Jay C. Batzner is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches theory, composition, and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. He holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kansas.
Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
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4/09/2007
Credo
Sometimes I have to remind myself of a couple of things. These are a couple of, for lack of a better word, mantras that keep me going:
Opinions are all we have.
Facts are facts, but we sort them into opinions. What we like, what we don't like, how we think, is nothing more than a series of opinions. Few people try to figure out WHY they think what they think. Getting to the base of the thought usually requires confronting nothing more than an opinion. If my music gets rejected from something, as is often the case, it reflects nothing more than a different opinion. I'm usually bummed that the piece didn't hit, but oh well. Different people have different opinions. Some folks like my stuff, some don't. There is plenty of room in the world for both sides.
Curiosity and enthusiasm are infectious.
This underlies my teaching philosophy. If I'm pumped about the material, I think my students will get pumped. If I dig in and learn along with my students, they will be encouraged to learn more. This requires that students be open in the first place. A lot of them aren't. But, if I put my passions out there, some of them catch it. That makes my life worthwhile.
Music created with honesty and integrity is the only music that matters.
This is why the whole uptown/downtown or popular/artistic discussions wear thin on me. I don't care if it is Elliott Carter, John Luther Adams, or Junior Brown: music either has integrity or it does not. I find that the music I respect the most is that which seems natural and honest from the composer. No musician is going to have a perfect batting average, of course. I can categorically like someone's output without feeling obligated to adore EVERYTHING they do. Who determines what "integrity" means? That would be your opinion, of course.
At the end of it all, when I compose I simply try to be honest. This is the music that I need to be writing at this time. Times will change and so will I. Tastes will change and so will I. If I'm writing honest music, the rest will take care of itself. That is my opinion.
On another note, the History Channel was showing Planet of the Apes over the weekend. The original one. Discuss.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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