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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10/11/2007
Faculty
I was having this conversation with another composer. He told me that I have a distinct advantage in the musical world because I have a faculty position and he does not. He was upset that he wasn't getting more performances. I told him that the musical world holds no special favors for faculty. I've never seen a call for scores that is exclusive to faculty members. Yes, we have access to resources that help our compositional lives, but our primary duty as a faculty member is teaching (which eats up a lot of creative time). I also pointed out that the reason I get more performances than he does is that I send out about 15 scores a month to potential performers. He sent out 2 in the last year.
I feel that, in many ways, the whole "faculty" moniker is one of those marginalizing modifiers (as in "woman composer" "gay composer" "vegetarian composer"). And don't laugh at that "vegetarian composer" bit. Someone came up to me after hearing my Ashamed/Unabashed and asked "How does a vegetarian write music like that?" Whatever that meant. While "faculty" is a less offensive label than "student" I still get the feeling that the rest of the musical world says "This person can't be a good composer. They have to teach to make a living and just write academic music (whatever that means)." Of course I think that opinion is utter crap. There is a similar opinion among some music faculty that "Composers don't want to teach, they just want to composer." Again with the utter crap.
So, what is the feeling of the Most Learned Internet? Do faculty have an unfair advantage in the musical world? Is the grass only greener on the other side? What does a vegetarian composer sound like? Discuss.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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