The drawing board

The composition The Drawing Board is an extended three-movement work for jazz orchestra, approximately twenty-six minutes in length. The Drawing Board is a musical portrayal of an imaginary artist as he undertakes his work, exploring the emotions inherent to the artistic process, including the uneasiness of staring at a blank canvas, the magical feeling of abstract ideas coalescing into something concrete, the frustration of an unfinished or imperfect work, and the unique sensation of artwork gradually revealing itself to the artist. The introductory section of the accompanying dissertation outlines my overall musical approach and philosophy, and describes the compositional goals behind this work. The core of the dissertation is a musical analysis that provides insight into various compositional techniques and strategies, showing relationships between the three movements. Topics include form, harmony, melody, orchestration, counterpoint, and contexts for improvisation.