Author: Stan
Tips to Help You Succeed in Your First Year of College
Back in May, I wrote about how potential music majors could prepare for their first year of college. (See “How to Become a Music Major: Four Tips to Help You Get In and Get Through.”) This month I broaden the discussion and suggest ways that all students can improve their chances of having a positive […]
Read MoreAudio Sample: My Science Fiction Novel
I’ve enjoyed reading science fiction and watching it on film and television for a long time. While I was in high school, I even wrote some sci-fi and fantasy stories, but I set that part of my creative life aside when I went to college and spent more and more time on my music. For years, […]
Read MoreHow to Become a Music Major: Four Tips to Help You Get In and Get Through
How to Become a Music Major: Four Tips to Help You Get In and Get Through ‘Tis the Season! Sophomores and juniors in high school are watching their older friends graduate from their music programs, and some of those older friends are heading off to colleges and universities to become music majors. Some younger students […]
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been [Re]watching (May): “Band of Brothers”
I cannot remember when I first became interested in the history of World War II, but I distinctly remember watching Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far (1977) on television as a child, and it had a lasting effect on me. So when Band of Brothers was first broadcast on HBO in the fall of 2001, […]
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been Watching (March and April): “Mr. Robot”
A Review: Mr. Robot What makes compelling television? One critical component—at least for dramatic series—is a lively ensemble cast with a set of compelling characters whose different backgrounds, motivations, aspirations, and flaws writers can explore (either in groups or individually) over a course of episodes. Twists and turns are also important, as is placing characters […]
Read MoreMy Chamber Music Recital
On Sunday, April 17, 2016, I presented a recital of some of my original chamber music at the First Presbyterian Church in Thomasville, Georgia. I was joined on the program by five very talented graduate students from the College of Music at Florida State University. Among the works presented were pieces for wind trio, quartet, and […]
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been Reading: A Review of “Meaning and Interpretation of Music in Cinema”
Review: David Neumeyer, Meaning and Interpretation of Music in Cinema (Indiana University Press, 2015). David Neumeyer (University of Texas at Austin) expands his significant contribution to film music studies with this magisterial volume, which is in three parts. In the first part, Neumeyer deploys a series of close readings of numerous film scenes to demonstrate […]
Read MoreMusical Musings
One of the best part of my new job at the College of Music at Florida State University is getting to sit in on some amazing master classes and guest presentations by leading figures in the world of classical music. Here are some of the ideas that I have distilled from a number of master classes […]
Read MoreWhat I Have Been Reading This Month… and Then Some (December)
I love books. I have been collecting them since my teens, and I have a lot of them now, both at home and in my office at the University. It has gotten expensive to move my library, which is one reason I’m looking forward to putting down roots in Tallahassee. Before our most recent cross-country […]
Read MoreFamily Reflections at Christmas
Any moment now, my son, Nate, will walk through the door, home for his first extended winter break in College. It seemed appropriate, then, to post this short reflection. Several days ago, I was reading a letter that my Mom wrote to Heidi and me for our anniversary. It contained a beautiful reflection about my […]
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