Alan Moss received his Bachelors Degree from Olivet Nazarene University in Music Education and has a Masters of Music from Webster University in Music Composition. He is a freelance composer published with four different publishers including Columbia Pictures. He currently holds the Guest Composers Chair for the Youth Orchestra in Gadsden Alabama.
Alan is retired from Hazelwood School District in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was a Band and Orchestra Director for 25 years. Some of his honors include: Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years, Merit Award from St. Louis Music Educators, National Award as Master Music Educator - MENC Divisional Music Director for the Salvation Army.
Alan performs with the Melbourne Community Orchestra, Melbourne Municipal Band, Brass Choir, Burnished Brass, and Swing Time Band. Alan also plays Euphonium at the Salvation Army Christmas Kettles as he has done for over 35 years.
He resides in Palm Bay, Florida with his wife Nancy and daughter Kelly.
Alan had occasion to participate in an interview with the Etowah Youth Orchestra, as their guest composer. Here is how it went:
Alan Moss holds a B.S. in Music Education from Olivet Nazarene University and a Masters Degree in Music Composition at Webster University
He taught Elementary Band and Orchestra for 25 years in the Hazelwood
School District in St. Louis, Missouri where he also served as Salvation
Army Bandmaster and Divisional Music Director.
He is a published composer with Studio P/R (now Columbia Pictures), David E. Smith Publications and William Allen Publishing in Washington. DC. JPM Music Publications released his latest published works for Concert Band, Brass Quintet, String Orchestra and Christmas Duets. He was also recognized as a Registered National Music Educator. He retired from teaching and moved to Melbourne, Florida in 1997 with his wife Nancy and daughter Kelly to be close to his parents who live here.
Mr. Moss has held the composers chair with Etowah Youth Orchestra in Gadsden, Alabama. The Orchestra has played his compositions at Lincoln Center and at Carnegie Hall. The first project with EYO was “Singing a Song of His Own” a tribute to Jerry Garcia. Other projects include “Lullaby for Strings” for the June Bugg Prelude Strings. “Meggido” for orchestra with narration. “Forest Fantasy Suite” that was composed using ideas from the EYO members, several musical arrangements for the EYS Honor Strings. And the “Siciliano” movement of “La Decime”. The Concert Band has also played some his work.
He is currently The Salvation Army Bandmaster and Corps pianist at the Melbourne Salvation Army Corps and also arranges for and performs regularly with the Melbourne Municipal Band, Melbourne Community Orchestra, Swingtime Band, Space Coast winds, Burnished Brass and the Sunshine Brass Quintet.
1. How did your musical career begin?
Very slowly and painfully. My first lesson was in February of 1956 where
I learned to make a noise. My second lesson was in February of 1957 when
I was taught the “C” scale. My third lesson was in June 1957
at a music camp where I was taught how to read music. My first instrument
was Alto Horn that I played in the Salvation Army Band
2. Who are your primary musical influences?
Brass Band Composers from throughout the world have been my primary influence.
People like Eric Ball and Ray Steadman-Allen from England; Eric Silferberg
from Sweden; Jim Curnow, Stephen Bulla and William Himes from the United
States; and Robert Redhead from Canada. These composers are very popular
among Brass Band enthusiasts and are at the very cutting edge of their
craft.
3. What do you like to listen to when you aren't
composing?
I really like silence. If you checked out my radio stations in my car
you would find them extremely eclectic. You would also find that I listen
to several country stations and absolutely no talk shows. Even my CD collection
is of a wide range of interest from Swing to String Quartets.
4. What are your hobbies outside of music?
Carpentry – Art (drawing as well as crafty things) – reading
– cooking – fishing
5. What has been your greatest opportunity provided
to you because of your musical talent?
“Singing a Song of His Own” a tribute to Jerry Garcia has
given me several opportunities to talk to young people about the danger
of drugs and alcohol. Such a talented musician to lose his life to drugs:
the chance to explain to kids that the legacy that Garcia left was not
music: The legacy he left was do drugs and you die young . The greatest
musical moment of my career is the silence at the end of “Singing
a Song of His Own”
6. What are your favorite movies or television
shows?
I do not watch much TV maybe CSI once in a while. College football in
November and December then Basketball during March.
7. You can have dinner with any four people,
living or dead. Who would they be?
My wife – Jesus Christ – Dr. Robert Smith – Charles
Schultz
8. What would you like your legacy as a composer
to be?
I like to write “music that works”. Which is to say I want
to write good music that is accessible to the average performer. I don't
understand why composers write complicated music that rarely can be played
and then only with great difficulty.
9. Who is your favorite historical figure?
William Booth
10. Describe yourself in four words.
Happy, joyous and free!