7 Tunes, 7 Days | A New Creative Program from JazzComposersPresent
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
Normally, I don’t post much about JazzComposersPresent initiatives on my personal site because I try to keep the projects somewhat separate. But I wanted to make an exception for this one because it feels deeply personal to me.
Yesterday, we announced 7 Tunes, 7 Days, a new free online creative program from JazzComposersPresent that has honestly been a dream of mine for nearly five years. From the beginning of JCP, one of the biggest goals that Steve McFarlane and I shared was to create the kind of resource we wish we had when we were students: something encouraging, practical, creatively inspiring, and centered around actually writing music consistently.
As composers, it’s very easy to get stuck overthinking ideas, waiting for inspiration, or feeling overwhelmed by large projects. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that creativity often grows through momentum and consistency more than waiting for the “perfect” idea. That philosophy became the foundation of this program. Each day, participants receive a creative prompt inspired by one of our wonderful Mini-Lessons, and compose a new lead sheet based on that prompt. The goal is not perfection. It’s simply to show up, create regularly, experiment, and finish ideas.
One of the aspects I’m most proud of is that we also commissioned an incredible group of world-class composers to respond to the exact same prompts. As participants move through the program, they’ll be able to download and study those works as well, offering an opportunity to see how different artists approach the same creative challenge. Featured composers include: Annie Booth, Rachel Eckroth, Florian Hoefner, Mike Holober, Ayn Inserto, Christine Jensen, Jihye Lee, Remy Le Boeuf, Fabia Mantwill, Justin Morell, Ed Neumeister, Ed Partyka, Rufus Reid, Sherisse Rogers, and Dave Scott.
At its core, this project reflects what JazzComposersPresent has always tried to be: a supportive global community centered around creativity, education, and helping composers grow throughout their careers.
7 Tunes, 7 Days launches on June 1st, 2026, and registration is completely free.
Register here:
