James Nicholson Composition And Theory Lessons

I began composition being influenced by the music I was playing as a high school student, from band and private lessons to my first Youth Orchestra opportunities. I fell in love with Vaughan Williams, Brahms, and Ligeti. Then as I entered university, my tastes began to evolve, and I found myself being influenced by a whole new range of things to which I was exposed: dance, poetry, visual art, and nature. Learning how to incorporate those into my music became important to me. So to did the analysis of those composers I was passionate about, a list that only grew (to George Crumb, Christian Wolff, Jacob Druckman, and John Coolidge Adams). I recognized a need for exposure, an open mind, and understanding, and those same values are the things I attempt to apply to my teaching.