The Score: Music - 2025
Hello World!
Hold on. Sorry. I was still in my coding phase.
This is supposed to be an end-of-year review of my music endeavors and accomplishments of 2025, and what I am looking forward to in 2026.
Before we dive any deeper into my music side, if you haven’t already, please feel free to give me a follow on Instagram and subscribe to me on YouTube. You may not get emails from me as often (I try not to not spam people), but if you’re interested in new music and/or updates, these are the places you’ll want to be a part of.
Music
I’ve started writing again and writing more consistently! Now, I’ll say that my writing isn’t exactly where I wanted and hoped it would be from the start of the year up to this point, but at least it’s happening. This year, I wrote four pieces and have almost completed three other pieces (they might be done by the end of the year).
Completed Pieces:
AWAKE! – Concert Band
A Map of Non-Existent Dreams – Clarinet & S. or A. Saxophone
Child of Autumn – Piano Solo
The Witching Hour – Trombone and Piano
Pieces in Progress:
To Slumber in a Sea of Stars – Flute, Cello, and Piano
Reed Surfing – Reed Quintet
Where Shadows Play – Concert Band
Here’s a sneak peak of the pieces currently:
If any of those pieces caught your attention or interest, please feel free to contact me about commissioning the piece! I am happy to collaborate!
Performances
After two years of a dry spell, I finally started seeing performances!
Music was performed in:
Indiana – Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival (A Map of Non-Existent Dreams)
New York – Duo Texarkana (A Map of Non-Existent Dreams)
North Carolina – Christian Miller’s Junior Recital (Coastal Carolina University) (Forbidden Alchemy)
And I am so excited for more performances in 2026! Dates are not yet confirmed, but I am excited about the possible 4–12 performances! And hopefully more…
Sales
After some major modifications to my website, more uploading to YouTube with SEO-friendly titles, and uploading more content to TikTok and Instagram/Facebook, I sold 13 pieces.
“That doesn’t sound like a lot.”
You’re right. Any composer who is writing music full time is probably selling ~100+ pieces a year. But here’s what I’m comparing it to:
2025: 13 pieces sold
2024: 1 piece sold
2023: 3 pieces sold
2022: 1 piece sold
2021: 2 pieces sold
2020: 6 pieces sold
I also self-publish and sell my music directly from my site: no middleman, no publisher. With no advertising and solely a focus on SEO updates, I was able to bring more traffic to my site and more sales.
It’s funny, but this is the first year I actually made a profit (after website costs and supplies). We take the wins and improvements where we can.
The most-sold piece was “Forbidden Alchemy” for Bass Clarinet and Marimba (6). The second most-sold piece was “Understanding This Dark Magic” for Alto Saxophone and Marimba (4). And before you ask, yes, they’re basically the same piece.
Shopping Experience
I heard from some of you that you’d like to buy a physical copy but would also like a digital copy without having to pay almost the same price. For most of the year, I tried the approach of marking digital downloads down by 25–50% from the price of the physical copy. This change did increase the sale of digital products, but it didn’t address the main problem: you still want a physical copy and a digital copy.
So, starting in early 2026, I will be adding a $5 add-on to all physical copies. In your mailed package, you will receive either a one-time-use 100% off coupon code to buy the same piece (digital) you bought, or you will receive an email from me with a one-time download link to your music.
