Each morning I rise at 6 a.m. I arrive at my office about 7:45 a.m., often earlier if I have papers to grade in time for my 8 a.m. music theory class. The hour after class is an office hour, where I meet students to go over assignments or review their performances on tests. I also use the time to prepare for my next classes. Then I will see one or two students enrolled in weekly private composition lessons that day. I usually have from 3 to 6 private composition students plus master classes per semester, depending upon my other teaching assignments. On days that I do not meet my students privately, I will use the time for either composition or for editing scores for upcoming performances or publications. My teaching assignment is usually two classes in the morning and one or two classes in the afternoon.

 

At 11:45 a.m., I share the responsibility with my wife to transport our son from preschool to his grandmother’s. Then I come home, shortly after noon, to take care of our dogs and cats, and then stretch, exercise and go for a short run. I am recovering from some recent major surgery, and I am trying to get back into shape and good health. Plus, when I’m on a run, I will “work out” some passages in the music I am working on. I have discovered that regular exercise is very beneficial to my compositional activities.

 

Then I have time to shower and return to campus to teach orchestration at 2 p.m. My afternoons are then filled with various committee meetings, either for the School of Music or for service to the university. I am a faculty senator, as well as a member of several campus committees, such as Faculty Governance, Agenda Committee, University Athletics Committee, Academic Awards Committee, as well as the Committee on Committees. If my afternoon is free of committee business, I will use the time to “sketch out” that musical passage I was working on earlier while I was pounding the pavement.

 

At 5:30 p.m. I pick up my son, bring him home, prepare dinner, and take care of what needs to be done at home. If there are no faculty or student rehearsals, recitals, or concerts, I’ll have a little play time with my son before he goes to bed. My wife has a private practice that may occupy her evenings, which means that, whenever I’m not out for a rehearsal or performance, I am taking care of things at home.

 

If time allows, I will then catch up on the day’s news, check out my favorite blogs, then head for bed.