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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3/14/2009
Not knowing
I forget how useful it is to sometimes proceed from a place of "not knowing." I feel like a lot of the music I wrote when I was younger had an energy to it that I've not been able to reclaim. Once I started studying harder, applying more theory to the creative process, I found my music more structurally defensible but emotionally lacking (and, to add frustration to the mix, I didn't know that I was craving emotional outlets in my music. That made things a lot worse). In other words, I could explain my music more but I liked it a lot less.
Over the past few years, I've been trying to write without theory. When I'm stuck, when I need to see what I should do next, I'll do some analysis and see what it suggests to me. It has been a lot more fun and created much more satisfying music (to me, anyway. Some people might prefer things from my theory days. Can't control that).
And now, to apply the same "not knowing" philosophy to my fantasy baseball draft. I doubt it will be as successful.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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