"My music springs from the soil of the American midwest. It is music of the plains rather than of the city and reflect…"

"As a music theorist, I have always contended that the historical approach to music theory is not enough. The modern t…"

"In music, the great essential after creation itself is communication through performance...it is of immediate and pri…"

"The artistic contribution of any nation and any age must be in terms of creation. Performers, symphony organizations,…"

"The most complete knowledge of tonal material cannot create a composer any more than the memorizing of Webster's dict…"

"In the dry places, men begin to dream. Where the rivers run sand, there is something in man that begins to flow. West…"

"Comin' in on a wing and a pray'r Comin' in on a wing and a pray'r Tho' there's one motor gone, We can still carry on,…"

"Being curious is an absolute rule of life. If you don’t have that, I don’t know what you're doing in this music."

"Even while I was studying at [Manhattan School of Music], I was learning about melody and rhythm, and theory, and har…"

"You must remember that it was a different time...It was before everyone was looking into their smartphones. There wer…"