__________________________________
__________________________________
(How we grow…)
I feel extremely lucky to have had teachers who exposed me early on to much that has served me well in the field of electronic music. My first real exposure was with Bob Ceely through his BEEP workshops and later in his classes at New England Conservatory of Music. Aside from being encyclopedic in presenting a clear picture of past masters’ works in this relatively new field, an additional perk he gifted was one which encouraged this student (among others, I’m sure) to ask all the right questions. I remember once after a long night of editing perpetually elusive bits of analog tape, I brought the result of that boondoggle to class and played it. Mr. Ceely, listened intently and proceeded to ask me questions. His incisive queries led me to reexamine closely the work that I had previously felt intimately familiar with. Though I thought I had gone as far as I could with the piece, he pushed me to look deeper and to 
look at it anew from broader and different perspectives. For “tweeks” like that, I am grateful. Probing deeper, using self reflection in that way as a tool, is something that I will do interminably. I will also share this way with others I encounter who are traveling a similar path. The second guide I encountered was the late Ivan Tcherepnin whom I was introduced to by a friend who was working as an assistant in his office at Harvard. In many hours of conversation he offered much insight and thoughtful analysis. Our discussions served as nourishment and encouragement for me at a time when the path forward was not clear. I learned much from him especially because he was open and willing to answer questions about his process of working. It seems there was no reason for him to share, other than his generous spirit and his desire to help the curious.
In addition, I want to thank two friends. Langdon Miller, over whose shoulder I watched and discovered a still growing interest in computers as he diligently entered his command lines. He patiently explained what he was doing in Morse Hall at Phillips Academy as he used the teletype connection to Dartmouth College’s mainframe. From that point on, I read everything I could find on the subject. Some fifteen years later, I finally got my own computers. Even now, I still base much of my work method on what I learned through those early experiences. And lastly, for now, here’s to the late great Andy Topeka, the consummate engineer, designer/tinkerer whose work I admired and tried to emulate because he was really, really good at what he did. All I have to do is look at things he did twenty five years ago and marvel that they still work as solutions to problems still occurring today. I know I’m not alone in that, because in my travels, I still see his work present everywhere out here. As a friend, he gently encouraged me to grow up and taught me to be road worthy. He is deeply missed…
