Musings

Oatmeal & the Basilisk
Oatmeal & the Basilisk
The noise means something needs to be written. It means my job is to try to relay to the surface world what a basilisk looks like. Even if I can't... Read more...
On Fame, Democracy, and Banana Splits
On Fame, Democracy, and Banana Splits
It’s hard being famous. Let me explain. You might certainly not know that I’m a Composer of choral and orchestral works. Some other stuff, too. My job—nay, my raison d’être—involves... Read more...
On Tater Tots, Proverbs, and Just Showing Up
On Tater Tots, Proverbs, and Just Showing Up
Did we know the teacher was likely only a step or two ahead of us? Probably not, but it didn’t matter because the Computer Expert followed a proverb more primal than docendo... Read more...
On Object Lessons and the Probabilities of Parenting
On Object Lessons and the Probabilities of Parenting
Utah natives know that the often-stinking, ever-shrinking Great Salt Lake is reserved for brine flies and European tourists. So if you grew up in Salt Lake City and your parents... Read more...
KID JUNK AND A MARGIN OF ERROR
KID JUNK AND A MARGIN OF ERROR
For the first few years of “parenting,” I kept a spreadsheet of the monetary value of the damage caused by our two boys. Just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. ... Read more...
Beware the Meat Dude in All Of Us
Beware the Meat Dude in All Of Us
Don’t just sell me chicken. Convince me my political foes are plotting my demise, and stockpiling thighs and drumsticks is my only path to avoid extinction! Read more...
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: An argument for forgiveness as good business strategy and preventive medicine
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: An argument for forgiveness as good business strategy and preventive medicine
Hardship itself spreads like a virus, and each node in the cascading web of chain reactions is like a new infection. While a Covid-19 vaccine may be months away, or... Read more...
How does a cat look to a mouse?
How does a cat look to a mouse?
By adapting They All Saw a Cat for narrator and orchestra, I hope I’m providing the opportunity for kids and their grownups to playfully meditate on these questions while also they experience... Read more...
How NOT to Write a Flute Sonata in 3 Simple Steps
How NOT to Write a Flute Sonata in 3 Simple Steps
Here are a few things I’ve learned about the creative process that might be useful to you next time you’re stumped or not sure what to do next. Read more...
One Complete Thought
One Complete Thought
For many years, I’ve been interested in the musical discipline of counterpoint ... Read more...
Armistice Sonnets Premieres
Armistice Sonnets Premieres
Armistice Sonnets, a new choral work commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, which commemorates the centenary of the Armistice of 11 November 1918, will receive multiple premieres in Fall... Read more...
For the Future Published by Walton Music
For the Future Published by Walton Music
I’m happy to announce the publication of my piece “For the Future” by Walton Music, a division of GIA Publications. Read more...