Connecting you with the University of Missouri’s innovative research and creative activityWriting Music that Speaks to the Human Spirit
A visit with Thomas McKenney, Professor, Composition and Music Theory
Additional Interview Clips
What research and creative activity looks like for music composer W. Thomas McKenney
From score study to original musical composition: How research and creative activity inform each other
Employing harmonic vocabulary
More on tonal systems and McKenney’s philosophy of music
More on the pros and cons of using computerized software to compose music
The types of musical pieces McKenney composes and the compositional process he employs
The dilemma of publishing for composers
"Music needs to balance emotion and intellect"
McKenney’s philosophy of music
Writing music to elicit an emotional response
Teaching music at MU
McKenney's compositional process: Combining old and new technologies
Topics:
Csound,positional_process
computerized_composition
McKenney’s own compositional process depends on the genre for which he is writing and often involves high-tech computer programs such as Csound and Finale.