“A composition teacher should serve as a role model,” says Macbride.

Until my junior year at The Hartt School, my music education had been about tonality, form, and function, and the music I had studied consisted of works by classical composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. So, when I walked into David Macbride's Form and Analysis II class in the fall of 1996, I wasn't sure what to expect. Macbride, an associate professor of composition and theory at Hartt, was known for his interest in modern music. By the end of the semester, I had come to appreciate, if not quite enjoy, the most dissonant and avante garde work in the world of music.

During one class, instead of playing a recording of Leonard Bernstein's "Cool" from West Side Story, Macbride (Hartt '73, faculty '84 to present) sat down at the piano to play. Within seconds we were swept away to the streets of New York in the 1950s and the heated turf fight between the Jets and the Sharks. We listened in awe as the piano wailed and passion poured from Macbride's fingertips.

We were assigned hours of reading and listening to music for the course, and Macbride allowed us to find our own way within modern music. There were only three other students in my section, and the four of us spent many hours with Macbride in lively discussions and debates. His class transformed me from a good student with a decent base of musical knowledge to a true musician. I became passionate about learning music, particularly modern music. In fact, I changed from a combined major in music and writing to a major in music theory and enrolled in other classes with Macbride, who became my advisor.

As part of my music theory program, I also took courses in composition with Macbride, an accomplished composer himself. I had written music before, but only for my own enjoyment. Now, he encouraged me to come out of my musical shell. Under his tutelage, my interest and need to compose grew, eventually becoming a strong part of my identity.

After completing my bachelor's degree, I decided to get a master's degree in music theory at Hartt and continued to compose. As a graduate student, I noticed that Macbride customized each class depending upon the students. While the course was designed around our musical interests, he still managed to cover his objectives.

Students often wonder how their professors ended up at the front of a classroom. For Macbride, the path was circular. He grew up in Berkeley, Calif., and arrived as a freshman composition student at The Hartt School with no knowledge of East Coast winters. "I didn't know what cold was," he says. "I didn't even feel it. But the next winter I bought a coat."

At Hartt, Macbride found a mentor in Ed Diemente, now professor emeritus. "I needed guidance, and he was there," Macbride says. "He told me, 'Try to get away from the composer as Superman and think rather of the composer as a craftsman.'"

A year after graduation, Macbride went to New York to study with the composer Jack Beeson at Columbia University, who told Macbride his music was offbeat. Six years later, Macbride left Columbia with a master's degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts and began transcribing and arranging music for companies like Warner Brothers. He also began working with a new music group called Gageego, (translated as "the first word uttered by mankind").

Vacationing in Paris during the summer of 1984, Macbride received a telegram telling him of an opening in Hartt's music theory department. "I looked at Lisa (now his wife) and couldn't say anything," he recalls. Macbride applied, was hired, and that fall found himself at Hartt teaching an introductory theory course. Later, he taught a class on analyzing modern music, which was more his style. He says he finds inspiration in such musicians as Bela Bartók, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Toru Takemitsu, Charles Mingus, and Edgard Varése.

Macbride is comfortable with his music and his career at Hartt. "I hope to offer my insight and experience, but it's up to the students to get what they can out of the music," he says. "A composition teacher should serve as a role model. Some students need discipline, ideas, and priorities. Others are productive but need to explore a broader variety of musics."

Besides teaching and composing, Macbride works tirelessly to make music accessible and enjoyable for people of all ages. He has presented a number of free concerts in Elizabeth Park in Hartford and is an advocate for increased music education opportunities in public schools. In 2001 he received a community service award from the University of Hartford in recognition of his efforts in communities throughout Greater Hartford.

I continue to write music and find inspiration in composers like Macbride. And, as public relations manager for The Hartt School, I enjoy being able to promote the man who is my mentor.