I set out to do a monthly update at the end of November, but then finals week got the best of me. So here’s November AND BONUS December.
November started out with a trip to the annual College Music Society conference in Washington, DC. I had a tape piece (The Earth Shall Soon Dissolve Like Snow) on one of the CMS concerts, and a demonstration for the Association for Technology in Music Instruction side of the conference. This was the one conference that I allowed myself to go to this year (aside from the regional CMS that I hosted during a blizzard in March). It was great to get back into the researchy-creativey side of things.
Later, I was able to run out and do a bit of sightseeing. Here’s a view of Capitol Hill from the Library of Congress.
Here’s a closer picture of the Washington Monument. I didn’t really plan to go here, I was just on the subway heading back to the airport and was looking for a public restroom, and the restroom situation on the Washington Metro is a whole saga unto itself.
Oh and also the conference hotel (the Washington Hilton) was where Reagan was shot.
The paper/demonstration I gave was about a program I’ve been writing for tracking the composition process–essentially, it’s an app that has a bunch of buttons you push while composing to track your progress, and then it gives you a transcript and stats. It turns out I take way more breaks than I thought. WAY MORE. Here’s what the app looks like on the right monitor. (Also this is clearly a staged shot, because my desk was not previously and has not been since this clean.)
Meanwhile in Fargo, progress continues on our building addition to the Challey School of Music. Cassie is moving into one of the new offices on the second floor; I’m moving to an office that will be vacated also on the second floor. My plans for a composition emporium on the third floor were rejected.
Bartleby and Erin are getting along.
Tape Piece showed up on an album that was released.
I got the paperwork started to teach a music tech course at Concordia this spring, due to Doug Harbin’s sabbatical. I had to look up “Precept.” I also have to remember what it’s like to not know all the insane idiosyncrasies of MaxMSP.
We drove the cats and the kiddo to Montana for Christmas. Bart was thrilled. (Also, we have a second cat, Lorraine, who doesn’t appear here because all her pictures are blurry or because she is hiding at any given time. At this point in the trip, she was in the back passenger floorboard.)
Erin got to ride a horse!
And I finished a couple of pieces. Hey! Composing! (Miniwashitu for Contrabassoon and Piano (for Martin Van Klompenberg), and Last-Minute Waltz for solo flute (for a 15-minutes of fame call for scores featuring Lisa Bost-Sandberg)). Note to self: do more of this in 2025.
It’s going to be a good year.
