Jenece Gerber earned a BA at Bowling Green State University (1995) in a self-designed program of study in Ethnomusicology with an emphasis in Music Composition and a minor in Women's Studies. MMus University of Akron (2005) in Music Composition. Also just a recital short of the MMus from the University of Akron in Vocal Performance. Beginning PhD work at SUNY Buffalo in Music Composition in Fall 2005.

Special studies in Balinese Music on Bali, Indonesia (summer 1993), 1995 National Winner of the MTNA/CPP-Belwin Student Composition Competition (collegiate division), member of ASCAP, SCI, AMC, and IAWM. Upcoming event: "Oregon Sketches" for solo piano to be performed at SCI National Convention in Greensboro, NC.

Currently serving as Teaching Assistant in Music Composition at Brevard Music Center (Summer 2005).


Saturday, July 02, 2005
The Power to Create

I'm thinking about what it takes to write. Beyond the manuscript and pencil (and good eraser...my students might tell you how neurotic I am about particular kind of erasers, which is really thanks in great part to my first composition teacher, Wallace DePue), I'm conscious of other necessities perhaps even more so now that I have a new set of them at my disposal but also lack others that at one time seemed obvious.

I function well in this environment, surrounded by the Best and Brightest as my colleagues/fellow students. Even here in this communal experience, with all of the corresponding bathroom-sharing and cafeteria-food annoyances, it is possible for the college-age (Advanced Division) student to find alone-time to write. I seriously don't know how the Young Artist (High School/just graduated from high school student) composer can deal with this scenario, but they seem to be doing well, I'll have to ask them specifically. They have curfew that doesn't particularly lend itself to alone-time in the lab. There are NIGHT PEOPLE who work well then and can often find alone-time in the wee hours. I am a MORNING PERSON...and hence can be found in the lab at 5am. I often see no one for at least 2 hours. There's no competition for lab space in the mornings until at least 10a, so by arriving at 5a I'm guaranteed a spot until lunch three days/week and until 11a on the other 4 days (when a piano class takes over the lab for an hour). I've got a 7-minute piece for Pierrot ensemble (including singer) almost finished in 2 days.

This brings me to the benefit of which I am perhaps most keenly aware right now: TIME. My food (edible) is prepared for me, dishes washed for me, I share a small space that can be cleaned relatively easily (although I seem to have higher standards of cleanliness than my cabin-mates, ending up cleaning everything even though it's supposedly MY week off of cleaning chores)...I have HOURS to COMPOSE every morning. My afternoons are "Lazy": after Composition Studio (5 days/wk) I tend to read, put puzzles together, talk, walk, nap, wash laundry in town and scope out local music and coffee, etc. I can learn to tolerate the COMMUNAL FRUSTRATIONS if it means my days can be so well spent. Often there are late-afternoon concerts/recitals and usually there is an after-dinner concert as well. There's nothing like walking the 3 minutes from the cafeteria to the concert pavilion for free concerts. Last night it was the HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA students performing Dukas, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens for the first half and the Repertory Symphony Orchestra (College Students) with Steven Smith conducting the rarely-performed Dvorak Symphony no. 6.

And to top the evening? The newly-built "FRENCH QUARTER" is the Advanced Division hangout...why not watch Michael Jackson videos, play ping-pong and cards and chess and twister or even read a book...all to the accompaniment of plenty of BEER and BOURBON?!!! After the party I had been up for 22 hours though. It's good the weekend is only once a week.

Yesterday gave me 8 hours of composition work, relaxation, work on a puzzle and a book, a walk around campus, inspiration, a soaking in the requisite afternoon storm, free meals and no cleaning, laughs, a free concert and a fun party with lots of BEER an a swig of some of the best BOURBON I've ever tasted. Now where else can you get this?
posted by Jenece C. Gerber