Help support young percussionists!

I was appointed the Director of Percussion at Lafayette High School this year. I am very excited to be working with these hard working and talented students and have already started upgrading our percussion equipment. My teaching partner, Joe Schreimann, and I have a grant on DonorsChoose that will go towards purchasing a much needed inventory of mallets and a few cymbals. Please help support these kids by donating or by sharing the link to your social media pages.

If you donate be sure to use the code LIFTOFF so that your donation is matched by DonorsChoose.

New Video

Hey guys,

I just posted a video of Luna's Tea Party for Jazz Band to YouTube. It was premiered by the St. Joseph High School Jazz All-Stars at the 2017 Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival on June 10, 2017. The group is under the keen direction of Chad Lippincott. Thank you guys for a wonderful performance!

Tales from Dimension X-New Commission

I have just received a commission to write a grade 1 work for concert band from Elizabeth Betts, who is the band director in the  North Harrison school district. My goal is to write a fun, challenging, and unique piece so I am drawing upon my love of sci-fi and writing a quasi-cinematic work that tells a story of a daring space explorer. It also introduces students to aleatoric elements and non-traditional chord sounds and melodies (lot of quartal/quintal based melodic ideas, chromatic mediant chords are also used to give it that spacey sound.)It will be a fun challenge for me to keep all of my ideas within the realm of possibility for second year players and I look forward to working with Elizabeth and her students in the future. 

Luna To Appear At Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival

I just recieved word that Luna's Tea Party for jazz band will be performed by the St. Joseph High School All-Star Jazz Band during the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival. For more details visit www.colemanhawkins.org 

Luna's Tea Party for Jazz Band

In 2016 I wrote a jazz combo chart that is inspired by and dedicated to my niece, Luna, who coincidently just turned 5 a few days ago (Happy Birthday Luna!). Today I got a lovely recording of the Central Jazz Band (Chad Lippincott, director) reading through my big band arrangement of that particular chart so I though I would share it with you. I hope you enjoy Luna's Tea Party.