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| Frank Ishman, photographer |
Recently, I stepped down from my full-time
position at Roosevelt University. I’ll serve as part-time artist faculty next
year, teaching studio composition lessons, while the university holds a formal job
search to find my replacement.
Why did I do this? The answer is simple – I want/need/desire
more time to compose. It has taken a very long time to arrive at this juncture.
I have taught at Roosevelt since 2000, and over the past sixteen years, the
university has been a wonderful and supportive home for me. My work at
Roosevelt has been fulfilling—I greatly enjoy teaching students and helping
them develop their minds and musical skills. I’ve also enjoyed working with my talented
colleagues in our common goal to strengthen the university and to provide our
students with a wealth of knowledge and opportunities.
For many years, I successfully kept a balance
between teaching/collegiate responsibilities and composing. But this balance
has been getting harder and harder to maintain as my composing career moves in
new and exciting directions. Now, I want to explore new paths, to collaborate
with musicians, singers, ensembles, organizations, dancers, and opera
companies. I wish to explore getting into film music, as well as to delve
deeper into developing music entrepreneurship for myself and for others. In
short, I want to explore my fullest potential. If I don’t do this now, when
will I ever stop to do so?
I will always love teaching, and plan to do
so in one capacity or another throughout my life. There are many avenues for
this—Skype composition lessons with people around the world, guest residencies
in colleges and universities with a focus on both entrepreneurship and
composition activities, educational outreach activities with music organizations,
and my continuing role with Fresh Inc Festival, where I’m on faculty. But as
much as I love teaching, it is time to move composing to the forefront and take
my first steps on a new path as a freelance composer. I’ll be blogging more
about this transition and my new adventures as I do!
