Here's what people have said about the realization they experienced:


From the realization at Maynard High School, February 2024:
(All comments are from the audience, members of the MHS band, Kevin Kozik, director.)

It was really interesting to listen to the changes in energy!

I liked how we got to track the responses as they were coming in live.

It showed me how small changes in music can make a big impact

Now I understand how music have emotions

I thought that the last “section” of Groundhog Night was really powerful—the music was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

It reminded me how much the earth is hurting.

It made me not want to burn oil.

I was able to hear how different energies are created through dynamics and sound.

It changed what I considered music

I learned a lot about musical energy and how it can really affect a persons perception of the song.

Small things in notes and flow change the whole feeling


From the realization at Tufts University, February 2024:

Audience:


The experience made me wonder about how much weight each individual musical parameter has when calculating the aggregate energy level of a piece.

Co-composer:


(I enjoyed…) Learning how different “tools” of music can change how people perceive music.

Performer:


I do love extending creative process participation to the audience.

I enjoyed performing the composition and expressing the theme.

I also liked responding creatively to some of the co-composer prompts.

The piece was in line with some of the compositional ideas I'm exploring and interested in. So this gave a lot of insight, and some inspiration.


From the realization at Housing Works, LA, October 2023:
Your composition “Groundhog Night” was rewarding in many ways. First, it presented the opportunity for student performers and composers to explore the idiom of open, unmetered scores in a simple and direct manner. This was the first experience for them to perform from a score that used only timing markings rather than time signatures. The work also introduced them to modern techniques of notation that solved many of the problems presented by open meter works. The most interesting part for me was how well they performed and experimented with extended techniques and improvisation. As you know, it is rare for them to have this much input toward the creative process. They found the experience much less daunting thanks to the clarity of your score, articulate preliminary notes, and your engaging coaching of the piece as we moved toward the performance.

The performance and workshop of the piece at the Housing Works facility was a great success for the students and especially for the residents attending the event. You struck a successful balance between meeting the pedagogical needs of the students and the need for enrichment for the residents who attended. The musical gestures were effective, giving the audience the chance to engage in their own interpretation and introduce them to sounds they may never have heard. As you moved through sections the audience remained engaged, with their interest held for the next step in their collective creative process. I had the pleasure of working with the audience while you coached the co-composers and I can say that the mood was energetic, fun and even engaged the most quiet members of the audience. Clearly all of your goals were met in this performance.
John M. Kennedy, A.Mus.D., Professor of Music Composition, California State University, Los Angeles

From the premiere at Monk Space, LA, May 2022:

"(Groundhog Night) was one of the most effective and memorable concerts I've been a part of! Thank you for your extraordinary piece."