Carm Castiglione
I had the pleasure of meeting multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer Carm Castiglione recently.
Carm, who also has been a high-school music teacher in the Toronto area for more than 25 years, began studying music as a child and composing as a teen; however, he didn’t take writing seriously until his early twenties. While he was at university, he focused on composition, choral methods, and theory.
His composition specialty genres are Classical, Jazz, Blues/Rock, and thematic film music, and some of his pieces have aired on radio and TV. Some of his original musical work, much of which has been published with licensing companies, can be sampled at https://soundcloud.com/carm-castiglione.
He sells and publishes digital sheet music from his own sheet music store, www.musicsheetexpress.com.
Carm’s North American performing career spans more than 30 years, and for the past 10 years he has played, sang, or headlined tribute bands impersonating artists such John Lennon, the Bee Gees, and Led Zeppelin.
Interview questions:
1. When was your first experience with music that you can remember?
My first experience with music was when I began taking accordion lessons at the age of 11. I was enrolled in the Ontario Conservatory of Music program studying accordion over of a seven-year period. After studying the accordion, I began to explore the piano, guitar, and voice extensively.
- Who has influenced, motivated, and inspired you in your music?
I have many influences. My first love of music came from listening to popular music on my transistor radio as a child. Rock and Roll has been a big influence—anything from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin—and jazz and blues have also inspired me, but classical music has always been the foundation of my inspiration and influence. Individuals who have inspired me include Frederic Chopin, L.V. Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Elton John, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Ray Charles, and Fats Waller.
- What role has music played in your life?
Music is at the center of my life. It is a 24/7 thing for me! If I am not performing, arranging, or composing, then I am doing something else related to music, such as networking and handling business matters and advertising.
- When did you first realize that you wanted to focus on music?
I think my heart always knew I wanted to focus on music, ever since I was a teenager; however, my brain was not convinced until I was in my early 20s. I started off in the business/finance field after graduating with a degree in economics. After two years in finance, I realized that working behind a desk from 9 to 5 was not for me—but more importantly, I realized that music was my future. I returned to university to earn a degree in music to pursue teaching high school music.
- When did you write your first composition?
My first exploration with writing was when I was about 16 years old. These unfinished ideas were captured on a cassette tape player/recorder that I kept next to the upright piano at my childhood home. Unfortunately, these recordings have since been lost.
- Tell me about your compositional process.
I don’t know if I really have any strict compositional process. I typically let the muse come to me, and most of the time I don’t realize I’m composing when it is happening. Sometimes I will just start improvising with chord progressions and/or melodies at the piano (possibly going off on a tangent from some other song I was just playing) and I take off with it. I rely solely on my emotions and don’t think too much about the theoretical or structural aspects of composing. If it is something I am impressed with, I will record the main theme on my phone. Then I will ignore it for a few days. I will revisit the piece days, maybe even months, later with fresh ears to see if it sounds like something that I value. In most cases, I end up deleting the idea. If I decide to salvage the theme, I notate it, using Sibelius, and then edit it applying voice-leading skills and developing the music into a finished piece.
- Have you changed the way you teach and compose music during COVID19?
Teaching has changed drastically. Teaching remotely has been the norm for most if not all teachers over the past year. Composing has not changed at all during COVID, since this is a completely individual process for me.
- How else has COVID19 changed your life?
Covid has affected my social life, as it has for all of us, but it has also stopped me from performing music on stage. Performance is a large part of who I am. I perform in a couple of different professional bands covering popular musical hits and performing all over North America. I perform (sing) in a Bee Gees tribute and in a John Lennon tribute, performing lead roles in each. I really miss the connection with the audience.
- How did you feel when you published your first compositions?
It makes me feel complete as a musician when my music is selected for publishing. I have been fortunate enough to have had my music selected for radio commercials and a TV placement on a major TV network. For me, money is not the motivation to promote my music. What I enjoy most is that I am able to share my music with the general public for their listening enjoyment. When someone genuinely tells me they really enjoy one of my pieces, it is worth more than any amount of money one could offer me. When my music is selected for a publishing deal, I get the same feeling, because it shows me my music is valued by others.
- Why do you write music or do what you do in the field of music?
I am still trying to figure out why I do it. Throughout my journey I have asked myself that question over and over again. If it is something that is in you, it needs to come out! I believe every developing artist needs to communicate original ideas at some point along their musical path. Playing other people’s music is fun for an amateur, but after a while, it becomes stale, especially for an experienced soloist.
- Do you have a favorite genre or type of musical group to work with or write for?
I enjoy music from the Romantic Era, Jazz, and Classic Rock.
12. Do you use technology in your compositions, teaching, and/or business? If so, how?
I use Sibelius software for notation and Pro Tools for audio recording and production.
13. Do you have any advice for composers today?
My advice to any young composer today is to become very tech-savvy, since music is changing, and the technology is changing even faster. I recall buying my very first computer decades ago, when most of my friends didn’t even have one yet, only because I wanted to notate music. At the time I was using Finale notation software for my originals.
14. How do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as the guy who composed “that piece of music,” even if it’s only my immediate family who remembers it. I want my musical legacy to move forward, from my children to their children and onward!
