracts, so that was exciting for all of us. Once I get home, I immediately go to a Promises, Promises music rehearsal since I am the music director of this musical. After that, I head home and chill on Facebook for a little bit and ask my idol, Eric Whitacre, if he is interested in a idea with his music. He loved the idea and wanted to see what I can do with his music. So here I am writing music for Eric Whitacre to listen to personally!!! I sure hope I make him happy. All in all this week has been absolutely amazing. I noticed I usually end these blogs with a motivational look on life, so here is one for you. A dream and a passion is only reality waiting to happen. If you are truly passionate in what you do, things will always work out in your favor. If you are an actor, never let anyone distract you by saying, "There are a lot of starving actors out there." Jim Carrey lived in his car before he was famous, but he loved acting and by golly look at him now. Your dream and passion are the greatest things you can have in life and they will truly take you places.

Eric Whitacre

Every person in this world has an idol, whether it be a celebrity, best friend or a family member. My idol is Eric Whitacre, a Contemporary Composer like me. He is capable of providing such powerful music to trigger your inner feeling. Every note to every word in his work means something, which is what every composers goal is, to make every note as important and as beautiful and lushes as the next. Check out his website and just listen to his music http://ericwhitacre.com/. My personal favorites of his (although very challenging to really choose) are A Boy and a Girl, Sleep, When David Heard, Lux Aurumque and The Seal Lullaby.

I almost got lucky enough to work with him on a Marching Band Show of his music. The only thing that held me back? Money, when each song is $350 to gain rights (3-4 movements, roughly 2-3 songs a movement), thats $4,200 roughly. Although Eric was excited about me pursuing this amazing project, he completely understood the financial troubles (but boy am I saving up). The fact that Eric Whitacre gave me the okay with this project is an accomplishment in its own I believe.

Some people come to me asking, "How do you come up with your music? What is your inspiration?" My answer to that: I don't pull random notes out of the air and just slap it on a piece of paper and call it music. Writing music is just like writing poetry, every word in poetry has a meaning just like every note in music has a meaning. You just feel the music inside of you and we as composers express this feeling to its fullest extent, working hours on end until it is absolutely perfect in our mind and in our hearts. The inspiration, thats easy. Life, my friends, my family. Waking up each morning to spend another day with the people I love. My passion for music has taking me so far as an individual and I shall continue to cherish each moment and listen to the amazing music of the world till the end.

A Dream

This is my first true composition that i wrote in 2009. I wrote it based on the poem "A Dream" by Edgar Allen Poe (my favorite poet). It is ment for choir but I put it in strings because its a better sounding midi than choir voices. This song is copyrighted and all rights are reserved.

New Year, New Views

For the new year, a friend of mine turned me over to blogging. I never really understood blogging and what its purpose was. But, rather than judging a book by the cover, I'm diving head first into the wonders of the blog. But what to write about for a first blog? Why not a new years resolution! I want to become a more understanding person in the wonders of life and try to view things through another's eyes. There are some activities out in this world that you can only understand when you become a part of that activity. Not only does this help you appreciate life, but to also make new friend that you would have never met had you not joined in whatever activity. Maybe joining in these different activities can open up a new passion that you never thought possible. As long as you keep your mind open to the world, anything is possible.