Dear Readers: this is my first installment in what I hope will be a long and interesting dialogue with you about music, culture in general, and peace (and how they can all be interrelated). Because this is my first writing, it seems appropriate to introduce myself. I am a professor of music at The College of Saint Rose, a small non-denominational college in scenic upstate New York. I teach courses such as music history and music theory. But the class I most enjoy teaching is music analysis. In this class we study pieces of music and try to understand what is interesting about a particular work, whether by Mozart or Beethoven or Beatles (okay, so we don't do the Beatles too much). There is no textbook to hide behind. But what my students must bring to class is their sensitivity as musicians. Indeed, my greatest challenge seems to be getting students to trust their sensitivity, their ideas, and especially their own ears. So as I share my thoughts in Bikya Masr about my explorations with music and with peace, I will try to heed my own advice and “trust my ears.” I will trust “trust my ears” with respect to my opinions. And I will “trust my ears” as I receive your feedback as well. What may be of greater interest to you than my work as an instructor is my work as a composer. I began composing at the age of twelve or thirteen and wrote mostly songs and small chamber works to be played by members of my family. I wrote my first orchestral work when I was about fifteen. That was all some time ago. Today, the work that has become my most performed composition is my “A Camp David Overture (Prayer for Peace).” Inspired by the Camp David Peace Accords and dedicated to President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin, “A Camp David Overture” has been performed frequently throughout the United States. I am now looking into the possibility of arranging a performance in the region that inspired it. While my “Camp David Overture” may be my “calling card” with regard to my peace efforts, is it not my only musical expression of its kind. I look forward in my future writings to sharing other works of mine with you. I also look forward to sharing with you in greater detail why Middle East peace is for me such a personal issue. I look forward to writing these articles, and while I am a professor, I remind everyone that I have no desire to “lecture” and every desire to engage in interesting, open-ended discussions. One other big difference between our relationship and the relationship I have with my students is that I will not assign homework-promise! That being said, I do invite you to listen to part of my “A Camp David Overture (Prayer for Peace),” which I have made available on Youtube and below: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2au5SOYhO-8[/youtube] I look forward to my next communication with you. Have a good weekend. BM
