"Quirky, weird, whimsical, tongue-in-cheek... as well as surprisingly appealing and entertaining in a completely honest and guileless manner."  - Don Conlan

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"A glimpse into the mind of an artist. Articulate, sarcastic, messy, witty, fun-loving, hard-working, lazy, creative...." - Mark Larsen

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"You wrote a book?" - Former Boss

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When you write a book, there is one piece of advice in every how-to manual: Make sure you are writing for someone, even if it's just one person.

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I didn't bother researching how to write a book when I first released I Hate Practice, and thus, I couldn't exactly tell you whom I was writing for.  Yeah, I can...  No one.

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They also tell you to solve one problem. Unless it was that by the end of the book I had discovered I was a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-uh... then that was also a bust.

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This is why I am putting out this revision. (That, and my mom and sister both hated the original title.)

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Since the initial publication, here's what changed... The Los Angeles Inception Orchestra.

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If you're reading this, you already know a little bit about it. If you don't, you're about to find out a whole lot. Apologies in advance.

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It was written prior to the start of programming in 2018. So yes, some of the people have left. And new talented musicians, composers and filmmakers have since arrived sharing their talent and wisdom.

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Originally, this nonprofit organization was formed so I could be more responsible about fundraising another piano concert with orchestra. At the first Board meeting, however, someone casually mentioned that we should figure out a music education program.

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With that one comment, the Inception Orchestra became about solving something. How could we find great young composers in under-represented communities and pass along our knowledge to the next generation? How can we inspire students who may not have the exposure to Classical music and the symphony orchestra in an immersive and engaging way?

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Once something becomes about other people, it becomes important.

 

Musicians of the caliber you never thought in your music career you would ever work with come forward to support the mission in a hugely collaborative way.

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So what is this book now about and who is it written for?

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It is for you, the young composer. Or you, the curious. Or you, the creative.

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It is a discussion of creative practice through piano, video, filmmaking, writing, stage plays, friendships and composition.

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It is a discussion of my creative journey full of flaws, procrastination and failures... though all met with a measured degree of success.

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It is mean to make you laugh, hopefully inspire and allow yourself some bumps in your own artistic journey.

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Mostly it is to say...

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DREAM... CREATE... COMPOSE... GO!!!

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