Staff Profile: Composing with Kendall Simpson

 

By Raven Crosby, Emory Dance Program Office Assistant

 

Kendall Simpson has always loved music, but didn't begin his musical journey until eleventh grade, having pursued his interest in sports earlier on. He began by taking piano lessons and his teacher encouraged him to continue developing his talents in college. Simpson is currently a musician and composer for the Emory Dance Program, while also pursuing composing opportunities outside of this Emory job.

 

When composing music for dance, Simpson first asks the choreographer for adjectives to “... describe the intention of a dancer, [and] how an audience member might think of the beginning and end of a piece, etc.” He improvises on the piano and uses his computer to “...generate textures and patterns, hoping to find something fresh and inspiring.” This creative exploration culminates in several musical ideas that are presented to the choreographer as a starting point. From there, the collaboration continues with additions and revisions until the piece is finished.

 

In addition to composing music for dance, Simpson also composes for theater, and describes the differences between the two art forms: in general, dance music is often lengthy while theater music is usually short interludes and transitions. Of the two, he feels that dance is more challenging to compose for because “...it requires that you develop ideas and not just state them in short spurts.”

 

Recently, Simpson composed the music for George Staib’s piece a persistence of rapture, set on the Emory Dance Company this past fall. For Simpson and Staib, who have collaborated many times, this process has become second nature: “We now have a shorthand at getting our thoughts and ideas across.” The music for a persistence of rapture was performed live, which Simpson feels brings a new energy for both dancers and musicians.

 

Simpson, who has been performing for many years, has had his share of mistakes. When asked how to overcome these mishaps, he states “All you can do is literally keep going. Keeping the piece going is the only plan you should have for mistakes. It takes some experience to learn this approach.” His advice for students who are considering music as a career is to “...learn everything you can about creating music: learn to read and write music, learn several instruments, learn music software, learn to conduct, learn to improvise, practice every day.” The second piece of advice that Simpson offers is “Know that failure is just as important as success in helping you grow as an artist.”