rather, it would allow for the precise music needed in the moment of encounter to be heard, and give me the ability to choose what and when to hear any included music during my reading journey.

The Block biography planted a seed of an idea in my head for a new media piece about Amy Beach. That seed germinated over the next weeks. At the close of a subsequent critical essay seminar at Antioch, Ed Frankel asked students to write ideas they had for their required long-form critical essay on cards and to pass them forward. He read some of the ideas aloud  and made comments. It had taken a great deal of courage for me to write: “What would a multimedia essay about composer Amy Beach look like?” on my card. My palms sweated as he sorted through and read critical paper ideas. I knew that I would need the support of Ed, and a writing mentor who would work with me, if I was going to get permission to undertake such a project. To my knowledge no one in the MFA program had ever written a new media critical essay. I also knew that once Ed read my card aloud, if he did agree that it was a good idea, I would be committed in front of my entire student body cohort to actually create this new media project. I knew when Ed arrived at my card because he turned it in a circle to read it. I had written it that way in order to make the words fit. There was a long moment’s pause while he considered. I half expected him to toss the card aside as he had several others, not wanting to go there. Then I heard him reading my card out loud. Slowly. He lowered his arm to his side and said, “This gives me chills.” My die was cast.

Amy Beach and Me thus explores what a new media book about Beach might be. It began as an essay, but in short order it was obvious that what I had undertaken required  something the magnitude of a book. I am making it up as I go along and that is both scary and exciting. I have no road map and few writing models to draw from. What I am drawing on are my love of art, music, sound, animation, video, new media and, yes, words, and my belief that the best way to communicate is always with the appropriate communication tool for the task.

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