Episode 39: An Interview with Dr. Joel Love

Flute 360

In today’s episode, Heidi talks with Joey who is a composer, pianist, and an educator who currently lives in Houston, Texas. They talk about his compositional process, how music is a great creative outlet, and his commission for the Myrna Brown competition (TFS)! Listen to today’s episode to hear more!

Episode 39 – Main Points:

• 0:54 – Welcome!
• 1:28 – Three Images (Saxophone Octet)
• 4:22 – Joey teaches at Houston Community College
• 7:17 – Question: What is your compositional process like?
• 7:26 – “The blank page can be so daunting!” – Joey
• 8:44 – “I can do whatever I want.” – Joey
• 9:00 – “I try to explore a new area whether it’s harmony or a musical language.” – Joey
• 12:20 – Question: What are your goals when writing for the flute?
• 12:25 – “I think the flute is a beautiful instrument that has a lot of potential in terms of expressivity.” – Joey
• 13:54 – “When I write for any instrument I try to make it as idiomatic as possible.” – Joey
• 15:22 – Joey talks about his solo flute piece, “Mourning.”
• 16:30 – Composer: George Crumb
• 17:11 – Original title of “Mourning” was going to be “Keening.”
• 18:45 – Composer’s thought process.
• 19:46 – “We have this ability as humans to express our emotions very deeply.” – Joey
• 21:14 – Composer: Chopin
• 21:34 – “Mourning” for solo flute
• 21:49 – Joey’s comments about his solo flute piece.
• 24:33 – Contact Joey if you want to purchase his work, “Mourning.”
• 25:02 – Question: What advice would you give to the budding new composer?
• 25:05 – “Do as many things as possible!” – Joey
• 25:24 – Lamar University – Beaumont, TX
• 26:28 – “Do your music theory and aural skills homework.” – Joey
• 26:52 – “Take everyone in the [music] department to coffee!” – Joey
• 28:37 – “Life is about those relationships...and to better ourselves!” – Joey
• 30:43 – Graham Reynolds – Austin, TX
• 32:04 – Iceberg Analogy
• 33:19 – “Showing up even when you don’t want to show up.” – Heidi
• 33:40 – Joey asks Heidi a question.
• 33:55 – “Put your flute down, go outside and get fresh air, eat dark chocolate, and journal.” – Heidi
• 36:02 – Joey’s latest commission through the Texas Flute Society’s Myrna Brown Competition.
• 38:00 – Texas Flute Society’s flute festival dates: May 16-18, 2019 at TWU.
• 39:39 – Question: Any last comments and/or suggestions?
• 39:55 – “It’s hard work, but it’s worth it if you stick with it.” – Joey
• 40:45 – Picks!
• 41:21 – Aaron Copland’s Book: “What to Listen for in Music.”
• 44:15 – “The music world is very, very small!” – Joey

Picks:

Joey

• Soup!
• Book: “The Joy of Music” by Leonard Bernstein

Heidi

• Albert King’s 1968 Album: Live Wire/Blues Power
  • “Blues Sunrise”
• Audible: The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

Episode 39 – Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. Joel Love’s Website
• Contact Joey!
• Joel Love’s Twitter
• Mourning for Flute Solo by Love
• Three Images for Saxophone Octet by Love (Performed at Texas Tech University)
• Houston Community College’s Southwest College
• Heidi Kay Begay’s Website

Episode 39 – Sponsors:

• J&K Productions’ Website