Summer Inspirations

Composers love the summer break. Most composers are affiliated with academia and must fulfill academic responsibilities during the academic year. Holidays, particularly long summer holidays, are the perfect time to focus on composing. It’s a relief to complete unfinished projects, and it’s exciting to start a new project.

Summer is the ideal season for inspiration. In the wood, you can hear the birds, the frogs and the insects, the flowing streams, and the sound of wind blowing through trees. On the beach, there are sounds of sea waves. The sound of nature is the greatest inspiration for composers. Sometimes young composers say that they don’t know what to write. I would say, “Get out of the house. Get away from the computer and the phone. Get away from the shopping mall. Get away from people. Take a walk in the wood. Go to a not-so-crowded beach. Open your mind to nature. Close your eyes and listen. . . Inspirations will come to you.”

Besides indulging in the sounds of nature, summertime is also ideal to engage in different outdoor activities, to perform or to attend outdoor concerts, to join a summer camp, to travel, to visit museums, to listen to a lot of music, to learn new repertoire, and to read some good books and poetry that enlighten your soul. All these are sources of inspiration. On the other hand, different challenges in life are valuable sources of inspiration as well. Writing is therapy during difficult times. Pain and struggle usually generate powerful music.

If you are a serious learner, summer is the best time to join a summer program, to take a summer course or to attend summer workshops, to enhance knowledge and skills. A few years ago, I enrolled in a three-summer intensive MM program on Jazz Pedagogy, and really enjoyed it. Those were the most rewarding summers in my life.

Whatever you want to create this summer, hope you are inspired and enjoy the creative process! If you are stuck, think of what you really want to say first, then try to express it in the most natural manner through music.  There is more than one way.  Usually, the most natural way is the best way. If you are still stuck, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help.

Enjoy your summer! Looking forward to your next composition!