Meant To Be #NewMusic #Studio #Creating #NewSong

Here's another track from my "Scratching The Surface" (think scratch track) project (more on that at: crossfeedthemix.blogspot.com/2016/04/sc…tudio.html.  This one - "Meant To Be" - got me retesting and retooling a lot of my studio, and the results - good ones I think, nd hopefully you'll agree - got me remixing the other two tracks current up as part of "STS." Still not thrilled with the mastering stage of things, but these things take patience.  Regardless, I'm really enjoying this process, and just getting some music out.  Hoping you are too! As always, thanks for sharing and any feedback.  -Max

You can check out some of my music, including Meant To Be, here:
https://soundcloud.com/richard-maxwell
https://richardmaxwell.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.reverbnation.com/rchrdmxwll

Close To Home #NewMusic

It's been a while since I've "released" any music to the public, but as I recently got closer to finishing my new home studio (mostly for bringing clients to record their own work) it seemed like I should look at putting some of my own backlog of material out too. This is the first of what I hope will be many more to come.  Thanks for any feedback and sharing!

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/richard-maxwell/close-to-home

Bandcamp: https://richardmaxwell.bandcamp.com/releases

She was walking towards another day

I was just breaking her heart

And she was only trying to find her way

Needing a new start

She says,

“If it’s all the same to you

I dont wanna be alone

If it’s all the same to you

This hits too close

Too close to home.”

She looks back on me and wonders why

I never seem to give a damn

But she knows she shouldn’t cry

I could never be her man

But

“If it’s all the same to you

I dont wanna be alone

If it’s all the same to you

This hits too close

Too close to home.”

Deep in the night you can’t hurt me

Nothing ever stays the same

And though you think you didn’t open up this wound

Doesn’t mean you’re not the one to blame

She says,

“If it’s all the same to you

I dont wanna be alone

If it’s all the same to you

This hits too close

Too close to home.”

“If it’s all the same to you

I dont wanna be alone

If it’s all the same to you

This hits too close

Too close to home.”

She was walking towards another day

I was just breaking her heart

© 2016 by Richard Maxwell
any unauthorized use,  duplication, distribution, or broadcast is a violation of applicable laws

Nils Lofgren Plays CMAS, December 8th, 2011

I am late in posting this because I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that one of my musical heroes  was willing to try my students, and me for that matter to produce a performance of his.  There needs to be a stronger word than "surreal" for this kind of thing.

First off, if you are reading this and do not yet have a copy of Nil's newest CD "Old SChool" you need to stop reading right now, and go pick up a copy via his website (www.nilslofgren.com) or iTunes or however you purchase new music.  Then come back and finish reading my prattling on here.  I'll wait a few moments for you to get back here...

Interestingly, it is now, a couple of days later, pretty easy for me to give you a sense of what the evening was like for CMAS (www.tinyurl.com/ArcadiaCMAS): imagine the greatest thing ever and then multiply it by about a billion.  No joke.  On every level Nils gave of himself in a manner that I cannot fully express.

The most obvious would be that one of the world's greatest musician played that night.  It was watching a true artist do something amazing.  It was sublime, inspiring, and just beautiful.  Nils plays with a kind of awareness to the larger musical line that most of us can only wish for.  Heck, I'm grateful I am even aware of it, forget that I will likely never attain that kind of musical bliss/wholeness/oneness myself.

But he is, after all, Nils Lofgren, so, to be fair, the notion that he was indescribably good, I know, is hardly a shock.  What ultimately made the entire experience stand out, and granted I have a severe bias here, is that he did something to push music education forward in a manner that I have never seen before.

I have talked in other posts about the project overall, so I will leave those details for you to review if you like, but I feel I must point out the realities of what Thursday night meant in terms of the educational value.

The truth is that I run a program that as great of a concept as it is, until someone like Nils was willing to come in and give my students real control over the end result of his performance, everything we have done has been fantastic, but, in truth, somewhat only theoretical.  Nils made it real.  He made it real like nothing has before.  There cannot be anymore discussions about weather or not the kind of music education CMAS offers is valid.  None. Nils ended that.  He, perhaps without realizing it, took a huge stand regarding music education - and education in general.  By allowing CMAS students to produce his performance he told the world that those students are doing something that really matters.  Matters enough that someone of hist stature wants to be a part of it.  He did not control the night - nor has he controlled any of the other aspects of this bigger project - he genuinely collaborated with CMAS.  To say this was a huge development does not even come close.

I does not matter that I have been pushing CMAS students forward for all these years.  I am quite proud of my role in all this, but as Nils and I have talked, I am a not even a has-been, I am a never-was, so my pushing only goes so far.  But Nils is a master.  A true living legend.  What he did created a true watershed moment.  He was already a musical hero of mine, now he has surpassed that.

I should mention that there will be several videos coming in the next couple of weeks/months stemming from this unprecedented collaboration between Nils and CMAS, but for now here are at least some photos from the night.

I will write more on all this soon.  Frankly, I am still in shock over the entire thing.  THANK YOU, NILS!!  YOU ARE THE BEST!!

The Nils Lofgren Project

Talk about lucky!  About a year and a half ago we were very lucky in CMAS to have Nils Lofgren (the E Street Band, Neil Young) come in and speak to CMAS about his career and his music, the industry - pretty much all the things that he has ever done professionally as a musician. He was scheduled originally to come in for, I think, about an hour and he wound up staying for just shy of three. Needless to say it was pretty amazing. Nils is an incredibly gifted musician - pretty much everyone knows that. It's evident in all the work he does. It's evident in the people he works with. But more than that, he's just a really gracious person. Nils is one of the kindest most gentlest souls I've ever met and very much willing to share anything that he can with others.

Certainly that session with CMAS was extremely successful. It was extremely inspiring - not just for the students, but also for me; as well as any number of other faculty from the school that attended. In the wake of that, I was blessed in that Nils wanted to stay in touch, and about 10 months ago, back in February of this year, kind of out of the blue, I got a phone call and he wanted to know a) if I'm still teaching at the school and had the CMAS program and b) if I would be interested in having CMAS work with him as part of his upcoming album that at the time he was still putting together.

Obviously the answer was yes. It is a rare gift when an artist of his stature and skill offers to work with your students. Something that we simply could not pass up. Basically, the project is rooted in Nils feeling that he's aware of all the new technology and is aware of the need to involve and reach out to a younger generation (more specifically people that are the age of my students) but he's not quite sure how to do it. So his idea was basically to turn my students into a kind of record labels of sorts. Not having the kids on the phones pushing the CD or anything like that, but just having them help him work through what I might or might not work. 

We started this process very recently. He's coming in frequently to CMAS and he's talked with students now quite a bit about what he has in mind.  He's played a good bit for them and has relayed some great stories to them.  He's basically giving them open access to Nils Lofgren the legendary guitarist, songwriter, singer, producer, and it's been just wonderful.

Right now we are focusing on helping him create two videos for two songs that are on his new album "Old School." The album by the way is unbelievable and if you get a chance to pick it up you absolutely should. It's on iTunes and it is also available at his website and any number of other places www.NilsLofgren.com.

Anyway, CMAS is not really a video production program. CMAS is about music. It's about writing it. It's about performing it. It's about producing it. Both live and in the studio. But we are not a video production class. However, several of the my students in CMAS are also very accomplished students in our Media Communications program at the school where they do work very specifically on video production, so we are tapping lots and lots of resources for this. 

One of the videos is basically going to be a more standardized kind of storyboarded video for the song "Miss You Ray."  The other one is going to be a kind of "making of" documentary for the song "Dream Big." We're hoping that after those we can move on into more detailed production and songwriting skills with Nils. He and I have even discussed the possibility of doing a live show  - one of our songwriter nights as it were - but featuring him. We're still not quite sure how that will work or if we can even manage to make that happen, but to even be talking about it is pretty amazing.  

Both Nils and I are hopeful that this will be a lasting partnership.  Something that the CMAS program does with him not necessarily every year, but that the students have this resource of an artist such as Nils.  It's a remarkable opportunity and it is a tremendous honor and I cannot ever fully thank or express how grateful I am to Nils for giving my students - and honestly me - the opportunity to work with him like this.

Much more coming soon...

Lemons, Lemonade, and CMAS

Lets be honest, nothings ever 100% perfect 100% of the time; and as much as what CMAS students are capable of, and as much as they've accomplished in the past, sometimes mistakes are going to happen.  That's part of learning, but that's also part of the real world.  You put yourself in a big high profile gig and sometimes during that performance there may be problems.  And last week that's what happened.  

It wasn't anybody's fault.  Nobody intentionally messed up.  The truth is that even the most "simple" CMAS show is pretty complex, by any standards: three totally independent Mix desks (FOH, Monitors, Pro Tools recording), some serious PA wattage (excess of 40,000 watts for some shows) etc., etc.; but that is no excuse.  We had a problem and the show suffered.  The performers did great, the crew worked really hard, but we made some errors on the production side of things and it was a problem.  So we were thrilled when we were going get to play one more show (at least) because the varsity football team was in playoffs and we were hosting last night which meant another Super Bowl style halftime show for us.

It might have been a bit nerve-racking as the students were feeling, all week, a good bit of pressure and where a bit worried could they pull it off?  Could they redeem themselves from last week and do it in such a way so that they would still feel good about everything that they've done in the past as well?

The answer turned out to be yes.  The students went back last week and completely reevaluated their process - voluntarily I might add.  They came to me after the problems from last week's show and said, "We don't want to do it like that again.  Ever."  It was a important learning lesson for the entire CMAS program.   A somewhat brutal one in front of a couple thousand people - not exactly my first choice - but an important one none the less.  Details matter.  Plain and simple.  Your best show in the past only matters if your next one is at least as good, ideally better, and certainly not worse.  More importantly, the audience simply does not care.  For them the equation is very simple: it's good or it's bad.  The reasons why, on either end of the spectrum, simply do not matter to the audience. Some tough lessons at any age, but certainly for a group of high-schoolers.

But they were flawless last night. It was amazing, and what's more, they were calm about it.  I was nervous a bit on their behalf.  Not that they cannot handle the job, far from it; but I wondered, leading into last night's performance, if they would be overly anxious.  Would they not have a good work ethic or attitude towards each other?

But this was the calmest most well-prepared easy-going show they've ever produced.  And it was certainly the highest pressure they've ever had because they know that if they make a mistake once they may be forgiven for it, but if they go out the next week in front the same crowd - huge crowds, by the way, we're talking several thousand people now at these games - and they make a mistake again, even if the crowd loves the CMAS program as a concept, the crowd may start to wonder can they really pull this off?

But CMAS did pull it off.  They did an amazing job last night.  Even managed to avoid the rain. It started to come down just as we were getting all the gear back in. Fortunately that's why they make road cases.

We also had the pleasure of recording the Peoria High School marching band up in CMAS Studio B. What a great group. They were so kind and receptive and appreciative of the opportunity to be recorded by our students.  To get a professional level recording in our studio.  They were just thrilled.  They were really gracious and it really showed the benefits of this kind of musical camaraderie across genres, and more than anything that was really nice to see and it's something that I would like to foster more of and bring in even more schools to do the same.

In the end it was really an exciting night for CMAS and I could not have been more proud.  Last week was tough for the students, and they really were upset; but it turned out they might've done themselves a favor.  They redid their process and that is now going to make every event they do even better.  And if you've ever been to some of their previous events it's hard to imagine how they could improve them.  It was just incredible and I'm so proud of all of them and I just can't wait to get back to it on Monday and see how much further we can push this thing we call music education: CMAS.

Fine. I'll write the (insert expletive) book!

It's been a good while since I have posted anything here.  Trust me, the irony has not been lost on me.  Given my proclivity (oooh, that's a good word) to ramble on generally, I have clearly been, it would seem, holding back.

In truth lots has been going on and I really cannot account for why I have not taken the time to write more here.  So for some odd reason, late at night, tonight, when I should well be asleep, I have decided that it's time to remedy that.

The family is great and I am as ever the luckiest man in the world.

As for projects, that has been quite a ride lately.  For a good bit now the main thrust of my "free time" has been to deal with the perfecting the EARS™ concept and the unreal amount of work that goes along with the related intellectual property issues.  On the whole it is going very well, but wow, lots of work.  EARS™ has taken on a level of legitimacy that I cannot fully express.  It is a unique feeling to know, with 100% certainty that something works as it should.  Wonderful, but unique.  At least for me.

 I have also, after what seems like far too long, really gotten a sense of my next musical project. It's called "With One Voice" and it will very much feature my lovely Michele.  I don't wanna give too much away just yet, but I have been quite captivated by a band from my past called Jellyfish - you should check them out - and when combined with my love of the Beatles, Queen and a few others, it got me thinking...and then my friends George and Nils (seriously, how lucky am I?) both gave me, without likely realizing it, some great ideas for how to go about creating the music.  Very very VERY excited.  Anyway, more on that later....

Right now my other push is a book about CMAS.  Or maybe more accurately, my sense of what I have learned from creating and facilitating CMAS.  I am not kidding. A book feels like a good idea right now. Even if only as a kind of cathartic exercise, it might prove useful.

I already have some of the chapters/major topics worked out:
(in no particular order at this time)
1.  The Music Eduction World is NOT Changing.  It's Already Changed.
2.  Seriously?  You're saying I should do my job less effectively to keep you from having to do yours as well?
3. Money isn't everything, but you cannot expect to run most music programs on very much these days
4. There are only two kinds of music: good and bad.
5. Arrogance is the enemy.
6. Education decisions should always be made based on what;s best for kids, not adults.
7. Yeah.  You heard me right.  It's not just a music program, it's a legitimate record label.  Get over it.

There are surely to be more, but that's what I have so far.  My real issue is the book's title.  I suppose I will eventually stumble upon it but for some reason I feel like until I have it I cannot truly write. As of now, I am leaning towards:

"I've Come to Kill Your Music Program"

but I am open to other ideas if you have any.

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A Self-Evaluation CMAS Style

So I am required to do a year end self evaluation for my "day job" with CMAS, and for some reason, despite it being a bit unconventional to do so, I felt like posting it.  I figure some day I may look back at it and be glad I have the record of it.  Or at least have a good laugh.  Which is fine too.

Note: If you read this and wonder how in the world I can possibly stay employed, rest assured I often have the same question.  On the other hand, while teaching doesn't pay that well I have the best "day job" there is.  regardless of compensation.  Period.  I am very, VERY lucky.  Ok.  Here ya' go...

Year End Self Evaluation:

I am, generally, very pleased with this past year.  I find it very difficult to discuss my own work objectively, but I do feel that things went well this year and I was grateful to learn that I am considered “above and beyond” in several of the evaluation rubric’s categories. 

The truth is that I am always looking at how I can improve the CMAS experience for my students.  On some levels it’s because I am not convinced that we are doing everything as well as we can, so I like to think that the program can continue to evolve as I look to further improve the implementation of the curriculum. However, if I am to be totally honest, a great deal of my interest in evolving the program is because I believe that there is no such thing as “status quo.”  It’s either getting better or worse – there are no other options.  To that end, staying the same is, to me at least, just a variation on getting worse.  Plus, I get bored easily.  Which I figure means my students do too so that has to be accounted for.  I also believe very strongly that education is always evolving.  It must, I would say, by definition.  In fact, for all we have changed by creating CMAS I fully predict that some day there will be something that will come along and make CMAS seem as outmoded as many traditional programs do now.  This is a completely different issue than what I am to be covering here, but it is important, I feel, in order to put my comments below in to full perspective.  So…

As proud as I am of this past year, I am not at all convinced that I have found the correct balance between guiding the students  in pursuit of their goals and allowing them the space to explore the possibilities of their musical instincts free from my influence.  It is very easy to talk about “guided independent study,” but it is not so easy to implement with a content area that is as creative and subjective as it is technically and academically demanding.

To be fair, this year I feel I greatly improved the execution of the workshops we do at the end of each project cycle.  I felt that this year was far more productive in allowing the students more effective feedback from both myself and their peers than in the past.  But at some point this year, I began to notice that my original concerns, that date back many years, to the start of what would eventually become CMAS, that if I was too “hands on” in their process the students would simply create material that sounded less like themselves and too much like an extension of me.  Something, I assure you, I would loath as I find that notion very, if I can be so cliché, unmusical.

But something new has come to light in the wake of the evolution of the way the curriculum is being implemented: In numerous, unsolicited conversations, with students across the entire spectrum of the CMAS program, they are apparently looking to me as more of a producer rather than just a teacher.  I have always been hesitant to get too involved in their creative side, beyond giving them the necessary tools, but it appears that they are looking to me to guide them more directly.  Not so much in the idea stage, but once they have the foundation of the material.  It’s a huge complement that I am not certain they themselves fully appreciate, but it none-the-less creates an interesting opportunity to yet again change the paradigm a bit.

I have to admit that the notion of approaching CMAS more as a producer is very appealing – certainly to my ego – but I want to be very careful that it does not lead to a nonproductive (nonmusical – there’s that cliché again. Sorry.) arrogance.  There is a sign when you first walk in to CMAS that says, “Arrogance is the enemy.”  I put it there to remind myself as much as to remind the students.  I have to take some time this summer to completely work out how to fully become an effective producer in the context of CMAS, and likely, like all things CMAS, it will be an evolutionary process; but it seems logical at this point to move forward and see what’s viable.  If it turns out I am wrong (it would not be the first time) in this, then we can take another look at a later date.

I’ll close by stating that as I reread what I have written here, I am not entirely certain this is what was asked for as a year end self reflection, but as I think back on the last year, and all we accomplished in CMAS, this is the one thing that keeps coming to my mind as needing to be addressed for next year more than anything else in terms of my role in it all.  Happy Sumer break!

CMAS and the Apple Distinguished Educator program

I was recently asked to apply to become an Apple Distinguished Educator. Basically the program, which is facilitated by Apple, is a way to connect nationally, and internationally, with like minded educators each of whom are changing the old educational paradigms for the better.  I have no idea if I will be accepted or not, but I very much love the idea behind the ADE program.  My preference for Macs and related products aside, I think the notion of getting teachers like this together - even just helping to put them into contact with each other - is very cool.

On the other hand, funny as this may sound, while I am incredibly proud of what we've created with CMAS, on so many levels getting selected for the ADE program (should that happen) feels a bit like giving credit to the guy who sold you some paper to write your novel on.  Despite all that can be said, and again, I am very proud of all we've done with CMAS - to say nothing of what I feel we can do with it in the future, at the end of the day - and please forgive the ridiculous cliche that this sounds like - it really is the students making it happen.

I've been teaching a long time.  Far longer than I probably want to admit, but in that time I really have learned many things and one of them is that all I can really do is show them that there are opportunities for them to take advantage of.  I cannot make them take advantage, I can only show them what is possible.  They have to actually do the work.  I don't say any of that lightly.  It's just a reality of the gig.    

All that in mind, I put together the required 2 minute video that Apple asks for as part of the selection process.  The end result feels a bit, as I've said in other forums, self-indulgent for my taste, but I think I covered the main points that Apple wants.  Here's a link to the final two minute submission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nxAL_79aDc

In the end, the really cool thing (beyond some really wonderful comments by some incredible supporters of the program - there were so many more than I could include in this version) is that I found I have the foundation for what I think could be a great, and I think insightful, look into CMAS. I'm hoping to get this longer and, less "me centered" version complete shortly and be able to use it when I do presentations about CMAS and as a way for future/interested students to learn more about what it is we do.

I am also really hopeful to be selected as an ADE so that  I can further my own understanding of what sort of possibilities there are to continue to expand all that CMAS has to offer.  Wish me luck!

Some CMAS history

We've been putting together a new web archive for CMAS and as that has been going on, it has grown into something more - a kind of repository for everything the program does.  There's a lot still to do, but the basics are up and over time it'll continue to grow.

As part of the new archive several people asked me to write a bit of the history of CMAS as part of things and so I thought I would include some of it here.   The entire story is on the new site, along with a lot of recordings and videos, and, if you get a chance, we'd love to know what you think.  So check it out at:
ex.susd.org/rmaxwell

A History of the Arcadia CMAS program
(as told by Richard Maxwell, CMAS creator/facilitator - October, 2010)

In the Fall of 1999 I came to Arcadia to be the school's new Band director. For years I had worked as a gigging musician/recording "studio rat," and at that time had been out of school, teaching, for about a year and a half, having completed my second Master's degree, at the University of Arizona in conducting.

I have a great love for classical music, and still write for symphony orchestra and clinic whenever I am able, and I recall many conversations with Greg Hanson at the University of Arizona about how all music can be viable, regardless of the genre. Greg's attitude was just one of several pivotal influences informing my own, personal, musical philosophy - but his was the most potent, because, as I would later come to realize, his was the farthest reaching. To be fair, there were others along the way (Heineman, Vroman, Kaizer and Sanders, etc. at Bradley; Gage at Youngstown; Metzger, Beeler, and Wagner at Sycamore) but I am not sure I was ready back then to really appreciate the true depth of either their expertise or experience at the time. I mention all this, not so much out of false modesty, but rather because, taken all together, they had a huge impact on how CMAS would ultimately be designed. In a very real sense, the true "Father of CMAS" is Greg, and all the others.

Anyway, it has always struck me odd that pursuing "current" musical trends is generally treated as counter to academic musical pursuits. The lack of legitimacy that it can be given is even further confusing, at least to me, when you consider the fact that all the great and lasting music throughout history was composed by musicians who were - every one of them, I would argue - very forward thinking.

By definition, "Bach, Beethoven, and the boys" were all writing "Pop" music. The goal for them was not just similar, but identical, to the goal of today's musicians working in the "current" scene. Somewhere along the line though, music education in schools, for the most part, seems to have lost sight of this. There are exceptions, certainly, but on the whole, the more "modern" classes (ie. Guitar, History of Rock 'n' Roll, etc.) are treated as throw-away classes. Frequently offered to a school's music teacher simply as a way to allow them a contract that keeps them at the same school for the entire day.

I know this to be true if only because in preparing for my second year at Arcadia, I benefitted from just such a scenario. Jim Lee, the principal of Arcadia at the time, came to me late in my first year and asked me, given my "outside" musical experience in studios and such, if I would be interesting in taking over the guitar class the following year. I accepted, and that is very much were CMAS began.

I took the guitar class very seriously. (Perhaps, to some, too seriously?) In any case, I wanted to make the experience more about music fundamentals rather than just a class kids could "hang out and sometimes jam" in. I had a lot of real-world experience, and I felt that it was important to relate that experience to the educational opportunity provided to the students. My idea was that if we used the students' interest in current musical styles as a way to get them to refine their skills legitimately through music theory and such, we might, eventually create something that was really viable both musically and educationally. To say nothing of being able to reach more students with music than I could as only the band teacher...

read the rest here: ex.susd.org/rmaxwell

CMAS and the Search for Ensmble

Tonight was the first ever CMAS stadium show, and it was just beyond wonderful.  I am so proud of the entire program, that I really do not know where to begin.  There is so much to cover that I think it likely that I will do a series of articles to get it all out over time in the, I hope, not too distant future.

That said, there is one element that stands out to me that I had been suspecting for a while now, but tonight showed me that my instincts were, in fact, very gratefully, correct: there is a true sense of large ensemble within the program.

ensemble (noun):

1. all the parts of a thing taken together, so that each part is considered only in relation to the whole.

2. in music: the united performance of an entire group

Over the years, as the CMAS program has evolved, we've pretty much been able to prove any educational or musical criticism of the program to be wrong. Very wrong.  The only one that I have ever felt might have had some validity was a comment that for all the benefits of CMAS, the one thing the students cannot get in program is a true sense of ensemble.  Specifically, large ensemble.  

To be fair, part of me had to agree.  After all, though we have a vast number of smaller groups (most of the bands are 3-5 members) that larger sense did seem a bit absent.  On the other hand, there was always this feeling in my gut that we just had not crossed the threshold yet on this subject and there was every bit a large ensemble aspect to CMAS as much as any music program of any kind anywhere.  It just had not been presented properly.

Well tonight, it turns out, among all the other accomplishments, was the very tangible proof that the CMAS paradigm evolves this aspect of traditional music programs too.  Significantly.  I have had the honor and pleasure of leading any number of large "traditional" music ensembles over the years, in a vast array of concerts and events.  What I can now tell you is that in CMAS that exact same feeling of large ensemble exists.  Very, very prominently.  At the end of the stadium show tonight the entire program clearly felt exactly the way a large band or orchestra feels after a great performance.  There was absolutely no difference.  The benefits from the experience, at heart were even identical.  The group has to find a way to take all of the best aspects of everyone's efforts and create a collective result that all involved can feel not only proud of, but that they were in fact a key and integral part of the performance's success.  That they as a part, allowed the sum total to be far greater than the individual.  

CMAS more than proved that to be the case tonight.  In fact, in some ways they eclipsed the "traditional" ensembles in this because it's not what you might expect from the CMAS experience.  It's not necessarily the obvious result or benefit of the CMAS experience.  But it is there, and significantly.  And now that we know it for certain, CMAS, I can promise, will be taking it farther than could every be expected from any other musical experience - just like they do everything else.

As you can tell I am beyond over the moon over this.  I am just so proud to be a part of this musical journey called CMAS.  It is such a thrill and an honor.

More soon, including some more picts and video from tonight.  Amazing stuff.  I am so proud of the entire program.  Just wonderful! 

Lift: An exercise in "does/should this matter to anyone other than me?"

"Lift" will be (is?), in some ways, a departure, and in others, a kind of musical reunion. For a while I felt I needed to move away from my more Art/Prog-Rock tendencies. I was having a very difficult time aligning my sense of being a singer/songwriter and those more "artful" musical interests. That's not to say I am particularly artful - though I'd like to think so - but I certainly have a great affinity for many of the Prog-Rock genre.

I am huge fan of musicians like Asia, Genesis, Yes, Peter Gabriel and so many others. For the longest time I have always wanted to be able to create that kind of musical atmosphere, but always felt I was coming up short. Actually, I should also mention that I am a big fan of the intricate orchestrations of bands like Iron Maiden. The orchestral nature of their music has always been very inspiring to me. There are of course countless other bands and artists (The Beatles, Queen, Toto, Flecktones, The Who, etc.) that are significant to me; but it would take me pages to get through them all.

In any case, with "Lift" I have decided not to worry at all, on any level, how the material might or might not translate to a live performance. Not only has this been very liberating from a creative standpoint, but it has also allowed me to somewhat rethink my entire creative process. "Lift," like much of my work, has its share of love songs and ballads - can't get away from who I am in that regard (and don't really want to) - but there is also a fair share of other subject matter as well.

The project is still a work-in-progress, so to some extent everything I write here is really just speculation as I am still waiting to hear what the final result really will be; but what I am confident in is that "Lift" is strong on all levels. Very strong. Only time will tell if others agree or not. Either way, as long as people are listening, it's all good.

Remix, rethink, remaster... REDEUX!: How going back can help to move forward

Over the past several years since I have released any new music, several significant things have happened. Beyond the more important ones like lots of Gray-and-daddy time and Tanner arriving, I have also made some very serious changes in my entire approach to to producing music and general audio engineering. A lot of those changes have coincided with the formal adoption of the Contemporary Music And Sound (CMAS) program, and a lot have evolved out of what I feel is just a very natural progression towards such things. The other major factor has likely been my development of a very strong sense that the real beauty of being an independent musician, is just that: the independence to do what you feel is best. Certainly there are endless drawbacks, but if there is one true benefit it is the complete artist freedom I am afforded.

The fact is that I have never been truly pleased with the end result of many of my past recordings. Much of that dissatisfaction can easily be attributed to my, admittedly not always helpful, refusal to ever be satisfied that anything I do is "perfect." (I have a pretty hard time "letting go," but that is another topic) but much of if is also rooted in aural reality. Songs are good, songs are bad, but the production has tended to get in the way and not, in my view consistently, allowed the music to stand on its own - good or bad.

So as I began to finalize the writing of my next project of original material (working title is "Lift) I started to take a look at the older stuff as well to see how I wanted to apply my new production techniques to the new recordings. While doing that I found that it would not take too much effort to go back and "redo" (Redeux?) the production and get many of those old tracks into the aural shape they deserved to be in. It's kind of a going-back-in-order-to-go-forward kind of thing, but it has already proven very useful.  "Redeux" is not really about re-recording or re-tracking, it's more about re-thinking the production.  Certainly this may cause arrangements, and some other aspects, to change but I think on balance it will all be for the better.

The "Redeux" project will actually be a series of releases. I am not entirely certain how "Lift" will fit into the overall time line, but it'll be along soon as well, and if nothing else, will certainly be worth the wait. I feel the material on "Lift" is the strongest I've ever written, but in truth, as I said above, I am not convinced that I was ever able to give the earlier material its proper due to allow it to stand on its own. Again, the Redeux project is now making that possible.

The first release of Redeux will be from the more recent material that appeared on "Ties" and "Pulse" and a few others. The second will be the entire "Fade" CD from back in 2004 that featured Michele on vocals. For many reason I cannot wait for you to hear those tracks "redone" (Redeuxed?) For a very long time I thought that all the "Fade" sessions were lost forever do to a failed hard drive but just recently I was able to restore the session data and so am really excited to hear what comes of it - Michele's vocals alone are gonna just blow everyone away. There is a possibility of a third release as part of "Redeux," which would be going all the way back and examine the sessions for a "bootleg" from many many years ago that actually still sells well for me called "093003." If we get lucky, as we did with "Fade," to find a way to restore the sessions from the old hard drive, then we can make that third release happen as well. I am cautiously optimistic.

As ever, things all seem to be happening at once, but it's all good. Very good. And now it's back to work...

Pure Musical Joy: Why Nils Lofgren is one of the greatest musicans around and I am not

Thursday was an amazing day.  Nils (http://www.nilslofgren.com) came by and spent several hours playing and talking to CMAS.  It was beyond incredible.  Aside from his obvious talent, he is also one of the most grounded, kind, and generous people I have ever met.

I found myself way too star struck with him.  You'd think being so close to "Uncle George" as Gray calls him that I would act like less of a boob around someone like Nils; but no, I was kinda "Captain Wonderputz."  I hope he doesn't think me too dim after all is said and done.  I don't even wanna think about it.

Ok, now past all that, there were several things that really struck me in the time he was with CMAS.  The most significant was his humility.  Not just the obvious and almost cliche kind of thing that you'd expect from someone who has "made it" and done so much - in truth, he's probably best known for playing in the E Street Band with Springsteen; but even if you take that all away, his resume is staggering - but more about how he kept emphasizing his love of the song as his driving motivation.

With Nils you get the real sense that he loves playing with Bruce and all the work he's also done with Neil Young and so many others; and he's clearly grateful and appreciative for all he's been able to do in music; but he talks of smaller gigs in small clubs with the same kind of affection.  He has a kind of musical Joy about him that I don't see very often. It reminded me of Robert Billups (see an earlier blog about that true genius).  Even in the CMAS main hall, which is pretty cool for a school facility but not really a big deal in the pantheon of places Nils has played, he was just clearly in love with the music.

And I don't mean in an arrogant sort of way 'cuz it was his songs.  I mean he just loves music.  You can see it, palpably, in his face.  The Joy of it seems to take on his entire body and informs all the energy about him - he literally radiates it.  I learned more from Nils in those few hours yesterday than I could possible recount here, but his joyous playing and sense of self within the musical lines was just indescribable.

Full disclosure, I feel I did him a disservice in the sound I provided him - not that he complained.  I'm hoping passing along George's contact info to him, as well as  the mixes I'll create of his performances for the show that was being taped, will at least make up a bit for that and all the rest of my gaffs.

Ok, time to go and find some of my own musical joy.  So this is Captain Wonderputz, signing off...for now...

Back inside the sound: why I sometimes almost miss my old teaching gig and why "traditional" ensembles matter

This past week I was asked once again to be a clinician for the Arizona Band and Orchestra folks. In short, it was beyond terrific; and to work, even if just briefly, with these amazing young orchestras, was great fun for me.

With all the studio work and training I do; and the songwriting, etc, etc. that makes up the CMAS program, I sometimes forget how much I still love being "inside" that kind of sound.  It is a very different world, and in some ways I miss it.  Not enough to go back, but...that sound...no matter what else I ever do, I still love it.  Frankly, it's been creeping back into my own music in some ways lately, so maybe it's a kind of musical synergy coming to fruition. Who knows.  Anyway...

Lately when I am lucky enough to be a part of these kind of things, inevitably the conversation comes around to CMAS.  Many times I cannot tell for certain at first if I am being investigated or envied.  The truth is liekly somewhere in between.

While it's my job to promote the paradigm shift that CMAS represents to music education, people usually seem so surprised to learn that I have a very real and strong affinity for traditional ensembles.  It just seems odd to me.  Music is about something more than the specifics of the ensemble.  More than a tale of who is playing what instrument.  It's about getting inside yourself and life and the world and God and whatever else you wanna connect it to.  The organic, pure nature of music is not limited to any specific parameters.  I find it odd that this strikes so many as a "new" concept.  Many will feign agreement only to privately scorn the music CMAS now fosters in people who would otherwise have no interest in its exploration.

It seems very simple to me and was really reinforced for me while at this recent festival with all these grand orchestras: either all music is viable or none of it is.  Sure, you cannot do it all, and everyone will have their strengths and weaknesses in execution; but at it's heart music - of all genres - reaches beyond.

Does it really matter which path you take to get there?  Traditional ensembles are hugely important.  Truly.  But, in the end, it's music that is the important entity.  Get it however you can and encourage others to do the same, no?  Band, Choir, Orchestra, Jazz, Rock, Country, Rap - that's all just superfluous details.  Music is what matters.  All music.  Sometime I really wonder if CMAS is really that big of a change.  I swear, fundamentally, I am only able to approach music one way - I know of no other - regardless of the specific ensembles or genres.

I may not be a "traditionalist" but I am certainly a "purist."  And I am very, very lucky to have a life that is 100% family and music.  It's just that simple.  Really.

McCartney got it right

The story goes that after being repeatedly criticized by many music critics, and John Lennon for that matter as well, for writing too many "light weight" songs, Paul McCartney wrote "Silly Love Songs" as kind of not so subtle response.  As much as I am a huge fan of John's - really, all the Beatles (yes, even Ringo- Ringo is a true visionary as far as I am concerned) - I have always found this particular story very informing as a writer.

On many levels the message to me is, "stick to your guns," to say nothing of the notion of what's wrong with writing about love, anyway?  In point of fact Lennon wrote countless classic love songs himself, and the reality is that there are far more hit love songs than anything else.  Love works.  On so many levels, it just works.

There is even a compelling argument to be made that all music is about love - and I genuinely believe that to be the case. Even protest songs can easily be viewed, without losing even the slightest bit of their potency, as love songs: in simplest terms, love of humanity.  In point of fact, my strong feeling is that there is a very real and direct connection through music - all music - to a, forgive the cliche, higher power.  At the risk of being too melodramatic, that really is the heart of all of it for me, and I suppose it manifests itself in all I do. Everything.  Or at least I hope it does. Music is love.  It's Godly.  Pure.  I make this point seriously, despite its obvious self-righteous tone.  But in the end, what else could possibly be the point of music?

As I have been writing more and more, for what seems to be a never to be completed CD at this rate, I keep coming back to this notion of music, and love songs and all of it.  In fact, it reminds me of a former associate of mine who used to take what seemed to be great joy in endlessly mocking me over the fact I write so many love songs.  He liked to present himself as very erudite - regarding music and pretty much everything else - I lost track of the number of times he would lecture me about how I should be living my life and such - likely a strong reason why that association eventually unraveled; but I digress.

The point is that in the end, I felt only sorry for him.  Imagine someone so very smart but so very myopic as to be unable to appreciate something as simple as the sentiment of a love song.  I don't just mean my songs - one could certainly claim they are at best mediocre.  I mean the concept itself seemed less than worthy to him.  And as I look back at his behavior with other people, even his own family, everything seemed so trivialized all the time.  So impure.

Now I realize the hypocrisy of judging him in one breath while complaining of his judging of me in the other, but the difference to me is intent.  To not see the point in love songs.  To not feel they had anything new or viable to say, as he would tell me, seems, well, sad.  I am grateful to know what real love is.  I hope my former associate finds it within himself to someday seek it out and reciprocate it.

As I said at the start, McCartney got it right, and I, for one, intend to follow his lead.  So in the interest of full disclosure I thought I would include one of my favorite photos - one that I find inspiring beyond words:

 

If you cannot see the true essence of love and why it matters in that image, well, I don't even know what to say.  And OK, while that photo of my parents is truly inspiring to me, so is this one, even if it is more predicable that I would post it in this context (yes, I am ridiculously lucky):

Harmony

I must confirm a certain amount of embarrassment regarding the fact that last night was the first time in a while I had attended a professional symphony concert.  Michele and I, through the generosity of the "Mom's Club" she is part of, were in the audience for a spectacular evening of music, made possible by the Phoenix Symphony.  It was really an enjoyable evening on many levels, and as we sat in the hall taking in the music I was struck by just how much I still enjoy being inside that kind of sound - even if only passively as an audience member.

It had been a while since I had felt the kind of pure acoustic musical connection that an ensemble of that nature creates.  It was very enlightening for me.  The realities of life are such that my schedule simply doesn't permit as much of that kind of thing as it used to, and I am glad that I will be a guest clinician for some of the upcoming All-State music festivals, which will, if only temporarily, place me back in front of symphonic ensembles.

These days it seems like every musical experience I have informs either my teaching or my writing or both.  In this case, in terms of teaching, it makes me feel I should be doing more to emphasize the notion that all music is viable with my students.  I do this a lot with the more advanced classes already, but I'm thinking I need to implement more of this kind of thought with the lower levels as well.  In terms of writing, it's made me glad I am following my instincts on a lot of my newer material to use larger, more orchestrated parts - even if in a "rock" context.

Whatever it turns into,  one thing is for certain, there is something to be said for purity of sound, and last night was a great example.

The real deal

Earlier this week, we were lucky enough to host Ryan Star (www.rstar.net). What an amazing talent this guy is. Among other things, if you know the show "Lie to Me," he wrote and performs the theme song. I cannot say enough good things about him. He was incredibly gracious to both me and my students and it was just a wonderful afternoon.

As an educator I was really glad to have someone of his caliber talk with my students about his experiences in the music industry. It was also very cool to see many of my students step up and ask some really great questions - not only of Ryan, but also of Ken Lane (Senior VP with Atlantic) who was also there.

Ryan was very good about pulling no punches with the students. After performing for a bit, he took lots of questions and was very open about how hard he has had to work and about how much focus his journey has required. It was very inspiring, but also very good for the students to hear about the realities of the industry. Neither Ryan or Ken were overtly negative, they were just very honest and it made for a great educational afternoon. Plus the music was awesome.

On a personal level, I learned a ton. It was very cool to hang for a bit and make a new musical friend - someone in my own age demographic. In fact, Ryan, was really kind in his comments about the program and me. He kept telling me how much he wished he'd had program like this when he was in school. Funny thing is, as I told him, that was the very point of creating it - I had had the same thought years ago.

Ryan is clearly very grounded and, like I said, I cannot say enough good things about his music. More than that though, he struck me a very decent person. The kind of guy you'd wanna be friends with regardless of his occupation or success.  I'm really glad to be able to call him a friend.

The perfect piece of gear

So as things have started to calm down just a bit from the arrival of Tanner into our family, I find myself drifting back into my musical mindset. I suppose I am the type who never really leaves it, for better of worse, but in any case, Tanner's birth (he and the whole family are doing quite well, by the way) has gotten me thinking about the idea of "new beginnings."

This has carried over even into my teaching as I have been reworking the student recording labs these past days to make them more functional and efficient for their use. Kind of a lab reset or new beginning of its own.

In any case, as we've been setting up gear and such, students have been asking me questions about the individual pieces and such and how I designed the labs and all manner of related questions. One of the topics has been "what do we still need?" It's an interesting area to me, and one that I have decided to broach more directly with them over the coming weeks.

The truth is, the technology of audio is always evolving and changing. No sooner does a piece of gear get released does it seem like another one comes along that is an "improvement." The fact is that there is always more gear to buy. Always a new tool that can improve the end result.

I am not saying that is a bad thing. But over time I have started to wonder where the line really is between the gear we need and the gear we want. Case-in point: preamps.

For the last many years I have been, like so many others, on a quest for the perfect preamp for my studio. The ultimate absurdity of the notion is not lost on me, but I still find myself wondering what might work best for my varied needs. I have been lucky enough to have a lot of friends who have great expertise in such things-certainly more than me-and have been even luckier to be able to borrow any number of pieces to work with and get a sense of their sound in application.

I have no doubt that my assessment may change or evolve over time, but as I write this I have, as of late, had a recurring thought that has grown ever more persistent over time: there is no perfect preamp. This idea of the best combination of mic/preamp/converter is actually becoming funny to me. I think it must have something to do with the fact that, atthe end of the day, I seem always drawn to the song over the production.

I know, I know, seems a bit off given all the time I spend either in production for myself or others, or the fact that I teach so many students about the skills required for excellent production; but none-the-less, there it is. Even if I stipulate that I am not very good at it, I always view myself first as a writer. I tend to want the music to inform the production, not the other way around. I suspect that is one of the principle reasons that my music tends to be so acoustic based. For all the technology I like to use, I tend to want it transparent to a large extent.

To be fair, I am still trying to get my head fully around the implications of this as it relates to the current CD I am attempting to complete, but my gut tells my that the heart of this is accurate, so I feel compelled to go with it.

The gear does matter. There is some truth in notion of "garbage in garbage out" but in the end I feel that rather than search for the perfect piece of gear, it's far better to be searching for the perfect song.

Student Focus Threshold

As established deadlines approach and  the pressure to complete projects mounts, some students start to suddenly realize that their use of time did not necessarily go as planned.  For some, it's due to things beyond their control: got sick and had to miss class, needed gear was unavailable for one reason or another, etc. (I'm not gonna go into the ways it is within their control, but you can assume what you like - it's not that much of a stretch.  Anyway...) 

When this happens, invariably I will get asked if there is an option for an extension of some kind.  In many cases, I grant one - I am certainly not going to penalize a student for things they cannot control - but, that is not always best for them in the long run.  Sure, in the controlled environment of a classroom, moving a date is easy and does not usually. in truth, create a lasting, direct, negative impact on anyone or anything.  Certainly, I am not going to suffer any consequences over any thing of that nature as the instructor - frankly, I am still not sure anyone really understands what I teach any way to be able to draw any sort of erudite conclusions (myself included.)

But, indirectly, the result could be really devastating.  I do not mean to be overly dramatic, but think about it for a moment.  A student learns that deadlines are generally flux.  They learn to not be quite so specific with them.  They, in a very real sense, lessen their chances for continued employment.  Truly.  If you keep missing deadlines, no matter what the reason, your clients, at some point, start to go somewhere else.

So recently I have chosen a different take on this sometimes seemingly pervasive issue.  "What's your threshold for focus?"  The answer to this question for any student (to be fair, in any pursuit, not just music) is the key.  At what point of compensation are you willing to get the job done regardless of the time limits or gear issues or whatever other parameter is impeding completion? The details are not really relevant, oddly enough.  It's actually simple economics.  At some point, in their mind, there is a threshold where their full focus will kick in regardless of the details to complete the work.  At some point they will do whatever it takes because the compensation is worth the hassle.

Maybe it's $10; or $100; or $1000; or $10,000; or whatever.  Again, the details, in this case, are not the issue.  The only issue is simply that the threshold does exist; and once identified we can establish work ethic, work quality, and any number of other relevant base-lines.  And if a student can identify their specific threshold and then treat every project like that point has been met, well, they can accomplish literally anything they set their skills to.

Of course, I cannot pay them in anything but a grade, but it is clear to me that the students who take their work seriously are already exploring where their focus threshold is.  My hope is that they all someday are in situations where they can dictate the terms of a deal with a client and eclipse that threshold.  And maybe send me some small percentage as a token for having set them on the path in the first place...ha!

New Creative Perspectives

Let's be honest.  On some level the Singer-Songwriter paradigm has been successfully, and fully mined by some of the world's greatest musical artists.  That is not to say the art form is dead or irrelevant - far from it, there are countless amazing songs being turned out even today - but the fact is that the notion of innovation in the genre is a good bit less present.  The sense of "Wow! I never expected that." Is not really all the common.  There are certainly great shows and amazing performances and all that, but that is not really what I am referring to.  I am looking more at the notion of approach to the craft.

So, as I am completing the writing of my next CD, I have decided to conduct a little musical experiment on myself.  Worse case, I will have some great teaching opportunities with my students with regard to technology and how it relates to the creative process; but my real hope is to push my own musical perceptions to such a further point that while the sonic end result sounds "normal" the creative/performance process of the individual tracks is new, unique, and inspiring.

Here's one example: The Matrix Piano.  Now there are lots of far better musicians than I, using devices like the Monome, or the new Launchpad,  and others to interface with sound; but, with respect to their work, the results generally seem somewhat musically counter intuitive, and many times I am - granted cinically - left with the thought, "OK, but where is the song?"

(Forgive the overly jargon based next bit, by the way...) What I am working with right now is developing a viable matrix on an 8x8 grid MIDI controller that will allow for diatonic based musical thoughts processed through a vastly different perspective that the standard piano keyboard.  To be fair, I am also working with the same 8x8 matrix in a more guitar fingerboard based context just to cover another base.  We'll see.

The point is that if I am very lucky the end result will be music that is still considered viable and appealing to the listener, but the content more compelling due to the shift in creative process priorities - or more to the point my perspective on the creation/performance of the songs.  As I said, if nothing else, this should provide some pretty cool teaching moments, which is no small benefit in and of itself.

Oh, for those few of you who have been emailing and such about the new CD's progress, I promise, even with this new creative approach, it is very much in the works, the music is something pretty special, and I'd like to think worth the wait; but, in the end, all that I suppose is up to you.