An Interview with: Patrick Roszell

Patrick Roszell is a high school band director in Alabama who has been writing and arranging for Alfred Music since 2008. A product of Jacksonville State University and Troy University, his writing stays close to the students he teaches every day…and it shows.

Q: How did you first discover your passion for composing?

In tenth grade, I heard an arrangement of 'Taboo' by Robert W. Smith, and was blown away. That was where my interest in arranging and composition began. My high school band director, Bill Barker, let me raid the music library for study scores. As a 90s band kid, I studied Smith, Swearingen, Sheldon, and Bocook.

Q: Who has shaped how you think about music?

Some you will know, some you will not. Jerryl Davis, Elton John, Robert W. Smith, Ralph Ford, James Woodward, George Megaw, John Williams, and Robert Sheldon, just to name a few.

Q: What was the first piece you wrote that made you think, "I might actually be onto something here"?

I'm not a person who really thinks that way. My first really successful band chart was an arrangement of 'Shepherd's Hey' for beginning band. I still get director comments on it to this day.

Q: What's the hardest creative problem you've ever had to solve in your work, and how did you get through it?

As George Megaw used to say, 'Find a V–I, and end it.'

Q: How has your compositional voice changed over the years? Is there anything you used to believe about writing music that you've since changed your mind on?

"There are no rules."

Q: Do you have a favorite piece on Alfred.com? What was the spark behind it?

At the moment, I'd have to say, 'A Beacon of Light.' It was written for Mr. Gene Inglis after his retirement, having taught for 49 years as a band director. I have known Gene for many years, and he has been a mentor. I also attended Jacksonville State University with his two oldest children, Tony and Gena, as music majors in the 90s. Gene also student-taught with my high school band director. So there are a lot of connections that made it a really special piece to write and have premiered with Gene and his family in the audience.

Q: If there were a soundtrack for your own life right now, what piece would it be?

The album 'Who Believes in Angels' by Elton John and Brandi Carlile.

Q: Where are you based, and how does your environment influence your work?

I am currently a high school band director in Alabama. My band consists of grades 7–12, and I also teach 6th-grade beginning band. Teaching every day has directly influenced my writing as I see what works and what doesn't work in band music.

Q: How do you spend most of your working hours?

Teaching is my main job, but I also find time to write at times during the day, but mainly at night.

Q: Where did you study, and how much of what you do today traces back to your formal training versus what you figured out on your own?

My undergraduate degree came from Jacksonville State University in Alabama, where I studied with Dr. William Jerryl Davis. A Kentucky farm boy who had MM and DMA degrees from the Eastman School of Music. He taught me the basis of my theory and orchestration knowledge. Unfortunately, Jerryl passed away in 2006 and never saw any of my success in the music publishing world. Jerryl willed me one of his concert grand Steinway pianos. It is next to my writing station. Most of my ideas start on that piano.

My MM degree came from Troy University, where I worked with Robert W. Smith and Ralph Ford. Robert taught me the 'business' side of music publishing and was a mentor for many years. I am currently finishing my Doctor of Arts degree in music education.

Jerryl and Robert taught me a great deal about music and the music business. I miss them both.

Q: Did you grow up in a musical household, or did music find you some other way?

No, neither of my parents are musical. There was always music in the house. Music was always a big part of my life growing up. As a kid, my parents told me that they would find me listening to records for hours on end.

Q: How long have you been publishing with Alfred, and how did that relationship start?

I have been with Alfred since 2008. I had a very popular Christmas arrangement with FJH Music around that time, and I got a call from George Megaw, who was then the Belwin editor, asking if I wanted to write for Belwin. I said, 'Of course,' and that's how it started. My arrangement of 'Shepherd's Hey' came shortly after that, and I became an exclusive writer for Belwin in 2013.

Q: Outside of composing, is there another role in music that's been just as central to who you are?

Education. I have been teaching band for 12 years.

Q: How has the music education publishing world changed since you started, and how has that shaped what you write?

This could be a doctoral dissertation. I worked as a consulting editor at Warner Bros. Publications after finishing my MM. Then, a short time at The FJH Music Company. The bulk of my time in the industry has been as a writer for Alfred Music. I've seen a lot of changes, mostly for the good. This would be an awesome round table discussion with Bob Dingley, Robert W. Smith, George Megaw, Sandy Feldstein, and the current leaders in publishing.

Q: What's a type of piece or repertoire gap you think the industry still hasn't figured out yet?

I don't know of a gap, but 'beginning band,' grade .5 to 1, and 'young band,' grade 2, I think, are very important. Young musicians need good music to learn and grow with. That was some advice I got early on, and a big reason why I have stayed close to those grade levels as a writer.

Q: What do you want your body of work to add up to?

I'm a band director who arranges and composes music for band and orchestra. I hope that the music I have written or arranged reaches students in a meaningful way and has some educational value.

Q: Is there a favorite piece of yours that may not be your most popular work but resonates really strongly with you?

I wrote this piece, 'On the Third Day,' years ago as my first foray into the grade 4 world. It was too difficult, and I wasn't a well-known enough writer at the time for the piece to attract attention. But it has always been a favorite of mine, especially the lyrical section.

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