We recently connected with Jeff Henderson and have shared our conversation below.
Jeff, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
That’s hard to choose. I’d say the most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my work “A Christmas Prologue.” I wrote this piece in December of 2024 to be played by a brass ensemble at my church. I had a vision of a Christmas celebration featuring a large brass choir with percussion that could feature some of my local professional friends as well as give a chance to younger musicians still looking for their place in our music community. The piece took several tries to complete, and after many drafts, I finished a work featuring a medley of traditional Christmas carols outlining the Biblical Christmas narrative.
What stood out in this project is the opportunity it provided for many players from many circles of life to play together. We had musicians of all ages, from high school to senior citizens. Many of the participants were professional musicians who volunteered, but we also had several from the community just looking for an opportunity to play and join a group. It was truly inspirational to see the experienced members mentoring the youth, and it brought back many memories from when I first started learning music. People who hadn’t touched their instruments in years finally had a reason and chance to find that spark of creating music again. Even the pastor of the church got involved! Many of our members were from Pensacola and the surrounding areas, but several came from out of state. It was amazing to be a part of a group that promoted music education and helped foster the Christmas spirit, joy in music, and lifelong connections that can come from playing music.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Music has been part of my life for almost as long as I remember. I grew up in a very musical family, and it seemed that there was always someone singing, playing an instrument, or enjoying music. As I grew, I developed a desire to learn instruments. Bluegrass music held a special place in my heart growing up and inspired me to start on the banjo, learning through YouTube videos and the guidance of other players in my life. Eventually, my tiny church orchestra needed a percussionist, and I thought, “Hey, why not?” I remember clanging on the glockenspiel for many difficult hours, still not fully grasping how to read music. My dad is a trumpet player and he inspired me to start learning the trumpet and gave me some beginning lessons. From there, I experimented and dabbled with many instruments, from clarinet to didgeridoo. I kept developing these talents over my childhood and into adulthood, where I began a career in music and professional music playing, primarily on the trumpet.
Much of my instrumental growth came from my participation in my church orchestra and community bands. I have such fond memories of many of the older, more experienced musicians taking me under their wings and guiding me into the proficiency I have now. It was in these many instruments and surrounded by these supportive musicians that my love of arranging and composing started to grow. My church orchestra had very random selection of instruments, and we often found that published orchestrations did not meet the unique instrumentation or level of our group. My dad, sister, and a fellow orchestra member started creating custom arrangements for the group, and eventually, I joined and started creating my own. This encouraged me to explore more with composition, and I began studying composition books and scores voraciously. As I learned more, I began writing pieces for my community band to play. They eagerly played the pieces, providing me with encouragement, feedback, and exposure opportunities as we went. This support from my community helped launch my interest into professional writing and gave me a safe space to explore composition.
I feel that I have grown considerably since those first days of composition, and I endeavor to grow and learn more every day. Over the course of my musical journey, I have developed a strong passion for writing church music. Churches need music. They program multiple pieces every week and are always look for new selections. What’s available is often dated, lacking in quality, or overplayed. Unfortunately, I’ve found that oftentimes, church music is not held to the same professional standards as other music, standards such as orchestral score order, proper notation or pitch/chord spelling, and even simple proofing. In both my original compositions and arrangements, I hold myself to standards that one would expect to find in the professional composition community. Music composition, church music included, deserves nothing less than excellence from it’s writers, and I will always strive to do my best with every note. Overall, my purpose in music composition is to create quality original music that adheres to both sacred and secular standards and is accessible to many audiences.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
One of the biggest ways to support artists, specifically musicians, today is to show up. It is hard and discouraging to a performer or group to look out in the audience and see a very small crowd. When a local artist or group is performing, go to their event. If you can support the event financially, great, but if that is not in your means, still being there can make a big difference to the morale and drive of the performer. To know that your community cares about what you are contributing is a great feeling and often can provide the motivation to either keep going or to even do better. Not only do these apply at formal events, but also if you see a gigging musician in a coffee shop or restaurant, stop and listen for a moment, clap for them, give them a tip if you can, and help them form connections they would not have formed without you. The best promoter today is word of mouth.
Another way to support musicians is to support the music education community. Today’s students are tomorrow’s professionals, and the things we do now to help them on their musical journey can shape what the music community looks like in the future. This can be as simple as showing up to their recitals. You do not have to be a musician to help. If you are a musician, don’t be afraid to share some tips with those still learning. Be kind and understanding, but you have knowledge that can help them improve. For parents, give your child the option of learning a musical instrument. So many people have had their lives changed by learning music, even those that have not continued into a music career.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
One of the most practical resources I’ve discovered and wish I knew about sooner is the music notation software Musescore. Writing by hand can be time-consuming and hard to correct errors; notation software is very practical and almost necessary in the composition world today. After working with many of the major notation software, I’ve found Musescore to be one of the most user-friendly and efficient, making it great for people starting in composition. Much of the time, the software will auto-default notation, but a good composer still needs to understand the rules and standards.
Another resource that I’ve discovered over the years is having band or orchestra directors, church music directors, and local performers look at my music. For example, if I have a new concert band work, many band directors are happy to look at it, give me feedback, and possibly even read through or perform it with their group. Most of these musicians are looking for new music anyway and are excited to see new composers in their community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jeffsharpmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffsharpmusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsharpmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeffSharpMusic
Image Credits
Brandon Lane, Amanda Cameron, Diane Allen, Catherine Wooten