In today's episode, Heidi talks with Joey who is a composer, pianist, and an educator who currently lives in Houston, Texas. They talk about his compositional process, how music is a great creative outlet, and his commission for the Myrna Brown competition (TFS)! Listen to today's episode to hear more!
Episode 39 – Main Points:
- 0:54 – Welcome!
- 1:28 – Three Images (Saxophone Octet)
- 4:22 – Joey teaches at Houston Community College
- 7:17 – Question: What is your compositional process like?
- 7:26 – "The blank page can be so daunting!" – Joey
- 8:44 – "I can do whatever I want." – Joey
- 9:00 – "I try to explore a new area whether it's harmony or a musical language." – Joey
- 12:20 – Question: What are your goals when writing for the flute?
- 12:25 – "I think the flute is a beautiful instrument that has a lot of potential in terms of expressivity." – Joey
- 13:54 – "When I write for any instrument I try to make it as idiomatic as possible." – Joey
- 15:22 – Joey talks about his solo flute piece, "Mourning."
- 16:30 – Composer: George Crumb
- 17:11 – Original title of "Mourning" was going to be "Keening."
- 18:45 – Composer's thought process.
- 19:46 – "We have this ability as humans to express our emotions very deeply." – Joey
- 21:14 – Composer: Chopin
- 21:34 – "Mourning" for solo flute
- 21:49 – Joey's comments about his solo flute piece.
- 24:33 – Contact Joey if you want to purchase his work, "Mourning."
- 25:02 – Question: What advice would you give to the budding new composer?
- 25:05 – "Do as many things as possible!" – Joey
- 25:24 – Lamar University – Beaumont, TX
- 26:28 – "Do your music theory and aural skills homework." – Joey
- 26:52 – "Take everyone in the [music] department to coffee!" – Joey
- 28:37 – "Life is about those relationships...and to better ourselves!" – Joey
- 30:43 – Graham Reynolds – Austin, TX
- 32:04 – Iceberg Analogy
- 33:19 – "Showing up even when you don't want to show up." – Heidi
- 33:40 – Joey asks Heidi a question.
- 33:55 – "Put your flute down, go outside and get fresh air, eat dark chocolate, and journal." – Heidi
- 36:02 – Joey's latest commission through the Texas Flute Society's Myrna Brown Competition.
- 38:00 – Texas Flute Society's flute festival dates: May 16-18, 2019 at TWU.
- 39:39 – Question: Any last comments and/or suggestions?
- 39:55 – "It's hard work, but it's worth it if you stick with it." – Joey
- 40:45 – Picks!
- 41:21 – Aaron Copland's Book: "What to Listen for in Music."
- 44:15 – "The music world is very, very small!" – Joey
Picks:
Joey
Heidi
Episode 39 – Resources Mentioned:
Episode 39 – Sponsors:
