Working in collaboration with other local musicians and artists, David Gilfix, a musician and the music teacher at Hildreth Elementary School (HES), released a new CD of 11 of his original songs. A project two years in the making, Gilfix said that a lot of hard work went into composing, performing, and recording each song, creating a unique album that is a blend of several different genres and styles.
In an interview with the Press, Gilfix said that he has never focused on playing just one musical genre but has a love for all styles of music. The CD includes songs that fall into several categories, including rock, folk, bluegrass, country, Celtic, Afro-Carribean, Broadway, and punk. He noted that his favorite song from the album, however, is the title track, “When Will I Begin?” Gilfix added that a big theme throughout the songs is “searching,” and that the music is upbeat and positive. “I used to think that to be an artist, you had to be down, like if you could make everyone cry, then you were doing a good job,” he said. “Now I sort of think that if you can write something that puts people in a good mood, or at least an introspective mood, then that’s a better way to go.”
A lot of steps and challenges go into crafting an album, Gilfix explained. Before starting this project, he had never realized how much went into the production process. “There’s so much more involved in choosing the instruments, choosing the sounds you want, choosing the right mix of sounds, and getting the musicians you want,” he said. “Part of it is a little bit of a discovery process where you don’t really know what you have until you put it together. There’s something fun about that, there’s something exciting about that, but also it can be very frustrating.”
David Gilfix performs at the music faculty’s showcase event in February. (Photo by Tim Clark)
In order to compose each piece of music, Gilfix worked alongside his producer, Roger Christie. He said that many changes had to be made to the songs along the way, including swapping out different musicians to make sure the finished product was what he was aiming for. Actually creating the music was not the only challenge Gilfix faced, however. “The recording of a song is simply much more difficult than I ever thought it would be,” he said, explaining that it’s hard to perfect each song. A small mistake might be overlooked playing live music, but not when recorded. Despite the difficulties, Gilfix said he enjoyed the process, describing it as “an addictive art form.”
Gilfix has been a musician for much of his life. Before teaching, he had been a performer and classical guitarist in New York City for 10 years. He said during this time he also wrote his own original songs and plays, some of which were produced. Gilfix has now been teaching music for more than 20 years, having gone into the field because it is a “combination of everything [he] loves” since he enjoys both music and working with children.
A different perspective
As a music teacher, he now has a different perspective on music and creativity, and teaching has made him a better musician and vice versa, Gilfix said. As a composer and a performer, he said he tries to “emphasize both performance and creative skills.” In his music lessons at HES, Gilfix does the same thing. While the schools often emphasize musical performance alone, he tries to incorporate composition into the curriculum, as well. “Whether it’s improvisation or song creation, I encourage students to come up with how to arrange a song, sing, or make changes in the music,” he said.
Gilfix collaborated with several other artists on this project, many of whom live or teach in Harvard. Most notably, Christie, the recording specialist at the local Black Cat Crossing studio, is the producer; David Kassel, a Harvard resident, plays the violin; Nikolaus Hunt, a band teacher at Bromfield, plays the keyboard; and Cynthia Fontaine, a graphic arts teacher at Bromfield, designed the cover art for the CD. Gilfix expressed gratitude for the work over the past couple of years that his colleagues put into bringing the album to life.
“When will I begin?” is now available for purchase as a CD or in digital form and can be found at the General Store or online at music.davidgilfix.com. Proceeds from sales in Harvard will go to support Fanfare, the music booster organization for Harvard Public Schools.
