Great Western Bank Commercials

Compositions, Music Business, Philosophy

In the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity to score two commercials for Great Western Bank. This is my first opportunity to compose and produce original music for television broadcast commercials. One of the distinctive features of these two spots is that they both...

Working in the Music Industry

Music Business, Philosophy

Right after I graduated from college, I wanted to try and find employment as a working composer, arranger, and/or orchestrator. So I packed up my things and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. My first few years there, I struggled to make ends meet as I worked, on a...

Leaving Nashville

Compositions, Music Business, Philosophy

After a decade of living in Nashville and working in the music industry, I was ready for a change…not just professionally but for our family as well. After the birth of our second daughter in 2005, we wanted to be closer to family, reduce our cost of living, and try...

What does Christian music sound like?

Philosophy

If you listen to my music, you’ll quickly recognize that it is stylistically diverse. This is because I believe that defining one’s music mainly by style is very limiting. Whenever I sit down to compose a new piece, I try to consider which sort of style(s) will be...

Effective Music

Philosophy

I think that music is most effective when it intersects three crucial areas: truth, beauty and goodness. This “artistic triumvirate” has been widely discussed since ancient times.  Much of the music I hear, even in the Christian music industry, tends to touch one or...

What style of music do I write?

Philosophy

I often think of my music as an “equal opportunity offender.” I try to defy standard conventions of style. Since common labels like “contemporary” and “traditional” just don’t seem to apply, some people have difficulty classifying my music. Evangelicals think that I...

My Musical Influences

Philosophy

In each choral/vocal piece I compose, I am looking for a musical context that will most effectively communicate the message of the text. In purely instrumental music, my goal is still to effectively communicate, but in a more abstract way.  Perhaps Henry Wadsworth...

My Early Musical Background

Compositions, Conducting, Events, Music Business, Philosophy

When I was young, I spent hours listening to the radio and vinyl records that I would check out from the library. In addition to listening to music, I would also play the pieces I heard on a small electronic keyboard. I was most fascinated by the music of J.S. Bach. I...