The Rhythm Of (Beat) One

I don't know that this will make sense until I start posting some audio/video of me performing some of my new songs (or older songs with new arrangements) but lately I have been really trying to get my head, musically, around the idea of ultra minimalist percussion as a way to control a song's momentum.

Like so many others, in recent years I've been quite taken with Mumford and Sons, and particularly Marcus's way of controlling a song with just a bass drum and occasionally some additional tambourine.   It's not that he's doing anything that has not been done before musically, but his execution is quite another story.

He's fronting the band, playing guitar, and ALSO playing these percussion parts with his feet.  The songs are amazing, but as a musician there is also an entire other level of brilliance to behold. And I have found that his take on percussion to control momentum has really been influencing me.

The trouble is that - and here is where the audio/video are kinda needed to make sense of things - my performance rig doesn't allow me quit the same level of rhythmic flexibility as Marcus.  I'm creating many layers all at once, but I;m not looping anything, and so, quite frankly, my feet are already rather occupied with other tasks most of the time to make all the layers happen.  FYI, in simplest terms, I ma playing the main riff on guitar, with a bass line, with some percussion, with some strings underneath if I want, with a solo line on either the guitar and/or a piano, all at the same time.  No looping. Yes, I know that sounds absurd, but that's my rig.  Really.  Yeah, I'll post video soon.

In any case, at this point, my ability to play the rig means that I cannot create too elaborate percussion lines.  Lots of 4-on-the-floor kinda things right now.  But I also have been finding that I need some kind of percussion variations beyond just playing or not to make the songs really work.

Enter the 1/8 note.  Such a simple and easily accessible variation, but yet I could not see it for a long time.  Could not hear it in context.  Yet now there is a great sense of variation in momentum at my disposal.

I know this all has made little or no sense, and I know that I need to post video of the rig in action for that to be resolved, but I have just bee so overcome by the simple musical elegance of this that I wanted to quickly post something.  Much more coming very soon....

Approaching Song #100 and The "Kitchen Sink" Jam

When I began my latest songwriting journey (write at least one new song every week without fail - and no "through away" or "silly for the sake of silly" songs) I did not really know where it would lead me.  I suppose that was part of the point - an uncertain goal, a process, a new creative path - but at some point I started to look back and wonder, "so, now that I feel more efficient and direct with my writing, now what?"

About 10 weeks or so in (I began on January 1st, 2012, if that matters) I realized that there were other creative elements and processes at play.  For example, is it enough to just write the songs?  What about recording?  Performance? The truth is that I am not sure.

The fact is that I have a vision in my head for all this, but I have not been able to fully bring it to life.  Yet.  It seems to me like all the songs are also tied to my new performance rig.  I'm looking for some way to not just create a new song, but also record it and have it ready for performance. Otherwise it somehow feels incomplete.

And this concerns me.  And not just because while I feel very close to having the rig to the point where it can do what I need it to do live, or in the studio, and I can soon begin to move from the "design/build" phase to the "practice/use" phase, it's still taking so long.  Every week another song written, but except for releasing the lyrics (I started that when my dad passed away this summer - go back and look for an entry called "Open" for more), it's not "out there" as they say.

And they need to be out there.  Not so much because I feel that they are great - I have honestly no idea - but because it feels like they are not being given their due in the full creative process.  Just like an instrument needs to be played, not left in a case; songs need to be more than written, they need to be heard.

And yet the process is so time consuming.  As efficient as I have become, it still takes time. And the resources of my heart, soul, and creative stamina.  So I run out of energy past the writing stage it seems.

Maybe that's why the live rig is so critical to me.  If I can get it working as needed, and if I can practice enough with it, and if I can get it to interface well with my studio and cameras and such, then perhaps I can move past to the next stage.  At least that is my current goal.  I think.

I've put markers up for myself numerous times.  At 10 songs, at 4 months, 6 months, 50 songs, a year...you get the idea.  But except for a couple of one-off, simple, mostly piano/voice performances, none of these songs (currently 98 of them) have been given their time to shine.

There is nothing wrong with the piano/voice by the way, it's just that my "vision" has so much more.  I am throughly entranced by the notion of really pushing the singer/songwriter paradigm, and the rig is the key (at least it appears to be at this time) so the more I write, the more behind I feel.

I could just stop writing and focus entirely on the rig.  Get it up and fully running.  Make it perfect for what I need before adding yet more material that I may never get to release as it all piles on top of itself. And sure that has been a thought that has crossed my mind several times, but it feels wrong.

Wrong because one of the key elements - perhaps the key element - to the rig design is the notion that technology should not be the part that rules the creative process.  So stopping my writing for the sake of what is in many ways a technology issue - granted a complex one - feels way too hypocritical.

But the other reason is that while both the songwriting and the rig are very much truly each a part of my creative process, they are in fact not the same strand of it.  As much as it would free up time, stoping the writing for the rig (or vise versa) will not actually do any good.

So I move on.  Mostly this entry has been a rant, but it has been cathartic, and useful, and therefore worth it.

In the coming days I think I will be able to make the rig "gig ready."  I even plan to make a few small videos capturing my experimenting with it in these early stages.  No idea what the music will be, but the textures should be pretty cool.  And complex in some ways - sonically, if not musically.  "Everything but the kitchen sink," if you follow me.  And maybe even that too.

More soon...

Practice, Perspective, Patience and Musical Intuition

One of the issues I've been facing as I have been developing my new live performance rig is the transition between it being mostly conceptual to being comfortable to actually use.  Never mind the fact that it's taken me more than 4 years of experimenting with what in retrospect is an absurd amount of gear, or the fact that much of the experimenting was slow due more to my lack of programming skills at the time, or the - I would like to think this is the biggest factor - fact that I could not really find anyone doing what I was trying to accomplish so there was no road map to follow.

The sense I had from the start - through all the trials and tests to finally get a working rig - was that  I was radically changing my entire approach to live performance in this process. Now, of course there is the very real possibility that the sense of epic change I felt was mostly self imposed and perhaps this is all no big deal, but for me it has been very real - self-imposed or not - and what that has meant is that I have had to delay and delay and delay doing actual shows.

This has been disappointing on a number of levels, but on the other hand there doesn't seem to be any point in presenting what could be an amazing musical moment to anyone until it's actually ready to be amazing.

As a songwriter I tend to think in the moment of the song.  Everything moves outward from there.  Get the song itself in place and the rest will come.  But translating that song to an audience requires practice.  And that practice can require a lot of patience - something I am generally not always that good at.  Plus my entire performance technique has had to change and - I'd like to think - evolve, as I have developed the new rig.

This has meant that every time I make a change for the betterment of the bigger picture concept I have had to reteach myself how to operate the rig.  Then as I go through that process if something is not doing what I need it to do, I have to stop the entire process and look for a solution before I can move on.  Many times this takes additional weeks of tinkering until I can get everything running right.  Till there is another bump in the road and then it starts over again.  To be fair I should admit that part of me enjoys the tinkering - even if it seem endless.  Anyway...

In a way all this "practicing" has been a bit disconcerting, but recently something has happened that took me out of my now "Songwriting" mentality and back to more fundamental musical experiences of my youth.  The rig now makes sense to me intuitively.   Perhaps this is an effect of my doing so much with it that my brain moves faster than it did before through the process, but whatever the reason I find that I "see" the rig differently now.  It feels more like an instrument unto itself rather than just a way to facilitate song performances.

It reminds me a lot of when I was first learning to, for example, play basic grooves on a drum kit.  At some point I did not have to consciously think any longer about the groove.  It just flowed out of me.  At that point I was able to just play.  In the moment.  Intuitively.  Musically.  It was very freeing and it set a kind of benchmark for all my future musical experiences.

Of course there is always more to learn and add to one's toolbox, but the concept of musical intuition as a part of performance (in all parts of the process: writing, recording, performing, producing) has always intrigued me.  The idea "Nothing Forced Endures" (thank you, Richard Beal!) comes to mind.

All that in mind, as you might expect, I cannot at this point say "it's done."  Funny, if not predictably, enough, as the rig has reached this point of ease-of-use, I am still awaiting the release of some new gear from a few companies to complete my current vision of how it will all work.    In fact in the photo you can kinda see a "blank" area that is reserved for this very reason.  Most significantly I am looking forward to the Keith McMillen QuNexus and the Electro Harmonix 8 Step Program.  Both are due this month.  And then let the fun begin!

I did create a very raw video on the concept a few weeks ago, for anyone interested.  It's more of a prototype here, as since filming I have swapped out the SL-20 for an Adrenalinn 3 and reworked the actual placement and wiring to be more cooperative, and numerous other changes, but the idea behind the rig should be clear regardless.

It's an exciting time.  Lots more coming! Gotta go practice now...

Where's My Album?

I hear this all the time from CMAS students (and others):  "Why should I buy a full album from an artist, when I can easily just download only the tracks I want?  Plus, it seems like most albums, even by my favorite artists are made up of a few tracks I like and the rest is all just filler."

It's a complex issue.  On one level, there is the notion that while there is so much out there, a lot of it is junk.  It's easy to get lost in the din.  On another level, there is the notion that it was not always that way and the market has allowed this kind of disposable quality to music (perhaps to all the arts?) that fosters this frequent "not so great but good enough" approach.  Another level to consider is that the entire purpose of an album has been lost, just generally, as an art form.  And there are others.  Many others.  

But my point here is not so much those concepts but something more fundamental: are we doing a disservice to the art of creating music by even allowing the option of a single song download from a wouldbe larger scale project?

The artistic purest in me says, immediately and without a moment's hesitation, YES!  The pragmatist in me, however, is not so sure. 

Here is the dilemma:  if art is a reflection of society, and society is moving in a more, albeit artistically stifling direction, does art that works to offset or even to change that movement actually reflect society accurately?

This is not just semantics. You cannot have it both ways.  Nor can you claim everything is done as a protest.  It's certainly a conceivable possibility but it's not likely to actually happen in reality.  Frankly, it's far too easy to make a bigger name for yourself and more money if you don't protest and if you get along. 

And that does't even address the factors that revolve around the rather, I think, sad fact that the manufacturers of much of todays music production tools have found that if they make things that allow pretty much anyone to just, at the push of a button, sound "real," they can make even more money, regardless of where we wanna call the results art or just exercises in technology as a crutch.  But that is another rant for another time.  Anyway...

Sure you might get very lucky and be at the nexus of a great redefining of music, but most of us will never be there, regardless of our intentions, skills or anything else that might be a factor.  And, sure, you can go your own road all you want in the name of artistic truth, but what if no one is there to hear you?  Even if you are right?  Even if your music is legitimately brilliant; but because you are all alone no one hears it?  Really, what if no one hears?  And yet another rant...

It's a confusing and multi layered problem.  One that does not just have a silver bullet solution.  

As I begin to reexamine my own musical priorities as I prepare to start recording some of the vast multitude of songs I been writing in the past many months  I wonder where I will end up on this issue.  Or if it even matters.

Maybe that's the real point of art.  Not to be a statement of anything other than of itself.  hmmmmmm…

Serve The Song

I'm a huge techno-buff.  Particularly when it comes to music.  I find it all so fascinating.  The idea that there are these tools to help refocus my creativity and my overall creative process is just so cool a concept.

On the other hand, technology as a crutch drives me crazy.  Balancing these two used to be a considerable challenge for me.  But over time I have found that if I start with that basic idea, "serve the song," and actually follow that as a kinda of unbreakable rule - ironic in that I also firmly believe there should be no rules to creativity, *sigh* - I can pretty much move into any area that catches my creative fancy.

Let me give you a more concrete example.  I am also a big fan of Dave Grohl.  (Aren't we all?)  The guy is truly an inspiration for so many reasons.  Recently he made this incredible film called "Sound City," and I really encourage you all to see it.  Repeatedly.  It is quite astonishing, and has so much on so many levels that I found myself having to watch it a couple of times recently to ensure I felt I had gotten all that I could from the experience.  Anyway...

The film is part history lesson about a particular studio (Sound City), part recording industry rant, part technology rant...you get the idea.  On the surface there is this sense of a "technology has killed music" notion floated by a lot of the artists in the film - and there are a LOT of them in the film.  So many heroes of mine that I kinda lost count.  There are all these example stories of technology killing the musical process in favor a the quick and easy route to "success."  Dave went so far as to by the Neve console from the studio for his own studio and he's since produced several amazing LPs with it.

I've heard lots of musicians respond to this film - and similar- by saying that they are going back to analog.  No more computers.  No more artificial elements. It's all gotta be "real."  Ok, but the notion of "real" is not so clear these days.  As if the analog tape machine is any less of a technology than digital.  Different certainly, but technology all the same.  It's as though they skipped the scenes in the film with Trent Reznor.  Folks, it's not the technology.  It's you.

"No, man.  You don't get it.  Dave, he went all 'old school.'  All analog.  No computers.  It's all real."  Come on.  Really?  You gotta see past that.  What Dave did is nothing short of brilliant.  But, to me at least, it has nothing to do with pro-analog or anti-computers/anti-Pro Tools.  It's about how you get musically inspired.

Think about it.  Stripping things down and removing the computer really was just a way to facilitate a different approach to music making.  Opening up previously unexplored creative paths.  But the analog versus digital element is just a superficial bit on the surface.  Go deeper and they are both irrelevant.

All that matters is the song.  That's it.  Are you letting the music make the decisions or are you forcing yourself onto it?  Your song doesn't suck because you used computers.  And it's not brilliant because you went analog.  It sucks because you got in the way.  It sucks because you let your ego get to the point of arrogance and the music took a back seat in some way.  Maybe it was 'cuz you rushed something.  Or didn't practice the line enough to make it really shine.  Or didn't let things be gloriously out of sync and/or tune.  If your song sucks, it's not the music.  It's because you did not let the music rule the decisions.  Your song sucks because you did not get out of the music's way.  

And your song is not amazing because you went analog, and threw off the "shackles of technology." It's amazing because you got out of the music's way.  Maybe going analog gave you the needed perspective to let the music take control, preventing your ego from turning to arrogance and letting the music flow.  But that is about you, not technology.  And if that's what it takes to allow you to serve the song, then do it.  Go analog.  But don't for a moment  think that it's the technology that is making the music "happen, " or not.  That's all you.  It's why all the over processed crap might at first seem really cool, but then over time all fades away.  In the same way, though, if the computer inspires you in some way to harness the magic of the music, why turn away from it?  That's just as bad as using it as a crutch.  Maybe even worse.  How can you possibly justify turning your back on the music right in front of you just because you wanna throw those shackles off I mentioned earlier?  That's not musical.  That's just, forgive me, stupid.

Serve the song.  Serve the song.  SERVE THE SONG!  How you serve it is not the point, so long as you do.

This all has absolutely NOTHING to do with technology, by the way.  It's something far more pure. Technology is only a tool.  Or a crutch.  Your choice.  Serve the song and you will always know what to do.  Ok.  End of rant.  For now...

Too Much Technology?

A couple of years ago I started a blog.  On one level it was to feed my ego that I would be able to post all my "important" observations to legions of fans all over the world who were in various states of eagerness awaiting my every word or all things musical and related topics.  Ha!  On another level it was to see if I could not create a kind of journal.  This is more the truth.  I like the idea of my kids, and grand kids, etc. having something of an insight into who I was - at least musically - years from now.  Perhaps even when I'm gone.

I guess I'm at an age where I have begun to look both forward and back in equal measure (ooooohhh....that's a good lyric...I need to use that...anyway....) and I realize that I don't have nearly as much of that kind of thing from my own parents or theirs.  Not even musical elements, as they were not particularly musically inclined - but more of a sense of who they were. Perhaps this is a topic for another rant.  In any case....

As I pursued the blog, I also got more into other social media.  Facebook.  Twitter.  etc. and it began to evolve that my "blog as a journal" idea got usurped by a Facebook/Twitter journal of sorts.

The trouble is that while these are more convenient in many ways, their potentially dramatically smaller amount of content makes them less comprehensive, and to me, in many ways, inherently less intimate (the irony of my publishing this blog publicly not withstanding - I wanna be the humble, non-attention seeking guy - really, I do  - it just never seems to work out.  yikes!) Perhaps that's more an indication of my inability to be adequately succinct, but then again, perhaps that's just an accurate reflection of me, so why fight it?

We live in an age where there are actually so many ways to communicate that it all kinda washes over us. There is so much that in many ways we get nothing. (hmmmm...another good lyric there...)

I know I am not the first to encounter this.  Or the last.  And my rant here is very much proof of that.  But for some reason I feel that if I rant here, I may get lucky enough to get to a point where I can more consistently posting into this journal for my kids.  And my legions of fans? ugh!  ;)

It's an adventure.  Like writing a song a week I suppose.  You never know quite where it's gong to lead, but that's not the point.  The point is to keep moving, and that's what I intend to do.  Wish me luck!

Rebooting My Creativity - A Song A Week

Sometime in 2011 it dawned on me that I had not really produced anything of my own for a number of years. Somewhere between the arrival of Gray and Tanner and the desire to evolve CMAS, my own creativity got - unintentionally, I would like to think - lost in it all.

I suppose that characterizing the matter as "my creativity" may not be entirely accurate, as certainly I created CMAS and that was not exactly a non-creative endeavor.  Far from it.  And to be fair, I did write and record several tracks for a bit after Gray was born.  Even did a good bit of shows for a time.  But overall things had gotten, like much in life can, stagnant.

So maybe it was just timing.  Maybe some kind of preemptive midlife crisis of some sort. Whatever.  The point is that, whatever the reason, I was not writing much music for quite an extended period of time, and that began to weigh on me more dramatically the more I began to consider it a fact.

And so I began a kind of experiment with this new year of 2012.  I resolved that  I would write at least one complete song every week.   No excuses.  Every week.  No matter what else was going on.  At least one song.

As I am now approaching the midway point I can honestly say it has been quite a journey.  One I'm so glad I have embarked on.  In fact as it has progressed my only regret it that I did not start it years earlier.

For decades now I have felt that music was a kind of spiritual event for me.  It has always been,  in a very real sense, my religion.  My connection to the universe.  My direct tie to the Divine.  I was not always able to express that accurately - perhaps not even now - but none the less, it has proven true for me over and over again, and these past months have pretty much solidified what was already a very deep connection for me.  That alone has made it worth it.

And this creative reboot has provided so much more.  And not just, as I write this, 26 songs in 23 weeks - though that's pretty cool too.  It has made my writing process so much stronger.  I feel a musical confidence that I have been lacking for some time.  In fact on occasion I like to look back over the charts for these new songs and am constantly struck at how much I enjoy them.

Of course there is that matter of what to do with them all.  One of the things that became quite clear to me early on was that for it to work I could only approach the week's song as a writer.  If I got too in to the role of Performer, or Technical Engineer, or certainly Producer, I would be sunk.  In fact that has been one of the other benefits - a significant strengthening of my ability to partition certain skills as needed.  Or put better - my ability to focus on serving the song.  At the end of the day I can confidently say that is exactly what I am doing.  That is exactly what the priority is: serve the song.

It's pleasantly allowed me to move towards decimating my arrogance - something I sadly still struggle with - while reinforcing my ego.  The distinction is vital to creative pursuits in my mind.  The former is always ultimately self-destructive and terribly "unmusical," while the latter is essential to actually motivate the creative process.

Anyway, I am close to starting to record these songs.  Very close.  In fact all this creative activity has sparked another, interesting "diversion" as I am now ever closer to unlocking what I would call a great music performance mystery:  how to use technology in such a way to maintain the singer-songwriter paradigm, but far bigger in musical scope and sound, while still keeping the song as the priority, not the technology.  Again, serve the song.  More on this in another post.  Soon, I hope.  It's pretty cool though, I gotta tell you.  More soon...

Anyway, 26 songs is a lot over 23 weeks.  (Oh, for those wondering about the math, I had a week were I got 3 and other where I got 2 so that's how that all adds up to 23 in 26.)  And though I feel it quite possible am I actually writing the same song over and over again, one thing I am very pleased with is that none of them are "comical" or throw-aways.  I feel all are legitimate.  None of them have been less than significant as far as I can tell -though some weeks have been tougher than others to have the song fully complete by midnight on Sunday.  But in a very real way that has been the point.  As the weeks go on I find my writing not only improving, but it's gotten more efficient.  I can "find" song faster now.  Or perhaps it finds me faster as I am learning how ti get out of my own way.

Speaking of which, though perhaps imperfectly, this reboot has also allowed me to channel a lot of unfocused energy.  I find that lately ideas may slow for a time, but the suddenly there will be a flow of ideas that can happen so rapidly that I know I have lost several great ones along the way.  Even with my iPhone constantly with me, I lose them all the time.  A disappointment for sure, but on the other hand I still have been able to capture so much in it's raw state that I do not foresee a time when meeting the goal of a song a week will be unattainable.  Sure it's still somewhat daunting as I think of it, but clearly it's working.  Besides the real work is starting to take the shape of getting them all recorded.  And that looks to be like a whole other fantastic musical reboot that I'm soon to embark on.

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.

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!

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...

Pandora's Box: How the greatest CMAS concert (so far) might also be its worst

Two weeks ago tonight CMAS held its final concert of the 2009-2010 season.  It was, in a word, amazing. I don't say that lightly at all.  It was a culmination of so many factors into a single, successful evening of music that I am still a bit dumbfounded over the entire thing.

The evening consisted of over 120 minutes of all original. all student produced and performed music; and the show itself (also, all student produced) was about as over the top as anything I have ever seen anywhere.  I suppose the most notable addition was a 25 foot high, 40 foot wide, video projection system behind the performer - thanks once again to Harkins Theatres for all the continued support (Dan Harkins is, as always, beyond kind - Kirk Griffin, their chief engineer, as well - more on them another time).  It was stunning.  Just stunning to see it all come together.  And it was an absolute triumph for all involved, and an certainly a  huge honor for me to be part of it.

But here's the thing - and I have been justifiably accused of destroying some professional relationships over this kind of thing - to me, as high as the bar has now been set, we can still do it far better.  I'll save the specifics of how for another time, but it's the general concept that got me writing here: the potential Pandora's box of expextaitons.

While the show on 5/20/10 was beautiful, it was also the first time we had put in so many of the elements that I know we can do all of them far better if we simply are willing to not only look objectively, but also take the needed, and in many cases, fairly simple steps to significantly build upon what we have already done.  And this is the part that has been a death-knell for some of my professional relationships: perfection is a great goal, but it is not actually attainable. Being satisfied is akin to promoting the status quo, and I simply do not believe in status quo.  Things are either getting better, or getting worse.  Those are the only two options.  No exceptions.  Staying the same is akin to getting worse as far as I am concerned.

Yes, acknowledge the accomplishments and revel in the successes as they happen; but I firmly believe that every time you take another step closer to "perfect," the bar of that perfection moves that much further up as well.  At the point at which the bar stops moving, or worse, you are satisfied, it is time to stop.  Needless to say, many of my professional acquaintances over the years have not been able to hold a similar view.  My "arrogance" on this topic makes me feel only bad for them.  To be fair though, the relationships that suffered the most over this kind of thing were with people who I would describe as very "unmusical;" very non-creative - though, and again, I freely admit the arrogance of this statement, they think they are musical and creative, but clearly are not.  That said, I am not sure I am actually a "pure" personality of music and creativity either - even though I'd like to be.  But, as usual, I digress.

Back to the Pandora's box:  The further we push these shows, the greater the expectation is from our audience.  That is not a bad thing - not at all.  But as we start the 2010-2011 season in a few short months I wonder if the audience will allow for the learning curve that is needed over the course of the total season on the part of the students. The audience, perhaps ironically, and perhaps without realizing it, is actually in line with my view of perfection.  The question is will they allow the trials and time needed to get us to take those next steps.  If they do, the truth is that despite this amazing last show, they have not seen anything yet - I can safely say that there are at least four more major evolutions to the show coming in the not too distant future - not that I will give any details away here and/or now - to saw nothing of the studio progressions that will soon eclipse the shows.

If the audience does not, well there's the Pandora's box for you.  The only way to ensure we make it happen and give the audience what they not only want, but deserve, is to consciously keep moving forward.  Can't allow ego or arrogance to get in the way.  Call it like it is and move forward.  Keep pushing.  Always.  It's not about besmirching the efforts or reputations of anyone - like I said, revel in the well deserved successes as they come along - but if you stay there too long (and I define "too long" as the moment a single element is found to be vialbe for specific improvement) then you are back to status quo.  And then, really, what's the point?

I am so proud that the bulk of the CMAS program's students resist status quo - whether they know it or not.  They resist taking the striving for improvement as arrogance.  They seem to see it for what it is: the continuing search for bettering the end result.  Maybe the lesson really is that the Pandora's box is really just that: a box.  Keep yourself "outside the box" and the box really cannot have any impact.

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.

It's all in the numbers: my recent epifany about class size in schools

So lately I've been having lots of conversations with people about the CMAS program - how it started,where it's going, why I structured the curriculum the way I did, etc.  Inevitably, one of the questions is about how the current "traditional" program at the school is dealing with the success of CMAS.

The truth is, not well.  While CMAS is certainly going through some pretty massive growing pains, overall the general path is forward.  Fast.  So much so that I have been wondering if I need to reign it in just a bit to ensure that we maintain the level of quality I feel is essential -bit that is another topic.

The point is, I was recently talking with some folks from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences (my buddy Brock, and the school's Administrator Kirt Hamm - also a great guy) about how CRAS could do more to reach out to other music teachers in the community - to say nothing of their support of CMAS, generally - and we got to talking about my transition from the traditional program to full implementation of CMAS.  The context was more about helping other, interested teachers do something similar, even if on a smaller scale; but in the course of that discussion something so unbelievably obvious struck me that I am kinda ashamed I have not talked about before whenever the topic of the current traditional program at the school comes up:

(I wanna preface this by stating clearly that this is definitively not a commentary on any other teacher - just a statement of some facts.)

In the years just prior to the full transition to CMAS I was simultaneously running what would become the bulk of CMAS as well as the complete band and orchestra at the school. There was also another teacher facilitating several other classes that would eventually evolve into part of CMAS as well while also running the choir program at the school.  Full disclosure: for many years this other person was my wife Michele, who to be frank, is a far better teacher than I in all areas, but I digress.

The point is that during this time there were big numbers of students in the CMAS -like classes as well as strong numbers in the band, orchestra and choir.  All working together somehow.  All viable educationally - despite the compelling argument that I was at best a mediocre band/orchestra teacher.  So if the numbers have diminished since in the traditional classes, I just don't buy it that it was CMAS's fault.

Look, the job of the traditional music teacher at the school - at any school -  is very tough; and having done it for years, I can vouch for the fact that it stretches the traditional teacher far too thin to possibly succeed at their best level all the time in all aspects.  But blaming CMAS for the drop in numbers is not only unfair, it's untrue.

OK.  I just wanted to get that out.  My personal goal, if I am very lucky, once the CMAS curriculum is fully implemented and running (likely within the next 18 months or so) is to help revitalize the traditional program.  Who knows, maybe reinvent it a bit...if they'll let me.

College comes faster now

We're still finalizing all the last details, but it appears that my songwriting and recording studio production students will, starting this fall, be able to receive as much as 12 college credits for their work with me, through SCC.

This is obviously a pretty serious step forward on my quest to further legitimize the CMAS program as the new paradigm for music education, and in truth without the support of Ron Marschall, and the efforts of Paul Langworthy, both from SCC, none of this would coming to fruition.  On a personal note, it has been very gratifying knowing that not a single element of the curriculum I created needed to be altered.  In fact, CMAS seems to have more than exceeded all parties' expectations, which is certainly no small matter.

So what does this really mean?  Well, aside from the legitimizing I mentioned already, it is also a potentially big motivating factor for the students.  It not only is going to be a huge selling point to parents and students to take part in the program, but it also means we can enforce an even higher standard of work ethic from the students.  I suppose it also puts a bit more pressure on us to produce even more significant results, as this will further increase the attention the CMAS program gets, but I, for one, feel that to be a good thing.

In the end, CMAS is still about giving students an opportunity to pursue their musical instincts, and frankly that will not change.  Nor will the notion of self-reliance be diminished - probably increase in truth.  For me the most interesting part of all this is how, at each evolution of CMAS (original curriculum adoption, ASU Music Ed collaboration,  now the credit from SCC, etc) the general experience has been pretty easy on our end.  We just keep doing what we do, and others jump on board.  That might be the most legitimizing aspect of all.

In Your Back Yard

This past week, while on a break from teaching (ha!) I had three very cool musical experiences.  Well, actually, there were five, but I will leave for later the discussions about the awesome new preamps in the studio and the massive progress on some very exciting new songs for the CD.  So back to the three I started with...

The first, is actually thanks, yet again, to Michele's Mom's club.  Through her connection to that group I have become friends with another dad in the group, Brock.  Brock is one of the lead teachers at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences here in Phoenix.  Needless to say, he is musically on a level I cannot even explain, much less equate myself to - simply, Brock, is a master, in the truest sense of the word.  He's also a very cool person, just generally. Though I had heard of CRAS many times, Brock's tour was the first time I had actually spent time in the facilities.  I have been in many studios, but this was really incredible - especially for an "educational" institution.  The level of skill of the people who attend this school, much less the instructors, is pretty staggering.  This is not your 4th or 5th tier audio specialist getting $20 per hour.  There are so many gold and platinum albums on the walls, earned by CRAS students that they have to rotate them out into storage every few months.  Same goes for the movie posters from all the post production work they have been responsible for.  It was simply mind-numbing to walk through.  The rooms were just full of so many cool audio "toys" I felt like a kid in a candy shop.  This place turns out 48 students, only about 10% or less from Phoenix, every 6 weeks.  It's an intense year for them.  The most telling thing is that there are only something like three places in town that CRAS feels are acceptable for the required internship each student must complete.  Three.  That's a pretty high standard.  Every know and again I meet someone who is clearly so many steps beyond my skill set that I cannot believe I get to call them friend. Brock is definitely in that category.  He's also being kind enough to come speak to my more advanced students about the Conservatory and what the "real" music production world is like.  Very cool.

The second was guest speaking at ASU for some Music Ed. classes (one undergrad, and one grad) about the CMAS program I created, for a prof. friend of mind, Dr. Evan Tobias.  Evan is a brilliant guy, vastly more forward thinking than most people,  and a big fan of what we're doing with CMAS.  The opportunity to talk to some of his students about the program was really quite fun.  It also forced me to really consider how the program's details are presented just generally.  Clearly, I need to address this issue, but I am glad I was at least partially effective as after both classes I found myself talking for quite some time to numerous students about ways to push the music educational envelope.  I'm eager to see what the future holds with ASU.  Evan already sends me several interns/observers each semester, and I am hopeful that we can create a scenario whereby ASU students might be able to work with me directly as CMAS teaching assistants or something similar.

The third was a brief stroll through a local Zia Records store.  It has been a terribly long time since I have been in a record store of any kind.  I get almost all my music, as most people these days. on-line.  The experience of walking amongst all those rows and rows of actual, tangible CDs (no it's still not the same as the days when I could walk through shelves of vinyl LPs, but still) was really cathartic. It was very freeing to just brows, something that you really cannot do with the same kind of feeling to it online.  I plan to do it more often.

It was quite a week.