Interview
FJH: When did you
begin your musical study?
TB: I began piano lessons
at the age of six, but my mother had been working with
me since I was four. My father took me to purchase my
first piano, and the one I liked had actually been in
a fire. It turned out to be a fine instrument that I
used for many years. At the age of nine, I auditioned
for the preparatory program at the University of Cincinnati-College
Conservatory of Music. I knew that this audition could
change my life, so I practiced very hard for several
months. I remember playing two Chopin etudes for the
audition.
FJH: What was your
experience at the Conservatory?
TB: I ended up studying
with the teacher that influenced my life more than any
other. Her name was Dr. Rebecca Willhide. My one-month
trial period eventually led to studying with her throughout
my high school years. Her emphasis on music theory and
ear training was key to my development as a composer.
She believed that theory must be taught at a young age
so that it is internalized and becomes as natural as
playing should be. Every musician has at least one person
who has touched his or her life deeply, and she was
that one special person in my life.
FJH: When did
you decide on a career in music?
TB: I grew up in a
town in Southern Ohio that evolved around a steel mill.
Nearly all of my friends were planning on working at
the mill, as most of our fathers did. My father sent
me into the steel mill at an early age to experience
the extremely difficult work that he had done for so
many years. He knew that putting me in that environment
would help me value my dreams of being able to attend
college and leave for the life that he wanted for me.
His hunch paid off and I worked harder the next year
in school than I ever had. Sometimes actions speak louder
than words, and I’ll always remember his smile after
I told him how happy I was to leave the steel mill and
return to my studies the following year.
FJH: At The University
of North Texas, you studied piano performance. Did you
also study composition?
TB: I had just finished my studies
in piano performance at Bowling Green State University,
when the Polish concert pianist Adam Wodnicki performed
a recital there. After the program, I asked him if he
had any openings in his class for the following year
and he requested that my wife and I send a tape. She’s
also a pianist.
He accepted us and we left for Texas with our 3-week-old
twin sons. While studying with Mr. Wodnicki at North
Texas, I also concentrated on theory and counterpoint.
I minored in music composition and studied composition
privately with Dr. Newel Kay Brown. These lessons were
really the first opportunity that I had to study with
a composer. It was an exciting time for me, and my time
with him gave me the confidence to believe that music
composition could be a reality in my life. We still
are good friends, and I consider him the biggest influence
in my becoming a composer.
FJH: Were there
other influences?
TB: My parents were
the one constant throughout my life that inspired me
to be a composer. I grew up in a house full of music.
My mother had the ability to play the piano by ear,
and some of my earliest memories include sitting at
the piano playing “Blue Skies” as a duet for guests
and relatives visiting our home. Some of my most precious
memories are of my father and the conversations we had
as he drove me to and from my piano lessons. They both
taught me by example and instilled in me the understanding
that God is the essence of all true talent. To this
day, I find myself reflecting on the many conversations
that I had with my parents to help put my life as both
a parent and composer in perspective.
FJH: What led you to composing
for pedagogical purpose?
TB: I had finished my degrees in piano
performance and soon started my doctorate with the intention
of teaching at the university level. I then found a
temporary teaching position in the magnet program in
the Dallas public school system. I realized after a
very short time that I loved working with children,
and that I could touch thousands of lives through teaching.
So I left the doctoral program and began my work in
music education. Many people discouraged this decision,
but I realize now that those years were essential to
my development as a composer. I earned a certificate
in music education at the University of North Texas
and began many years of teaching elementary-aged children.
It takes years of teaching to understand how children
learn. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a teaching
career actually was the key ingredient needed to becoming
a pedagogical composer.
FJH: What is your ultimate goal
in creating a piece for the young pianist?
TB: My writing has always been based
on composing a specific piece for a student who needed
work in a certain technical area or just to write a
solo that would inspire a child to continue his piano
study. My fairy tales for the piano include works such
as “Crimson Rhapsody” and “On Wings of Sound.” This
music was written to help the student develop their
imagination in a romantic setting. The music is very
free and melodic and lends itself to the student creating
imaginative stories as the music unfolds.
My second style of writing is centered on patterned
pieces, such as “The Wild West” and more recently “Toccatina.”
These pieces are the result of working with large groups
of children at a time and trying to catch their attention
quickly. Pattern pieces are an important tool for developing
technique and an understanding of form and tempo. Additionally,
the world of repeated patterns and alternating harmonic
fifths and sixths allows the child to absorb and learn
the music quickly and feel proud about their progress.
Children may not remember all the musical details of
their lessons, but they do remember the feeling of accomplishment
when they have mastered a piece of music. That stays
with them throughout their lives.
FJH: What are
some of your upcoming projects?
TB: I have been working
on a variety of new elementary-level materials. Sometimes
I teach my pieces for years before I feel they are possible
publications. I have also found that putting a piece
away for a length of time helps me to hear it with a
new perspective later.
FJH: What advice
would you give to new or young composers?
TB: A young composer
should initially gain the technical skills of their
chosen instrument. There is no substitute for the years
of playing the wealth of literature we have been blessed
with from our past. I also feel that a composer needs
to follow his or her own heart and instincts to develop
a unique style of writing. The writer must also understand
that the most important ingredient is the actual writing
itself. As a composer writes, they develop their own
pallet of harmonies and natural intuition of musical
form. Studying music theory and other composer’s works
are also essential steps.
My final suggestion to the young composer
is to understand music composition as a personal process...
yet the final goal should always be to share it with
others.
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