 I came to music relatively late when, after dropping out of my first year in college, I began taking piano lessons from a girl friend at the time. She taught me how to read music notation and fingering fundamentals.
Outside of this and a few lessons at various times years later, I am essentially self-taught. My love for music has always been a fundamental part of my makeup. My mother has told me that when I was about 2 years old I would get anxious and sit in front of the TV at the time of morning when a soap opera she watched came on. My interest was the theme music that (and I can remember this) would make me cry. Early influences were my mother’s records of musicals like Oklahoma and South Pacific, and my father’s Billy Vaughn popular orchestral recordings. I was always intrigued by the classical music I’d hear at home and the then contemporary Swing Sound. In the late 50’s and throughout the 60’s I was very aware of the whole popular music scene. I liked the early rockers and crooners and was completely conquered by the British Invasion. I then gravitated toward psychedelic rock, soul and folk, always with some interest in classical. I have always had eclectic likes (and dislikes) that span many genre. I have always known what I like and why. I realized when I was about 23 that I was a composer because I was frequently modifying music I heard in my mind. I would think “that song would be better if it did this instead of that”. I would try my best to analyze the structural reasons why certain combinations of notes and chords had the effect it had. I soon started putting together my own songs. Being primarily a composer, I think music education very secondary. The most important facility and means to develop it are within us. A composer learns more from simply listening to music than by any other means. Everything heard becomes building material for the creative imagination. My efforts in music were always secondary to making a living by other means because I was very shy and had performance anxiety. I received education in the medical field and now have a medical technology business. But I have never given it up, moving ahead slowly but surely, and have pretty much overcome my performance anxiety. For many years I have only had time to compose and refine my own compositions, as I am prolific with ideas and short on available time to play. I look forward to increasing public performance in the coming year. My calendar will have concert information as it develops. Cheers, TC |