On we go.

Here at Bowdoin it's been an eventful couple of days. Tuesday's lesson with Claude Baker was an interesting getting-to-know-you kind of meeting. I showed him the two pieces I am submitting for the Gamper Festival, to which I think (hope) he responded favorably. I'm proud of the string quartet, even though it's a bit short at 5'30". These musical products are starting to feel more authentically "me."

The best part of the lesson for me was the crystallization of something that I was just beginning to perceive in my music and to which I think most of my other teachers had merely alluded, hoping I would get the hint. My harmonic language is too static in a large-scale way - often my pieces were getting locked into a set of pitches, returned to over and over again, that made the piece stand still even if the gesture and rhythms of the music looked like the they should chug forward. The string quartet does this less so, I think (I got the impression he did as well). But, now that I am keenly aware of it, the songs I am writing should take on a sensibility informed by the careful consideration of this kind of harmonic action. I'll be bringing in the first one to lesson tomorrow - we'll see how it goes.

-----

The weather yesterday was absolutely perfect. Today as well, despite a few extra clouds. "Home," pictured above, is a great place to hang. All of the people in the contiguous apartments are great fun and have been making our little area of campus quite warm and comfortable. The mosquitos, however, have not. They are vicious. The vermin even come out in the middle of the day - something to which I am not accustomed, coming from northern NJ. Good thing I have plenty of DEET in the spray I bought.

I found a driving range and 3 golf courses today as well. Those should provide some amusement in the coming weeks. Hopefully they won't be too much of a distraction from writing.

The rest of today has a master class with Glenn Dicterow and then lots more writing. I think Chicken Tikka Masala is on the menu this evening. Hopefully so is a lot more of the song cycle.