“Love Is the Better Way” from SOUNDS CRAZY.  Several of the songs on Sounds Crazy go back a way. “Love Is the Better Way” reaches back further than most. I wrote its first iteration in the early 1990s. The reason I remember this is because it [...]

There is much talk these days about getting back to normal. And the Buzz Word of the Day is the “new normal,” though nobody seems to know what that will be or when it will happen. Maybe there will be an announcement: “And this [...]

As  kids returning to school in the fall, most of us knew that at some point in the first week of class we’d have to write a “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” essay. If you were like me, you made stuff up, seeing as how I [...]

“Outta Here,” “The Trio,” and “Riverside” from SOUNDS CRAZY.  Who doesn’t like a story with a surprise ending? (Answer: nobody) The Bible is full of stories that don’t end up where you think they will. On my CD, SOUNDS CRAZY, I included three [...]

When I was young and foolishly sure of myself, my song lyrics too often had the tendency to focus on what the listener should do to get his or her life right. I call these kinds of songs “You songs,” because they say things like, “You need to do [...]

Last week I attended my first day of school. Let me clarify. “Professor” Sterling (sounds weird, right?) met with a small group of students on Saturday morning (yikes!) for the first of fourteen weekly 3-hour classes (double yikes) that will [...]

Here’s another behind-the-scenes look at a recent choral anthem… One for traditional choirs: CHRIST THE WORD For those who compose music for the Church, perhaps the most crucial element in our work – even more so than the music – is [...]

“Church” (Words & Music by Robert Sterling) from the CD Sounds Crazy. Some songs burst out in a creative rush. Others leak out over a period of days. If you look only at the time I spent actively writing it, “Church” arrived in a matter of [...]

I recently released a solo project. We used to call them albums. Then we called them CDs. Now I just go with “project” – because CDs have pretty much disappeared, and albums (LPs) are only for vinyl afficianados. But as I was saying, I released [...]

“Perfect Peace” (Words & Music by Robert Sterling) There are lots of ways to write a song. The “right” way is whatever way works for the writer or writers. The words may come first, fully formed and in search of a melody. Or the [...]