This edition of Earmark features performer-composer Brandon Walker discussing the delicate balance of parenting and composing, finding that playlist that satisfies all members of the household, and the way Disney can shape a life in music.
Canadian Music Centre: How has the pandemic impacted your artistic work? In what ways are you connecting with and supporting your community and collaborators during this time?
Brandon Walker: The biggest shift for me has been my musical focus. As a saxophonist and pianist, I abruptly stopped live performances and my primary focus became composing. I miss performing for enthusiastic and engaged audiences, and I look forward to a return to live music!
However, as a composer the shutdown has been immensely productive. I have gained additional efficiencies with my discovery of a new iOS app called StaffPad. The program enables me to write, compose, and arrange music just about anywhere, and I love it. This has also enabled me to bring more instrumental diversity into my compositions, as I can write more from ear and (Apple) pencil as opposed to ideas inspired from playing piano. Due to the demands of my wife’s career, I’ve also taken on the homeschooling of our four-year-old, and the flexibility of a tool like StaffPad has been very beneficial.
I have also been interacting more with composer forums and entering contests with peer feedback. The frequent contests with various formats and requirements have been great for my writing discipline, and the feedback is highly valuable for continuous improvement. Additionally, Toronto Ravel is a score study group that I have recently enjoyed participating in and has provided opportunities to meet other composers.
CMC: What got you excited about music at a young age?
BW: I grew up in Southern California, and I was always inspired hearing the amazing musicians and bands at Disneyland as a child. Fun fact: I took saxophone from one of musicians of the Disneyland Sax Quintet!
CMC: What is an important music concert/event you attended?
BW: In 2018, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performed Gustav Holst’s The Planets at Roy Thompson Hall. The program included Stravinsky’s recently rediscovered Funeral Song and Canadian composer John Estacio’s spectacular Trumpet Concerto. It was such a fantastic program, and the execution was flawless. The Planets is one of my favourite pieces, and hearing the TSO play this program with the silent energy in the hall between movements was transcendental. The orchestrations and colours of these great composers are so inspirational.
CMC: What have you been listening to lately?
BW: With all of us at home, we usually agree upon our Alexa playing classics like Motown, 60s and 70s soul, jazz, and the occasional Disney playlist. We’re fortunate that our four-year-old has similar taste in music, having been a mainstay at my gigs her whole life. As a family, we’ve been enjoying many great musicals, such as Singing in the Rain, Westside Story, and The Sound of Music. I enjoy listening to whatever great classical, jazz, or blues music I find. For better or for worse, there is such abundance, easy access, and exposure to music that I am checking out new music regularly instead of only listening to my favorites.
However, when I’m in composing or arranging mode (most of the time lately), I try not to listen to other music, as I prefer my composition running in my head.
CMC: Tell me about a work of yours that you are particularly proud of.
BW: I composed a piece named Pangea for a score contest in June that was inspired by John William’s Theme from Jurassic Park. It was a good orchestrating exercise, but in addition to that, it was inspiring. With trying and anxious times in the world, it felt good to write in the great composer’s style, full of hope and optimism. My oldest son just graduated high school in June, and I dedicated this piece to him and the journey he will be taking in the fall at The University of Waterloo.