Many of my students have joined me in a survey of some of the more modernist musical styles of composition since 1900, so it is understandable that I was interested to read a recent article in The New Yorker written by Alex Ross, "The Sounds of Music in the Twenty-First Century".  Mr. Ross discusses a book written by British critic Tim Rutherford-Johnson which more specifically addresses music written after 1989.......I just ordered the book and will share thoughts with my students after I have a chance to read......in the meantime, I encourage you to read Alex Ross's article which I have linked;  let's discuss at your next lesson!  Along with this article, you may also enjoy reading, listening to, and thinking about another article, albeit related.  Are you aware that Kendrik Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize for music this year.....I refer you to an article I am linking from the New York Times on what this win means for hip-hop.   For musicians, I believe it is always so important to keep our minds and ears open to new possibilities!  Let me know what you think about these articles!

​Listen to This! 
Wait!!  Did you hear that??!!  Something is buzzing!!  Yikes!!  Ok, I admit, I am definitely not fond of bees and wasps......must go back to an early childhood experience of bumping into a hornets nest at a birthday party in South Park!  I will spare you the stinging details, but the story concludes with my mom dabbing baking soda compresses all over me!!  UGH!!  How about we listen, instead, to what several composers thought about those buzzing insects and expressed through music?!  Read and listen to this story on NPR!  ​