Interview: Brandon Carcamo - Composer and Guitarist

Brandon Carcamo is a New Orleans based composer and guitarist. Carcamo recently won the 2020 ACG composition competition with his piece 'Solace' for guitar choir. 'Solace' was planned to be premiered during ACG Fest; however, due to current circumstances the festival has been cancelled. Instead of letting the premiere die, the piece has taken new life through the SOLACE PROJECT. In this interview, we discuss Brandon Carcamo's experience in the time of COVID-19, his compositions, and specific challenges composing for guitar ensemble.

How did you get into classical and jazz guitar? 

I first got into jazz guitar when I was around 12 years old. For a few summers, I used to go to these jazz camps where I was introduced to the musical culture of New Orleans and where I was able to learn directly from experienced musicians in the city. I also went to a performing arts high school called the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), which was also instrumental in my growth as a musician. My transition to classical guitar is actually very recent. I decided to take a stab at it about halfway through college, and after I had my first lesson, I knew that it would play a big role in my life. I was very fortunate to have some amazing teachers who pushed me in the right direction. After that, I started gravitating more towards classical guitar, but I do go back and forth with classical and jazz sometimes.

When did you start composing? 

I first started composing when I was in college, and it was mostly for film scoring. I wanted to be a film score composer for a time, and so I would try to find any opportunity where I could write music for someone else’s project. I eventually did get the chance to work on a few student films and even partake in a few film scoring competitions, all of which were invaluable experiences for me as a young composer. They really helped in honing my composing “chops”. Besides that, I haven’t written too much music that isn’t related to film scoring. I’m only just now starting to write music for classical guitar, and I’m getting more comfortable with it the more I grow as a player.

What inspired you to write “Solace”?

I wrote this piece thinking of the things we tend to turn to in a time of distress and how that itself is a beautiful expression of our humanity. I used some minimalist textures because I wanted the piece to sound sort of dreamlike, as if the things we find solace in put us in this trance of comfort.

What are some challenges you faced writing for guitar ensemble? 

I think the main challenge that I faced in writing for guitar ensemble was just keeping each part as interesting and engaging as the others, especially when you have to consider how to make each part slightly different in the level of difficulty. The other big challenge for me was creating interesting textures on guitar. I’m more comfortable with the variety of orchestral textures coming from my experience with film scoring, but with guitar, it’s something I had to think about. After writing this piece, I’m starting to think more now about how I can translate orchestral textures to guitar. 

We are living in an unprecedented time due to COVID-19, how has this pandemic affected you both personally and as a musician? 

Obviously this pandemic has been traumatizing to us all worldwide. My father tested positive for COVID-19, and while he is fully recovered now, it was difficult to see him in the state he was in. Like so many others right now, I’m just trying to get by emotionally. As for music, all gigs in the universe have been cancelled for every musician, and I am no exception to that. I’m just trying to share music online right now and do my best to stay connected with others. 

What are some ways you’ve seen musicians pivot during this time of social distancing that has inspired you? 

It really makes me happy to see the output of music that fellow musicians have been sharing over the internet. It’s been really inspiring to watch all of the solos, duets, and orchestras perform virtually. I think this is encouraging more people to share their music and connect with others online. It has definitely inspired me to do just that.

For the health and safety of the guitar community, Austin Classical Guitar has had to change the approach to premiere your piece. What do you hope musicians gain from performing “Solace” in a time of social distancing? 

I know this is cliché, but my hope is that this experience brings us closer together during this pandemic. I know it’s an unusual way to premiere a piece, but we are living in unusual times, and we just have to make the most of it. Even though we are living in a time of social distancing, we don’t have to stay disconnected. I also don’t think there are too many virtual guitar orchestras out there, so I really think that this piece can do something special for us and the world. I’m really hoping that this performance inspires others to share their art, especially our own members of the classical guitar community.


Reflections on the Javier Niño Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Javier Niño Memorial Scholarship Fund at Austin Classical Guitar exists to honor the memory of a wonderful young man who brought joy through beauty and kindness to countless people during his lifetime, and to support young classical guitarists in Austin, Texas—through scholarship lessons and other means—who show great promise and who will benefit from access to expert instruction and mentorship.

As we come up on the first anniversary of Javier's passing, ACG is dedicating this year’s Amplify Austin campaign to this scholarship fund. We are hoping to raise the money necessary for the Javier Niño Memorial Scholarship Fund to become self-sustaining, ensuring that Javi's legacy will be carried forward by other talented young musicians in our community for years to come.

In this interview, Jess Griggs talks with Diane Skeel. The mother of one of Javier's friends and the amazing individual that started the Javier Niño Memorial Scholarship fund. 


Jess: How did you know Javier Niño? 

Diane: I met Javi because he and my son were both in the Classical Guitar program at McCallum High School. They met in English class as sophomores, when they were both new transfers into the Fine Arts Academy. Later, as they became better friends, my son would frequently talk about Javi at the dinner table.  I felt like I knew him, even though we had never met. During their senior year, I took their quartet to Mary Hardin-Baylor for a coaching session with Joe Williams. I had the opportunity to talk with Javi on that trip, and I instantly knew why Aaron thought so highly of him. I had one more chance to talk to him, in depth, later that year. We talked about the things he loved, like guitar, computers, and his friends. He  told me how happy he was for my son, having been accepted to the UT Classical Guitar program. I could hear, in his voice, how genuinely proud he was. 

Jess: What inspired you to start the scholarship in memory of Javier Niño?

Diane: Javi was an important friend of my son's, and they met because of their shared interest and talent in classical guitar. I was devastated by the news of his death, and I wanted to make something positive out of something so tragic. I couldn't imagine a better way than this scholarship.

Jess: Who do you hope to impact and help with the scholarship?

I want to honor Javi's memory by helping others, who like Javi, love classical guitar, and are interested in pursuing education beyond high school. Like Javi, they don't need to be interested in majoring in classical guitar. I want the recipients to reflect what made Javi a very special young man.

Jess: Why is the Javier Niño scholarship important to the Austin community?

Diane: It honors the memory of a remarkable young man, who, through classical guitar, hard work and determination, was able to make opportunities to create a better future for himself. And, by honoring his memory with this scholarship, we can help create opportunities for others like him.

Jess: What is your hope for the longevity of this scholarship?

Diane: I would love for this scholarship to outlive me, and to create opportunities for students for as long as  Austin Classical Guitar is part of our community.

Jess: Would you like to add anything?

Diane: I am so grateful that Austin Classical Guitar is dedicating the money raised during this year's Amplify Austin to the scholarship fund. If enough money is raised, I would love to be able to provide the recipients with a nice guitar, and maybe even some scholarship money for their future education pursuits.


If you would like to learn more about the Memorial Fund you can find that information here. Additionally, if you would like to contribute to the to the longevity of the scholarship, you can give via Austin Classical Guitar's Amplify Austin website

 


Postcards: Americas High School - El Paso, Texas

Postcards is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the guitar programs around the nation and strives to bring the guitar teacher community together. 

This week’s Postcards is written by Adrian Saenz, guitar director at Americas High School in Socorro ISD* in El Paso, Texas. He is currently in his 16th year of teaching at Americas HS and his 20th year in public education. In the larger guitar community of Texas, Saenz edited and revised the UIL Guitar Prescribed Music List from 2007 to 2016. Saenz also holds a bachelor’s degree in general music from UTEP, a master’s degree in music education from NMSU, and as a guitarist, he studied under Stefan Schyga, Aquiles Valdez, and John Siqueiros. 

In this postcard, Adrian Saenz discusses the successes of his guitar program, but he also talks about some of the challenges his program faces due to district policies and changes.


Postcard from Americas High School in El Paso, Texas

By Adrián Sáenz

Hello from El Paso! In this postcard I’d like to share a bit about us, a challenge, and an inspiration. 

About us: There are three major school districts in El Paso Region 22 (El Paso ISD, Ysleta ISD, Socorro ISD) and four smaller districts. Within these districts, there are approximately 25 high school guitar programs and a few middle school programs. Americas High School (AHS) is in Socorro ISD. 

AHS has seen particular success at UIL Contest. We usually register one of the largest entries at regional UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest, and a lot of our students advance to Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest (TSSEC). A high percentage of students even receive number 1 ratings at TSSEC.

On an individual student level, AHS Guitar has had 3 outstanding soloists at TSSEC (2012, 2015, and 2016). These outstanding soloist awards were accompanied with offers of full scholarships to continue their studies at various Texas universities, including UTSA and Sam Houston. Many of our guitar students have gone on to study at North Texas and UTEP. Perhaps our biggest accolade is Dario Barrera who received a full scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music in 2018 and is currently studying under Oren Fader. 


A challenge: My enrollment has dropped over the last 3 years, so I am rebuilding. One reason is that students are now required to select an endorsement (Graduation Plan) in middle school leading into high school (you can read more about this plan here). Band, orchestra, and choir students in the middle school feeder programs mostly select this endorsement, and the other career paths only allow for 1 year of a fine arts class. Compounding this issue is the lack of middle school guitar programs, meaning students are not seriously studying guitar at the time they are making these important decisions.

Lastly, because Texas has just one fine arts requirement, there are many “one-and-done” students who just need to fulfill the single fine arts credit requirement. So I often have high numbers in the beginner classes with low enrollment in the upper classes.

To counteract this I am advocating for more middle school guitar programs. Currently, I am personally teaching 40 students at a local middle school split across two guitar classes. We also have a phenomenal Mariachi instructor who is teaching four beginner guitar classes in an effort to build up our guitar program. The students in these classes will be able to enter the intermediate guitar class at AHS their freshmen year. 


An inspiration: I took a trip, along with the Socorro HS guitar director, to Austin in 2016. The purpose of the trip was to observe the Guitar Concert and Sight-Reading Contest in Austin ISD. We were impressed with the quality of high school and middle school guitar programs from Austin ISD and around the state of Texas that participated at the Austin ISD Guitar Concert and Sight-Reading Contest. 

This inspired us to build our own Guitar Concert and Sight-Reading Contest. And In 2017, we were able to implement the Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation at Socorro ISD. In 2019 all 6 high schools in the Socorro District registered a Varsity and Non-Varsity group for 12 total groups. This was made possible with the help and guidance of Austin Classical Guitar and Edward Grigassy and Susan Rozanc from the Texas Guitar Directors Association.


In conclusion: The Socorro ISD high school guitar programs believe in the importance of advocating for music instruction; to teach the correct methods, techniques, best practices, and music literacy to elevate the status of the guitar. In order to secure the guitar’s future, we must establish guitar programs that are aligned to the national and state music standards to provide guitar students with a high-quality level of instruction. Socorro ISD is committed to elevating the guitar programs through the development of music education, establishing the guitar concert and sight-reading evaluation, and developing performance skills necessary for acceptance to music universities. 

Guitar Segment ends at 1:36

And finally, I am excited to work with Dr. Joseph V. Williams II, Artistic Director at Austin Classical Guitar, on their ‘together’ Youth Orchestra Tour in March. Their kids will work with our kids here in El Paso, and make something beautiful for our community.

And that’s it from El Paso for today! If you come to our city, I hope you’ll stop by and see us.

Adrián Sáenz, Guitar Director

Americas High School/Clarke Middle School

 

*ISD Stands for Independent School District


We’d love to hear about guitar in your part of the world next! Reach out to Jess Griggs anytime with your story and a photo or two.


From the Desk: Phil Swasey - ACG Partner Teacher

From the Desk is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the organization through the eyes of the staff members. These articles focus on the staff’s thoughts and motivations, and hopefully provides a chance to get to know the people behind the scenes.

This week’s From the Desk is written by ACG Partner Teacher, Phil Swasey. Phil is currently a classroom Guitar Director at Bedichek Middle School in Austin I.S.D., he is the district content lead for middle school guitar and mariachi, and was named the campus Teacher of the Year in 2016. In the classroom, his focus remains on finding creative and empowering strategies to remove common obstacles in the way of student success.

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Impact in the First Years of Teaching by Phil Swasey

As most teachers can attest to, the first years in the classroom can be an emotional, physical and mentally trying time for young professionals. Working with directors that are experiencing these fresh and raw feelings for the first time has encouraged me to look back at my own experiences during the early stages of my career.

Almost ten years ago, after deciding on a career change and a cross-country move to Austin, I finished my alternative certification with Region XIII and jumped right into the classroom. I was excited to be on my feet, not chained to a desk, and grateful to have a guitar in my hands, collecting an adult paycheck. 

Despite my eagerness, my classroom was not the magical learning environment that I had envisioned. It was a chaotic swirl of indecisiveness, unwanted student behaviors, emotional swings and a general doubt about my effectiveness as a teacher. When I looked at my first group of 6th grade beginning guitarists, motivated, wide-eyed and full of potential, I thought that they deserved someone more experienced to guide them through the start of their musical careers.

During my moments of doubt, ACG and Jeremy Osbourne were there to support me and focus my energy on solutions to the problems that I was facing. I’m convinced that this outreach helped me to obtain a level of confidence in my practice, allowing me to serve my students more effectively early on. 

The truth likely is, my classroom was never as chaotic as I perceived it to be. Maintaining perspective on your own teaching practice and environment is a constant challenge. Teachers are impactful from their first moments on campus, and having mentors around to encourage growth and recognize strength is an invaluable part of learning the teaching craft.

The 6th graders that I looked at with doubt and hesitancy graduated from high school last year, many having continued on with guitar through their senior year at Crockett High School. Watching them mature as musicians and people over the last 7 years was a continual source of reward and gratification. 

Last year, I was talking with Rey, one of the students from that chaotic and mis-managed beginning guitar class. He was preparing his college applications for guitar performance, and in a moment I will never forget, he said, “I wouldn’t be doing this without you.” Rey is now on scholarship at the University of Texas and I couldn’t be more proud of him. This serves as a reminder for me that teachers are impactful every day of their careers, even the first one.


Postcards: Loudoun County, Virginia

Postcards is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the guitar programs around the nation and strives to bring the guitar teacher community together

This week’s Postcards is written by Dr. Kevin Vigil, Guitar & Music Theory Director at Heritage High School, Chair of the Virginia Music Educators Association Guitar Council & All-Virginia Guitar Ensemble, and Member-At-Large of the NAfME Council for Guitar Education.

This week, Dr. Vigil focuses on a student in his county, Jack Osborne, excelling in the guitar world! 

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Postcard from Loudoun County, VA - By Dr. Kevin Vigil

Meet Jack!

Jack Osborne is a senior at Briar Woods High School (BWHS) in Loudoun County Public Schools. He served as concertmaster for the 2019 NAfME All-National Honors Guitar Ensemble that took place from November 7 – 10. Not only was Jack selected for this honor, but also acted as concertmaster for the 2018 All-Virginia Guitar Ensemble (AVGE) and (again) for the 2019 AVGE; which performed on November 21. Oh yeah… he also won the Beatty Scholarship Competition in Washington, DC!  Among the prizes was the opportunity to open up for classical guitar legend, David Russell.

So how did Jack get to this point? 

One word - opportunity. 

Jack has had the opportunity to learn guitar at BWHS under the direction of Dr. Michael Murphy, from his private instructor, Jamey Mann, and the PAVAN Regional Governor’s School to list a few. Jack has also, and perhaps more importantly, had opportunities to stumble along the way. He told me about a poor outcome from a competition; which damaged his spirit and passion to continue with guitar.  However, a friend and fellow competitor, Ryan Robinson, gave him some sound advice, “performing is not about winning or losing, but about reaching your audience.”

Jack has certainly taken his friend’s advice and continues to strive to reach others with his musical performances. He is also planning definitely to continue his studies of the instrument in college as a performance major and potentially double major with computer science.


We’d love to hear about guitar in your part of the world next! Reach out to Jess Griggs anytime with your story and a photo or two.


Interview: Matthew Lyons - Composer, Performer, Arranger

Matthew Lyons is an Austin based composer, performer, and arranger. Lyons was recently commission by the ACG Trio for their November 24th performance at Skyspace. In this interview, he discusses his compositions, and specific challenges and inspirations for the Skyspace piece. 


Earliest experiences in music? 

My earliest musical memory is listening to Beatles albums on cassette in the car - I had the albums memorized by color as opposed to name, so I’d say “Green one!” (perhaps that was Rubber Soul, for example).

I began studying guitar in 3rd grade. I took classical lessons, but wanted to be in a rock band. A pivotal moment was playing a song I wrote in the 5th grade talent show about my two Dachshunds, with my friend Chris playing rhythm guitar. When I ended the song by laying on the whammy bar (attached to the bridge of the guitar, moves the pitch up and down) all the other kids present thought that was just the coolest.

 

What led you into composition?

I’ve always written music, since I began taking guitar lessons. As my playing evolved, so did my compositional language. I chose to study classical guitar for my undergrad, but my teacher encouraged me to lean into composing more. After I developed a hand injury that made further classical guitar studies no longer an option, I decided to start studying composition at UT Austin, and quickly realized that I was on the right path.

Can you talk about some of the themes you explore in your music? Both as a composer and performer?

Each of my pieces tends to take on a different narrative - the only themes I can think of in my music are more abstract, such as a focus on colorful, jazz-inspired harmony, and themes and textures that both engage the audience while sometimes challenging them. It’s important to me that whatever might be interesting or engaging about my music is apparent on the surface. As a guitarist-composer, anything I write for guitar always has the intention of stretching the existing repertoire in some way. One thing I’ve experimented with recently is guitar and live electronics with a computer processing sound in real time.

What are some influences in your work? 

My favorite composers are J.S. Bach and Maurice Ravel, even though my music doesn’t sound at all like the former. Within the current climate of “classical music” (whatever that even means any more) I find myself gravitating towards composers and styles that are openly influenced by minimalism,”post-minimalism,” and/or popular styles. My favorite living musician is the jazz pianist Brad Mehldau - I listen to his music probably more than all other music combined. Something about it resonates with me - his integration of classical technique and form into original compositions and  jazz versions of popular songs (including Radiohead and The Beatles). The Beatles have always been my favorite band, and the charm of their music and personalities is something I can only try to emulate.

What are you hoping to accomplish with this composition in Skyspace? 

Just as the gazers’ focus in the installation shifts between the sky and the changing colors of the installation, I want the music to be on the threshold of attention, sometimes engaging the audience more and other times falling into the background of the overall experience.

How does the unusual venue inspire or shape your composition?

As I mentioned before, exploring colorful harmonies and the expressive relationship they create is one of my main compositional impulses. When I went to check out the space, experiencing the slowly shifting colors seemed to me like a great analog for slowly changing harmonic progressions. As someone who has music synesthesia, I associate certain colors with certain harmonies - not so much poetically as literally. The shifting colors of the sky - from brighter, to red, to dark blue - influenced the harmonic structure of the piece. 

What challenges does it present? 

Some practical issues include the fact that the piece is about a third the amount of time that the audience will be in the installation (although people can technically come and go as they please), and so when and how exactly to start and end will be unconventional for both audience and performers.


More information about SkySpace can be found on UT-Austin's website


Postcards: Jennings Junior High - Jennings, Missouri

Postcards is an Austin Classical Guitar (ACG) and GuitarCurriculum.com series that explores the guitar programs around the nation and strives to bring the guitar teacher community together. 

This week’s Postcards is written by James McKay, Music Educator at Jennings Junior High in Jennings Missouri. McKay discusses the expressive and therapeutic benefits of playing guitar in this Postcard.

 


Jennings Jr. High Postcard

James McKay

Here in a little town called Jennings Missouri, some really incredible things are happening. Tightly tucked away between St. Louis (Top 10 most dangerous U.S. cities) and Ferguson (known for the national attention it got from the Mike Brown incident), music has been used to impact the lives of youth who once have and continue to experience trauma.

Students playing guitar at Jennings Junior High. For a region of this size, the Jennings School District is fairly small. It's comprised of three elementary, one junior, and one high school. In 2014, I piloted a string program that has now blossomed to cover all five buildings. All students started on violin and later, when given a chance, moved on to viola, cello, or double bass. I began to notice that some of the students weren't taking music classes purely for the love of music. Some attended because of what the course did for them - relaxation. On several occasions, when asked about the class, students repeated responded,

"Playing music relaxes me, I feel calm."

Fast forward to 2017, my life was impacted by a visit to the workshop hosted by the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society. A wonderful gentlemen from Austin Classical Guitar introduced me to GuitarCurriculum.com, and immediately, I was SOLD ON the idea of a non-guitarist having the ability to teach classical guitar effectively. Three years later, we have 27 middle schoolers playing guitar and playing several performances throughout the school year. Thanks to the ongoing support from the St. Louis Classical Guitar Society, I can grow my program to scale.

The blessing in disguise here is, some of the students who signed up for the violin ended up falling in love with classical guitar. Our students now have expanded choices for music that helps them to not only express themselves but also enjoy the therapeutic benefits of playing music.


We’d love to hear about guitar in your part of the world next! Reach out to Jess Griggs anytime with your story and a photo or two.