Education:

• 1956 – 1962   Elementary School – Grade 1 to Grade 6 – Alice Street School, Truro, N.S.
• 1962 – 1965   Junior High School – Grade 7 to Grade 9 – Truro Junior High School, Truro, N.S.
• 1965 – 1968   Senior High School – Grade 10 to Grade 12 – Colchester County Academy – Truro, N.S.
• 1968 – 1970   Nova Scotia Teacher’s College – Graduated with TC3 – Music Specialist
• 1970 – 1971   Attended Berklee College of Music – Boston
• 1971 – 2001   Attended St. Francis Xavier University taking several music education related courses
  Attended Dalhousie University taking several music education related courses
• 2001   Received Bachelor of Education Degree – St. Francis Xavier University – Antigonish, N.S.
• 2002   Received Master of Education Degree – Acadia University – Wolfville, N.S.

Experience:

• 1971 – 1974   Music Teacher, Band Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro
• 1974 – 1976   Full time professional musician with the jazz-rock group HORSE
• 1976 – 1979   Music Teacher and Band Director at North River Elementary School
• 1979 – 1981   Music Teacher and Band Director at Central Colchester Junior High School
• 1982 – 1983   Music Teacher, Band and Jazz Choir Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro
• 1983 – 1985   Music Teacher, Band and Jazz Choir Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro
  Music Teacher at Middle Stewiacke and Upper Stewiacke Elementary Schools
• 1985 – 1988   Music Teacher, Band and Jazz Choir Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro 
  Music Teacher at Douglas Street Elementary and Saint Mary’s Elementary Schools 
• 1988 – 1990   Music Teacher, Band and Jazz Choir Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro
  Music Teacher at North Colchester High School, Tatamagouche
• 1990 – 1991   Music Teacher, Band and Jazz Choir Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro
  Instrumental and Vocal Music Teacher at Hants East Rural High School, South Colchester High,
  Truro Junior High School and Kennetcook High School
• 1991 – 2006 Music Teacher, Band and Jazz Choir Director at Cobequid Educational Centre, Truro  
• 2007 – 2008 Part-Time Teacher at Nova Scotia Community College Waterfront Campus in Dartmouth
• 2008 – 2023 Founder and Director of the Nova New Horizons Band program based in Truro, New Glasgow and Dartmouth

The position at CEC during the years I had it was very productive and very busy. All rehearsals were held before school, after school and evenings. For a number of years I rehearsed three nights per week, including Sundays. The groups I ran included Symphonic Band (Senior High Concert Band), Stage Band, Dance Band, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Football Band, Junior High Concert Band, Pit Band and small groups such as described below and additional chamber groups such as Brass and Woodwind Quintets. Each week I also held sectional rehearsals for brass, woodwind and percussion players from the Symphonic Band. The musicals were extra.  

Related Work Experience

Musical Director, Vocal Coach, Chorus Director and Band Director for these shows at CEC:

• 1978 – Strike! 1979 – L’il Abner
• 1980 – Prophet Of The New World 1981 – Annie Get Your Gun
• 1983 – The Wizard of Oz 1985 – Tom Sawyer
• 1986 – Oliver! 1987 – Damn Yankee
• 1988 – Bells Are Ringing 1989 – Oklahoma!
• 1990 – Anything Goes 1991 – Brigadoon
• 1992 – West Side Story 1993 – Hello Dolly
• 1994 – Mame 1995 – Fiddler On The Roof
• 1996 – Carousel 1997 – Grease
• 1998 – Guys and Dolls 1999 – Chess
• 2000 – Annie 2001 – Jesus Christ Superstar
• 2003 – Footloose 2004 – Copacabana
• 2005 – A Chorus Line 2006 – Cats

For many of the shows above, I did arranging for the pit band; instrumentation indigenous to each particular show. Sometimes these arrangements were to accommodate key changes, and sometimes to accommodate the particular instrumentation available from the music students at CEC during the year the show was produced.

Anything Goes and Grease were the musicals performed at CEC in 1990 and 1997 respectively. For each show, I transcribed the music and lyrics from a CD of a revival of each show. The differences between the original and the revival were significant, and as a result the entire shows were transcribed and performed as on the CD.

For many summers during my years at CEC, I ran the Cobequid Summer Band Workshops, music camps for students involved in the CEC Band program. These camps involved students at the junior and senior high school level in large and small ensembles, being taught by myself and a staff of approximately 6 instrumental music teachers, with guest conductors brought in for the senior concert band. These camps were most often at the Nova Scotia Community College Truro Campus which was at that time the Nova Scotia Teacher’s College.

In 1982 and 1983 I was musical director for the Stephenville Theatre Festival where we did a number of shows including Man Of La Mancha, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

In 1998 and 1999 I was the coordinator for Maritime Musicfest, a music festival for concert bands, jazz bands and vocal jazz ensembles from the Maritime provinces. These events were held at CEC in Truro, and were relatively small festivals. In 200 and 2001, I coordinated two much larger festivals in the Halifax-Dartmouth Metro area. The first was held concurrently at 4 different Dartmouth city schools. In 2004 and 2005, I ran two festivals at  the Best Western Glengarry Hotel in Truro. For all of these events, I was responsible for all aspects of organization, including scheduling, budgeting, promotion, booking adjudicators and overall operation.

For a number of years I put togther and distributed monthly newsletters for the Nova Scotia Band Association. This project involved collecting information from provincial band directors and also writing articles of interest to Nova Scotian music teachers and band directors. Back when this project was done the computer age was just taking hold and email was not yet happening on the scale it is these days, so typing and photocopying was a regular routine as well as snail mailing the newsletters.    

I have been involved with the Los Primos Society for approximately 25 years. In 2001, and again in 2005, I traveled to Cuba to direct a Big Band made up of a combination of young musicians from Nova Scotia and students from the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory of music in Havana.

While earning my Master of Education degree in 2001, I organized and conducted the Acadia University New Horizons Band, a beginner band for seniors who had never played a musical instrument before, or had played in public school and wanted to start again. I was responsible for all aspects of the establishment and operation of this group including recruitment, advertising, instrument procurement, scheduling, coordinating student teaching with the Music Education students at Acadia, instruction books, etc. The first band had 55 members, and the group is still in operation at Acadia under the direction of Ardith Haley. 

In the summer of 2007 I was the pianist and Musical Director for the Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre production of “No Way To Treat A Lady”. 

In the school years 2007 and 2008, I was a casual staff member in the Music Arts Program at the Nova Scotia Community College Waterfront Campus in Dartmouth, where I taught a Latin / R&B Combo and a large mixed instrument ensemble. I wrote several arrangements for these groups which are listed below.

I am the leader of a professional big band in the Metro area called the Back Alley Big Band. I am managing this group, playing the lead trombone book and directing the rehearsals and performances. The band is made of some of the best jazz performers in Nova Scotia, and plays top notch big band repertoire. Part of the organization of this group is arranging for substitute players when full time members are not available for rehearsals or performances.

For 10 years I was the managing director of the Nova Scotia Honour Jazz program.

In September of 2009 I started New Horizons bands in Truro and New Glasgow. In January 2010 the Truro and New Glasgow programs were expanded and I started two groups in Dartmouth. The program has grown over the years and we are now in our tenth year in Truro and New Glasgow area and ninth year in Metro. Over the years I have started a total of 52 beginner bands of various sizes. The program is very time consuming –  a lot of time is spent administrating and a larger amount of tiome writing original compositions and arrangements. 

I started Sunday Jazz at Roadside Willies around 2006. It involves performing jazz standards on my Trombone with a 3 or 4 piece rhythm section on the last Sunday of each month. I am responsible for making sure there is a Pianist, Bassist and Drummer for each month. The personnel changes quite often and I draw on both local talent and players from the Halifax area and Pictou County.   

Related Organizations:

• One of the first committee members of the Nova Scotia Youth Wind Ensemble and Librarian for many years
• Founder of the Nova Scotia Junior Youth Wind Ensemble
• One of the founding directors of Nova Scotia Honour Jazz
• Coordinator of Maritime Musicfest for a number of years
• Co-director of Acadia Jazz Camp at Acadia University
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Los Primos Society
• Founder of the Acadia University New Horizons Band in 2000-2001
• Founder of the Nova New Horizons Band programs starting in September 2009

Awards:

• 2000 – Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence
• 2002 – The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal 
• 2006 – United Way of Colchester – Outstanding Leadership Award
• 2006 – Congratulatory certificate from the 59^th General Assembly of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

List of works:

Original songs written with Wayne Nicholson (lyricist/melodist) and Horse included:

• Fisherman Collection The Rise and Fall No Need To Explain
• Folly Mountain Breakdown Go Lightly On The Run Movin’ Along
• Gathering Storm Straight Ahead After All This Time Lady Graceful
• All In Jest Drive Me Crazy Back To The Same Leftover You
• Good Medicine Broken Wings Fly Soup Hot As Sun
• By Your Side You Were Gone Magic Betty Pillage
• It’s All Over, Blue Sky Ladies Next Time Around Thinking Of You Highway Robbery

Original Musicals written with Barry Stagg (songwriter). 

• 1978 – Strike
• 1981 – Prophet Of the New World
• 1982 – Sometimes We Die
• 1982 – Edward J. Hyde
• 1985 – The Mudlark

An arrangement of one complete side of the second Chicago album was done by me for concert band and rock band around 1979 for a performance at CEC by Horse and the CEC Symphonic Band. The work is titled “Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon”.

An arrangement of Bach’s Great G Minor Fugue was written by me in 1989 as a project for a Concert Band Arranging course that I took from James Hargreaves at St. F.X.. The arrangement was re-scored in 2004 to fit the instrumentation of the CEC Symphonic Band that year.

I transcribed a medley of songs from The Lion King in 1995 and adapted them for full concert band with rhythm section and vocal jazz ensemble. 

In 2000 and 2001 I did the concert band arranging for Liz Rigney’s “I Believe In Music” Concerts at various high schools in Nova Scotia. The songs done were: 

• Kelligrew’s Soiree Ladies Leaky Boat 
• McPherson’s Lament Chain Gang Moved Through The Fair  

In 2002 I arranged two of Charlie A’Court’s songs for Concert Band and Vocal Jazz Ensemble for a performance at CEC, Charlie’s alma mater:

• Hello Love and I’m Comin’ Home

Over the years I have arranged several medleys for Vocal Ensemble and Concert Band. The medleys contained  from 6 to 10 songs each, and the titles include:

• A Beatles Medley Brother Bear
• A Copacabana Medley Hercules 
• Pocahontas Les Miserables 
• Miss Saigon The Road To Eldorado
• Tarzan Wicked

These are two of the arrangements I did for vocal jazz ensemble and concert band:

• I Am But A Small Voice
• Into The West
• These are three of the arrangements I did for vocal jazz ensemble:
• Spain
• Joy Spring
• Seasons Of Love

These are some of the arrangements that I did for stage band with vocals:

• The Shoop Shoop Song You Won’t See Me Best Years Of Our Lives
• My Strongest Suit Call Me Al Little Jeannie
• Here Comes The Sun Livin’ La Vidi Loca
• For several years the CEC Symphonic Band performed annually at First United Church in Truro. I arranged the following hymns concert band:
• All Things Bright and Beautiful Creating God, Your Fingers Trace
• Fairest Lord Jesus Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands
• Let All Things Now Living O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
• O God our Help In Ages Past Open My Eyes, That I May See
• Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow Precious Lord, Take My Hand
• These are some of the Christmas Arrangements that I did for Vocal Ensemble and Concert Band:
• When A Child Is Born And So This Is Christmas
• Silent Night Snowfall
• O Holy Night

These are two Christmas Arrangements that I did for Vocal Jazz Ensemble:

• The First Nowell
• O Come All Ye Faithful
• These are two Christmas Arrangements that I did for Vocal Ensemble and Stage Band
• Feliz Navidad
• Four For Christmas (Adapted from an arrangement by Pete Coulman)

I did two special arrangements for small vocal group and band. The first was an Abba Medley, for which I used two lead female vocalists, as it happens, one blonde and one brunette. The songs done were: 

• Chiquitita Fernando 
• I Have A Dream Mamma Mia 
• S. O. S.  Take A Chance On Me

The second was a Chicago medley, for which I used one male lead, and 7 backup singers with a full rhythm section and horns. It was partially adapted from an arrangement by John Higgins. The songs done were:

• Saturday In The  Park Just You and Me
• Color My World 25 Or 6 To 4
• Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

The Orange and Blues Brothers Band was a group that I put together in 2004 at CEC. The group consisted of three lead singers, four back up singers and a full stage band. The show was choreographed and the songs done were: 

• I Can’t Turn You Loose Messin’ With The Kid
• I Got Everything I Need (Almost) Soul Man
• Shake Your Tailfeather Everybody Needs Somebody  
• Goin’ Back To Miami Gimme Some Lovin’
• Who’s Makin’ Love? Do You Love Me?

CEC Salsa was a band that I put together in 2005 at CEC. The group consisted of seven singers who also danced, and a full stage band. The show was choreographed and the songs done were:

• La Bilirubina Abriendo Puertas
• Llororas Nuevo Dia
• Para Visa Un Sueno Dulce Amor
• Pedro El Cojo

A large portion of the material listed above is in digital format. I have been using Finale for many years, and I have many files on CD Rom. The rest was hand-written and just one copy of each part exists. Most of the Horse material  is only on cassette tape.

Other Works:

I did a number of transcriptions and arrangements for “Don Carroll and The Fabulous Little Big Band”, a Frank Sinatra Tribute band. These arrangements were for tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass and drums:

• Call Me Irresponsible Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime
• I Get A Kick Out Of You I Only Have Eyes For You
• It Had To Be You It Happened In Monterey
• It Was A Very Good Year The Lady Is A Tramp
• Luck Be A Lady Just One Of Those Things
• Summer Wind The Look Of Love
• You belong To Me My Way

I did a number of arrangements for trumpet, tenor sax and trombone for a top-forty group called “The Usual Suspects”:

• Brickhouse Let’s Shout
    Signed Sealed Delivered   Givin It Up 
    My Own Way To Rock   Soul Man
    Play That Funky Music   Mustang Sally
    Land Of A Thousand Dances   Old Time Rock and Roll
    Betty Lou Is Gettin’ Out Tonight Your Mama Don’t Dance 
•   Domino   I Feel Good
    Call Me Al   Cool Change 
    Let’s Go Crazy   Heart of Rock and Roll
•   Rhythm Of The Rain   Everybody Have Fun Tonight
    Doin’ It Right   Twistin’ The Night Away 

I did a number of arrangements for piano, guitar, bass, drums and saxophone/flute for a Carole King Tribute Show called “Where You Lead”:

• Beautiful Been To Canaan
• Carry Your Load Home Again
• I Feel The Earth Move It’s Too Late
• Jazzman (You Make  me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
• Nightingale One Fine Day
• Only Love Is Real Smackwater Jack
• So Far Away Sweet Seasons
• Tapestry Up On The Roof
• Way Over Yonder Where You Lead
• Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? You’ve Got A Friend

I did a number of arrangements for the Nova Scotia Community College Waterfront Campus R&B and Latin Band. The charts are for lead vocals, backing vocals, alto sax, two tenor saxes, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion:

• Crazy Little Thing Called Love El Canoero
• Higher Love I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know
• Knock On Wood Land Of A Thousand Dances
• Lloraras Oye Como Va
• Pick Up The Pieces Save The Last Dance
• Sir Duke Soul Man
• Take On Me Volver A Verte
• Saturday In The Park Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
• Shake Your Tailfeather My Strongest Suit
• El Macao Got To get You Into My Life (Earth, Wind & Fire version)
• De Hoy En Adelante Do You Love Me?
• Ain’t Nobody Home Big Dark Canyon
• Heat Wave Nowhere To Run
• Take On Me
• I did 9 arrangements for a large ensemble at NSCC.
• Los Passilos de le Tia Conga Sonando
• Oye Como Va Moondance
• Encanto Cruzan Dances
• Birdland Fiero
• Con Brio

I did a number of transcriptions and arrangements for the Cuban–style dance band “Latin Groove”:

• Mi Linda Habanera Ven Vamos A Bailar
• Nadie Como Ella Quien Fue
• Volver A Verte El Macao

New Horizons Original Compositions and Arrangements

I completed my first original composition for young band in 2012 and since that date have composed several more:

• Breakwind Overture Ideatta
• Highlander Overture South Branch
• For Nick Aromatica 
• Mountain Airs Hyclass Overture 
• Maple Grove Oakland Odyssey 
• My Beautiful Colleen Seaside Summer 
• Mountain Gap Overture 
• I have written 7 different Dixieland Medleys containing the best known Dixieland classics.
• Dixieland Medley – 1 Dixieland Medley – 2
• When The Saints Go Marching In Ain’t She Sweet 
• Tiger Rag Five Foot Two
• Bill Bailey Down By The Riverside
• Yes Sir , That’s My Baby Ain’t She Sweet
• Dixieland Medley – 3  Dixieland Medley – 4
• Hello My Baby Hello Dolly
• Baby Face Bye, Bye Blackbird
• Swanee Heart of My Heart
• Dixieland Medley – 5 Dixieland Medley – 6
• My Blue Heaven Bill Bailey
• Pennies From Heaven Alexander’s Ragtime Band
• Mack The Knife Ja Da
• Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree 
• When You’re Smiling
• Dixieland Medley – 7
• Muskrat Ramble
• Sweet Georgia Brown
• I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A letter
• I have written several medleys for the New Horizons Level 4 Bands. 
• ABBA Medley Beatles Medley
• Mamma Mia Penny Lane
• S.O.S When I’m Sixty Four
• I Have A Dream She’s Leaving Home
• Chiquitita Michelle
• Eleanor Rigby
• Tijuana Brass Medley Yellow Submarine 
• The Lonely Bull Hey Jude
•  Spanish Flea
• A Taste of Honey Chicago Medley
• Saturday In The Park
• Supertramp Medley Just You and Me 
• Take The Long Way Home Colour My World 
• Breakfast In America 25 or 6 To 4
• Goodbye Stranger
• The Logical Song The Four Seasons Medley
• December 1963(Oh, What A Night)
• Blood Sweat and Tears Medley Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You 
• Spinning Wheel Who Loves You
• You’ve Made Me So Very Happy Let’s Hang On
• And When I Die
• Variations On A Theme by Erik Satie
• Hi-De-Ho
• A Burt Bacharach Medley
• The Look of Love
• Do You Know The Way To San Jose
• I Say A Little Prayer For You
• What The World Needs Now
• I have written several original Christmas arrangements.
• Rudolph and Frosty ‘Twas In The Moon of Wintertime
• Jingle Bells Christmas Medley
• O Come All Ye Faithful Fantasia For A Good King Mary’s Boy Child We Three Kings Carol of The Bells Fantasia On Deck The Halls 
• A 6/8 Christmas Another 6/8 Christmas 
• Winter Wonderland Variations On O Come O Come Emmanuel 
• A Holly Jolly Christmas A Western Christmas Suite 
• Frosty The Snowman Fantasy On God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 
• Silver Bells Suzy Snowflake
• The Holly and The Ivy
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 
• Fantasia On Angels We Have Heard On High

I have written and/or adapted several custom arrangements for the Metro New Horizons Jazz Band.

• Mamas and Papas Medley Birthday (The Beatles)
• I Feel Good Birdland
• Moondance Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
• The Shoop Shoop Song Easy Lover
• Choo Choo Ch’Boogie Fields of Gold
• Three Beatle Ballads Happy
• Happy Together Three Beatle Ballads
• Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Hayburner
• Light Vibrations On The Street Where You Live
• Until I Met You (Corner Pocket) Light Vibrations

This is not a complete list of all the arrangements and compositions but I think most of them are here.

Most recently I have done 20 arrangements and/or transcriptions for CEC’s presentation titled “Encore” which is a sort of musical revue of musicals done at CEC over the years. Here is a list of the songs and shows:

• 9 to 5 – 9 to 5
• Consider Yourself – Oliver 
• Copacabana – Copacabana
• Footloose – Footloose
• Golden Bangkok – Chess
• Hello Dolly – Hello Dolly
• It’s A Perfect Relationship – Bells Are Ringing
• It’s The Hard-Knock Life – Annie
• Oklahoma – Oklahoma
• On The Street Where You Live – My Fair Lady
• One – A Chorus Line
• One Night In Bangkok – Chess
• Over The Rainbow – The Wizard of Oz
• Somewhere – West Side Story
• The Telephone Hour – Bye Bye Birdie
• Tradition – Fiddler On The Roof
• We Clearly Requested A Boy – Anne of Green Gables
• We Need A Little Christmas – Mame
• Whatever Lola Wants – Damn Yankees
• You’ll Never Walk Alone – Carousel