Last night was the first big step in this Judy Garland musical I’ve arranged music for. With the help of a lot of people including a first rate cast, pianist, and an incredible business planner, we were able to put on an abbreviated version of the show for our first “backer’s audition.”

Although the work is far from over, we can now take a little while to breathe while we plan our next move. I still have a lot of changes I want to make in several songs, but at least now I have a little more time to focus some effort on other non-Judy projects like Heartwood, a 30-minute independent film I’m scoring and doing sound design for. I’ll also be attending Midwest for a little Chi-City fun in two short weeks. And after that, I’ll be writing what will be my first grade 2 (but will likely turn out to be grade 3) band piece for my former junior high band teacher and her band at Smith Junior High School way out in East Mesa.

The fun never stops.