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Updated September 2008
Full Name: Christopher Thomas Goodman
Birthdate: February 14, 1977
Where: Martinsville, Virginia
Occupation: Army Bandsman, Electronic Musician
Education: Graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, see my Resume for more detail.
Hair: Dark Brown, straight and thick (I used to have a flat-top, but now I usually keep it long enough to comb.)
Eyes: Dark Brown, usually with glasses
Heighth: 5' 8"
Weight: 180 lb (about 81 kg, I think)
Ethnicity: Mostly Western European - but in America, who knows for sure? Few Americans are pure anything, so forget about it.
Where I currently live: Columbia, SC
Where I say I'm from: Ridgeway, Virginia, then I work my way up until people recognize a city. After Ridgeway I say Martinsville, then Roanoke, and then Greensboro, North Carolina. Finally if the person still has no idea, I say "the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the western part of Virginia, not West Virginia." There is no hospital in Ridgeway, so technically I wasn't born there. And just for full honesty, we lived in a subdivision between Ridgeway and Martinsville before moving into town when I was in 6th grade. But I've always had a connection to Ridgeway through church and friends. Therefore, I'm from Ridgeway.
Where I vote, pay taxes, and plan to return after the Army: El Paso, Texas
Other places I've lived: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, Hessen, Germany; Norfolk, VA; Oberlin, OH; Horse Pasture, VA (seriously - that's it's name)
Places I've visited or lived in for short periods of time: Richmond, VA; New York City; Fort Jackson, SC; most states in the eastern half of the US (particularly the South); Toronto, Canada; Tamil Nadu, India; Germany; Paris, France; Switzerland; the Czech Republic; Belgium; Italy; Vatican City; Kuwait; and Baghdad, Iraq
Myers-Briggs: INTP - (This description is from the makers of the test) Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical.
My General Traits: independent, skeptical, sincere. For an INTP, I am somewhat emotional, although I'm rather reserved compared to most people, or so my friends and family seem to think. I rarely have a "favorite" anything for any length of time. My interests tend to revolve around music and the arts in general, but specific interests seem change every few months. I tend to do one to three things very intensely for awhile, and then lose interest in one or two while picking up another.
I'm not very religious now, but I grew up Methodist, became somewhat evangelical in high school, and then broadened my thinking quite a bit to Ecumenical in college. "Ecumenical" basically means multi-denominational, which I feel is different from "non-denominational." In other words, I became an open-minded Christian, which some people erroneously think is a contradiction. All that said, it's probably best to think that Methodist Christianity is where I come from, but I've moved on to a very different place.
I am intensely independent, and until 2006 I consistently vote split tickets. In general, I'm moderately liberal, but on some issues I'm still rather conservative. If I was forced to join a political party, I would join the Libertarians, but I've yet to vote for a Libertarian candidate. My three big issues are foreign policy, fiscal responsibility, and health care. Due to the corruption of the Republican Party, I've become a reluctant Democrat. But I look forward to the day when the Republican Party gets its act together so I don't have to vote against them anymore.
Specifically, I want a return to federal balanced budgets and surpluses, even if that means my pet issues are put to the side. By balancing our national budget and paying down our national debt, we decrease our spending on interest, which I think is the biggest waste of tax money there is. If we spend less money on interest payments on the national debt, then tax cuts, government spending on social programs, or some compromise between these two could actually be good for our economy and will lighten the tax burden of future generations. Inflation is basically a hidden tax, and it is a direct result of our government's irresponsible spending. Although I'd like to mostly see less government and lower taxes, I am firmly against giving any tax cuts to wealthy people and profitable corporations while we are still in this bind. Tax cuts for the wealthy are for times of surplus. That said, I'm against "windfall" taxes - I don't think there should be punitive taxes on success. But the poor and middle classes are the ones that suffer, and should be the focus of any stimulus tax cuts (they spend most of their income). Again, wealthy people (and I'm generous in what I consider wealthy) do not deserve a tax break when the rest of the country is suffering. Having to purchase a Mercedes instead of Bentley, or send Junior to public school, is not suffering.
I'm slightly liberal on the Defense side of fiscal policy, although I still support a strong defense department that is large enough and advanced enough to accomplish what we demand of it. I'm "liberal", though, because I think it should be the Department of "Defense" - not the Department of "War" to which Bush's Preemptive Policies have returned it - and I think we should eliminate most of our nuclear weapons. By returning to a focus on defense and eliminating our costly, but unnecessary, nuclear arsenals, we can also free up money to pay down the debt and eventually lower taxes. I don't think that any technology should be off-limits, excepting of course those agreed upon in treaties. But really, are we going to nuke someone? I hope not!
This final section isn't solely musical, but because I am a musician, it is music centered. Perhaps it would be better to think of it as a short autobiography. I update it after moving and major events in my life, which ends up being roughly once a year.
My music background is rather varied. I started taking violin lessons when I was three years old, on a one quarter size violin. But, I don't remember anything because my teacher, the only violin teacher in the area at the time, moved away. I suppose I could have taken fiddle lessons (there are many good fiddlers in southwestern Virginia), but my parents wanted me to have more formal musical training. So, I started taking piano lessons from Ruth Pace, a wonderful lady and talented musician who was music director at my church, among many other things. (She also directed a local choral society, is a retired teacher, travels all over the world, does volunteer work, and, along with her cousin Mary McGee, found time to write a Pulitzer Prize nominated book about our hometown of Ridgeway.) Ruth taught me from a classical standpoint, giving me a firm musical foundation. Soon, though, it was hard for us to have regular lessons - she was a very busy person. Besides, she normally didn't give private lessons, and had only done so for a few other students. I also was ready to move on. So, Ruth suggested that I see Sarah Denton, another relative of hers. Sarah, too, has had a varied background, starting classically with piano, but moving on to percussion, and studying some jazz. I was not the ideal student, but we became good friends (as good as a 3rd grader and an adult can be, anyway). I was not the ideal student because I was beginning to lose interest, and that was affecting my practicing. So, to keep my interest, Sarah began teaching more and more Pop and Rock music. A useful way of looking at such music is from a jazz standpoint, so the theory she taught me was jazz based. Theory was very important to her, as was ear training, particularly practical applications of the two, so I developed into a reasonably good ear musician who could also read music. I knew jazz theory, but probably learned fewer than ten jazz standards.
In my area, however, knowing few jazz standards was not a disadvantage. The ability to play popular music like Pop, Country, Easy Listening, and 50's and 60's Rock was what everyone wanted. So, I was able to do playing jobs by the time I was in middle school. Little ones, for around $15, but I still consider it early professional experience. My friend Brenda Powell was an early supporter in this, inviting me to play for local Republican Party functions. Ruth would also let me play in church some, although I had to be careful not to take too many liberties with the hymns. Soon, I decided that I wanted to be in a band.
This was not easy - there were not many drummers in my middle school. There were no bass players. The guitarists weren't good. Everyone's voices were changing. Plus, I didn't know any High School kids. So, Sarah suggested I get a keyboard with a sequencer like hers. I soon bought an Ensoniq ESQ-1, just like hers. She showed me how to use it, primarily using the sequencer to record synthesized background music. This forced me to do some arranging, which pushed me more into composition. I had composed a few small pieces before, but using the sequencer I could write several different parts and hear them all at once, even drums. After a while, I also started playing around with the synthesizer part of my keyboard, modifying the sounds to my liking. That is how I became interested in electronic music and composition - the two were very interrelated for me. I also, with my parents' and teacher's help, bought some more equipment - an Ensoniq Mirage sampler, and a Kawai R-50 Drum Machine. My parents were (and still are) amazing - they knew how much I wanted this stuff and believed in me enough that they took out a loan so I could have it. Also, even when money was tight, I could always count on music lessons. It is wonderful knowing that my parents love and support me.
While all this was going on, I started in my middle school's band program, playing trumpet. This gave me a chance to study and play in a large ensemble setting, and to learn a new instrument. While in middle school, though, I still concentrated on piano and keyboards. However, band became much more important in high school. Band is where my classical training continued. My band director, Fred Lewis, had us play several transcriptions of orchestral arrangements, and I really did not appreciate this until after I started college. My sight reading also improved, although I developed some bad habits - since the trumpet is monophonic, and I wasn't practicing my piano as much, my piano sight-reading deteriorated, since classical piano in particular requires that you concentrate on several parts at once. But still, band was a wonderful experience - playing for parades, sporting events, community events. We did lots of traveling, something that my family couldn't really afford. Mr. Lewis is amazing at planning cheap yet good trips. We went as far south as Florida (we marched in Disney World), and as far north as Toronto.
Mr. Lewis also helped me a lot individually. He was my first Music History teacher, and also the first person to teach me classical theory (with his help and Sarah's, I scored a 5 on the AP Music Theory exam, the highest possible). Mr. Lewis also let me use his computer after school - something I appreciate very much and that was very valuable in my learning since my family, like most in my area, could not afford a computer (we did have an old Tandy, but it was basically a typewriter - it didn't even have a spell checker). Mr. Lewis also encouraged my high school, the relatively new Magna Vista High School, to ask me to write our Alma Mater, which was my first "commissioned" work. I wrote the music and a friend of mine, Carley Hobbs, wrote the lyrics. He also let me write music for the band to play, and let me do some conducting.
Also in high school, I started working with the drama teacher, Beverly Davis. I did music for Magna Vista's spring productions for three years. I also worked on one fall production, the student written "Kaleidoscope", which is a short ensemble play that I think is actually quite good. I composed most of the music, the only non original material being a few children's songs and "Pomp and Circumstance." Other students in the production, including my high school sweetheart Michelle, wrote the scenes and poems. I think that "Kaleidoscope" was quite an accomplishment for a group of high school students, and it is one of my few works of which I am proud.
Around tenth grade, Bill and Linda Wilson and the Gospel Land Quartet came into my life. Bill heard me play at a local July Fourth festival and asked me if I would be interested in joining the Gospel Land Quartet, a local Southern Gospel group looking for a pianist. Bill drove the bus and did the mixing. Linda, his wife, tagged along giving moral support (she has always been someone I can talk to and be fairly honest with), subbing if one of the two women in the group got sick. Linda has a voice that I actually like - she says her words clearly, and being understood is important, especially in gospel music. I tend to be overly critical of vocalists - I even hate my own voice, though others say it isn't bad. But Linda's voice is great.
Gospel Land Quartet, later known as "Celebration", was wonderful. I got to serve the Lord doing something I love. I could write and play. And even though Southern Gospel is rather like religious country music, the group always was supportive of my creative endeavors, inside and outside the group. I would perform original music along with our regular stuff, and Bill helped me get my first recording session, even paying for it. Also, the group did lots of traveling, and every summer we took a week long trip somewhere, once going to New York, and twice going to West Virginia. Bill and Linda have been my second parents. They have helped me so much in life. Bill helped me get my first car, Linda has always been able to listen to me, and help me creatively (and she feeds me, too).
After my tenth grade in high school, I attended Virginia's Governor's School for Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Richmond. There for the month of July, I heard, met, and studied with both musicians and artists my age, and with professional musicians. Plus, I finally got some general direction in my studies; I studied with Chris Meister, who gave me my first composition lessons. Chris suggested that I contact Gary Nelson at Oberlin Conservatory to ask about schools to consider for my particular interests in music (composing, technology, interests in drama, etc.). Gary asked me to consider the TIMARA department of Oberlin Conservatory. I did, and, thanks in large part to a recruiting effort by Kristine Burns, ended up choosing to attend Oberlin (they also enticed me with a good scholarship).
At Oberlin, the variety of my experience continued. I studied classical theory, jazz theory, different music histories, ethnomusicology, composition and programming, and college subjects from architecture to economics to poetry. The TIMARA Department and its teachers were all wonderful. More about my Oberlin years can be picked up around my site, but some highlights include my band Tattered Hat, learning more about the music of India (particularly from Professor Zoe Sherinian), a trip to Tamil Nadu, India, my New Media Collaborations class under Richard Povall, studying Avant-garde Jazz with Hugh Regin, Jazz Arranging and Composition with Wendell Logan, and working with very talented and extremely creative students. I also did a couple of good recitals at Oberlin's Peace Community Church (known as First Baptist Church back then) and recorded (as engineer/producer) a variety of ensembles and other people's music.
After graduating from Oberlin, I worked for a little while at Lentine's Music as a Pro Audio Sales Person. Lentine's was a great place, but I hated sales. I eventually quit to finish up some personal projects left over from school, and to try to better sort out what I wanted to do with my life. I finished the projects...
And then I ended up in the Army, playing keyboards. After completing Basic Training at Fort Jackson, and the Basic Music Course at the Armed Forces School of Music, I joined the First Armored Division Band in Wiesbaden, Germany. Highlights of the 1AD Band included Jazz Combo and Rock Band, and performing for the very appreciative German people. The Germans in general are very enthusiastic audiences. I deployed with 1AD to Baghdad International Airport in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and had many exciting days and several great performances once we started playing music again. However, I had to leave after being there for only a few weeks - my father had a heart attack, and subsequently died. I quickly as possible returned to his side and to the help of my family, and ended up staying home longer than planned. On the day I left to return to Iraq, I found out that I would be returning to Germany instead, but for non-music, rear-detachment duties until my scheduled PCS (Permanent Change of Station).
After a couple more months in Germany, I PCSed (army-speak for "moved") to the 399th Army Band located in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. I finally, once again, was able to focus on MUSIC! My sight reading greatly improved as I was able to practice everyday and still have a life outside of work. I was there for about a year and a half, and generally enjoyed my time. An important milestone that I reached there was that I finally got mostly out of debt. I also was a member of a very good Army rock band that toured the midwest and helped recruit several people into the Army.
At Leonard Wood, I started thinking about what I wanted to do once I left the Army. I had said that I would get out if I didn't get Japan as my next assignment. I decided to do a mix of private teaching, performing, and a National Guard or Reserve band, and started looking around for a good city. Someone suggested the 62nd Army Band, an active duty band on Fort Bliss in El Paso, and after looking into it, I decided to reenlist to go there instead of getting out. The band is pretty good, and the area nicer than most people think. The icing on the cake was the ability to buy my own house - at the time, single soldiers, Specialist and above, could move off post and receive a housing allowance due to overcrowding in the barracks. The Army allows soldiers to apply their housing allowances to mortgages, although the allowance is based on the average rental rates in the area. El Paso's housing was relatively affordable, too, so I bought a much better house than I would have been able to get had I left the Army. Plus El Paso, although not very big, is a real city with lots of character. It's almost international in flavor since the majority of its citizens are hispanic and it borders Juarez, Mexico, a city with a couple million people. While in El Paso, I particularly enjoyed playing with my civilian jazz combo, the Blue Lotus Quintet, and later on with my Army Jazz Funk Band (led by the awesome SFC "Chico" Collier). With my Jazz Funk Band (also known as "Cold Duck"), I performed at the Army Band Leaders Training conference in Williamsburg, VA, and ran into some old friends - including 1SG Fred Lewis, my high school band director. (Small world!)
While at Fort Bliss, and despite things improving dramatically overall in my life, the Army itself continued to be a bit of a struggle for me. In particular, it's difficult for me to maintain the necessary fitness levels. Things improved once I received a "permanent profile", which allows me to take an alternate event to running on fitness tests and allows me to limit all of my running. This has pretty much decreased my knee pain to zero (I still have occasional aches). This profile actually allowed me to consider making the Army a career.
Nevertheless, I decided to ETS (leave the Army) in Fall 2007 and try my luck with the Navy. The two primary reasons for this attempted switch was the Navy Music Program's greater music focus and my preference for the locations of most Navy Bands. All Navy bands are near cities, which I prefer, while many Army bands are in relatively rural locations. With permission, I started talking to people in the Navy Music Program in January 2007. No Navy recruiter would talk to me until I had my discharge papers in hand, but everything seemed set. I formulated a couple of backup plans (grad school, joining a National Guard or Reserve Band), but didn't think I would need them. However, within two visits to the Navy recruiters' office, I found out that the Navy would not accept me - for the medical reasons (most of them mentioned here) which I fully disclosed before I began the ETS process. Turns out a recruiter needed to go through these files, and the Navy had some stupid rule prohibiting them from doing so until I was discharged. Needless to say, I was very upset. I began researching my backup plans more earnestly, and traveled around for a little while, visiting Austin, Houston, and a few other places in Texas. I began to worry that if the Navy wouldn't take me, maybe I would have trouble getting back on active duty in the Army. My time at Bliss had changed my mind about the Army - there are still things I don't like, and it's still sometimes a struggle for me, but overall it's a good job. Asking around confirmed that my worries were not unfounded. Luckily, I was still on Terminal Leave, meaning I was still technically in the Army, just on "vacation" until the end of my contract. I reenlisted.
If the Navy had simply looked at my records before I got out of the Army, then I would be in Japan right now, as I had requested when I moved to Bliss. But by reenlisting at the last minute (sort of after the last minute, actually), I had lost all of my bargaining power. I considered myself lucky to be offered Fort Jackson, SC, which I quickly accepted. There are some downsides to Fort Jackson, but for the most part it is actually a nice place. I'm only about 4 hours away from my family in Virginia, the weather is warm (I hate cold weather), and I live close to work. The schedule is nice here, too - especially compared to my last year at Bliss. Fort Jackson is in Columbia, which is the capital city of South Carolina and home to the University of South Carolina, so there are plenty of things to do here. Also, I'm hoping, once again, to spend more time on my composition and other creative work.