Balance
Resonanate
Flow

(if I do at least four of these with intention, I’ll have a pretty good day.)

Pray
Practice Music
Exercise
Drink Water
Do a chore
Read

AKA “If Feelings Could Talk“: Not sure who originally came up with this, but I saw it on Facebook and dowloaded the poster for free from teacherspayteachers.com

Sadness: I might need to cry
Loneliness: I might need to connect
Shame: I might need to exercise self-compassion and mindfulness
Resentment: I might need to forgive
Emptiness: I might need to create something
Anger: I might need to enforce some boundaries
Anxiety: I might need to breathe deeply (and drink some water)
Stress: I might need to slow down (and do less)

(If I do at least four of these, I’ll feel satisfied that, whatever the occasion, it was a successful celebration.)

Decorate
Dress up
Enjoy special foods
Make Music
Dance
Give thanks for that which is being celebrated

From the book by Don Miguel Ruiz

Be impeccable with your words
Don’t take things personally
Don’t Make Assumptions
Always do your best

Form
Texture
Timbre
Rhythm
Melody
Harmony
Dynamics

(Sometimes “Tonality” is thrown in as an 8th element, but not all music is tonal)

Composition

Summer spree

It has been wonderful to study composition with a private coach this summer. I’m learning to be more efficient, systematic, and disciplined in my practice. I still have so much to learn, but my productivity and stamina have increased tremendously. I’m working on five different projects right now, and feel like I’m actually making progress on all of them.

This pace of work isn’t sustainable throughout the year, but it’s perfect for the month of July. I look forward to sharing the fruits of my labor beginning this fall.

A composer chat for unSUNg

As part of their ‘Holidays in July” fundraiser, I was part of unSUNg’s first composer chat this summer, and the conversation was released on YouTube on July 11. Check out the video to hear me, Amy Engelhardt, Paul Gibson and Michelle Green Willner talk with artistic director Ariel Pisturino about what it’s like to write music for a holiday, which holidays are sorely underrepresented, and what might come next!

Available now: We need a little Kwanzaa

See the program that inspired it all, as a replay of last fall’s “Sharing Music” is available starting today. This diverse program celebrates a variety of December holidays, and includes my settings of “Umoja” and “Kujichagulia”, illustrating two of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The video performance features the West Victory Dancers, with Olivia Bowman-Jackson and Abdur Rahim Jackson.

https://youtu.be/rax03KiJzYM

Nonprofit Music News

CCDA

I am so excited to begin my first year on the board of the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) as the R&R Chair for Choral Composition. The CCDA Summer Summit starts on Monday, July 26. Fall is close at hand, and this is one way we orient our brains towards preparing for our choral programs! You don’t have to be CCDA members to join us for any portion of this, including the meetups!

Hang out with choral friends in person here

(I’m going to a couple of the hangouts, including the one in Long Beach with my mentor Jon Talberg at Belmont Brewing Company on Tuesday, July 27th! Hope to see you there!)

Most of the sessions will be available to watch online until October 1st, so you can watch them later if you register.

Registration will be open until October 1st, but try to join us for the live sessions NEXT WEEK! JWPepper virtual repertoire will be available until August 27th.

NANM

The National Association of Negro Musicians held its 102nd convention virtually from July 11 – 14th. Congratulations to all presenters, performers, newly elected national board members, and all 5 national scholarship competition contestants. This convention was truly inspiring!

I look forward to continuing my service to NANM as an at-large member of the national board for the 2021-22 program year.