UPDATES
Day 1: Composed for 3 hours and made this video: http://j.mp/a3unzc
Day 2: Composed for 2 hours. I started working on additional sketches for the wind quintet. I’m really starting to get a concept for this thing. Still just paper sketches and I’m more dealing with the overall sound and shape of it than specific pitches and rhythms.
Day 3: Composed for 2 hours. I’m really feeling good about the quintet. It’s starting to show a complete form from beginning to end and I have some nifty ideas about performance aspects (if I can get them to walk around the stage and turn so the sound fluctuates...)
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
As a full time composer, I am committed to dedicating my life to the societal benefit of art and creativity especially in young people. It is with this mission, that I am participating in this Compose-a-thon to benefit The Walden School, an amazing program for young musicians.
ABOUT THE WALDEN SCHOOL
The Walden School is a summer music program for young musicians and composers in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. My sister attended it as a student and I have been teaching there since 2003. This place provides a one-of-a-kind experience for a group of passionate young musicians to grow and explore their inner creativity with an avid and dedicated team of professional musicians and music educators. The vision statement is particularly inspiring to me:
The Walden School envisions a world with a higher concentration of people who approach life creatively, collaboratively, and with conviction; support music and the arts; and understand and respect each other's differences.
My experiences teaching at Walden, working with our eager students and my inspiring colleagues, and learning from a team of amazing mentors are the core reasons for my decision to leave software and dedicate my life to music and teaching. To learn more, visit http://www.waldenschool.org.
MY PLAN
Compose at least 3 hours a day for 3 weeks to benefit Walden.
MY PROJECT
Since my full time job is composing, I figured I should be able to dedicate a significant amount of time. Therefore, I’m writing FIVE pieces!
The first piece, a wind quintet, will be performed by Aeros Quintet on May 2nd in NYC. Dedicating my time on this piece to Walden seems only appropriate as the performance will be a Walden Composers Forum.
For a choral singer who knows many choral conductors, I am extremely lacking in choral music. Therefore, I will write 3 short a cappella choral pieces, one per week. This should be an enticing reason for all of my choral friends to support the cause!
Lastly, I'll be attempting the 3x3 challenge, writing a minute of music a week for three weeks for an ensemble to be announced on the first day of the Compose-a-thon. My goal is to complete a highly polished, performance ready score for a three minute piece of music.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
It would be an enormous motivator to have your support even if it’s just $1 per piece (five pieces of new music!).
Not only does it give me an opportunity to be driven and dedicated to writing a significant amount of music in a short time, it will go to benefit an incredible program that has been changing the lives of young people for decades and, with your support, for many to come.
Per piece (5 pieces):
$1 per piece = $5
$3 per piece = $15
$10 per piece = $50
$20 per piece = $100
Hourly (at least 3 hours for 21 days = 63 hours):
$0.50 per hour = $31.50
$1 per hour = $63
$2 per hour = $126
A SPECIAL CHALLENGE
And if you need additional incentive to help me, one of Walden's most loyal donors has given the School a challenge. For every $1 more than $100 that each participant raises, the donor will match the amount dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. So if I meet my goal, I will have raised $1,638 + $1,538 (amount more than $100 that I will have raised that is matched) = $3,176.
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Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!