Jim Territo considered a career in medicine for a brief time before deciding it wasn’t the best career choice he could make.
But his motives were noble.
‘I aspire to be like my dad,? he said. ‘My dad’s a doctor. My dad’s really, really good doctor, and I used to think I wanted to practice medicine because I wanted to be like him.?
Territo laughs his infectious laugh, and explains why he decided to steer clear of medicine.
‘I’m no good with anything but music,? he said. ‘I can’t drive a car, I can’t remember names, I can’t dress myself, I can’t iron a shirt.?
Just for proof, he throws in a witness.
‘Ask my mother.?
But those who know Territo, a 1997 Clarkston High School grad, say the music he teaches and the music he writes, writes more than makes up for any of his alleged shortcomings.
While earning degrees in both music composition and music education from the University of Michigan, Territo began to make a name for himself by writing compositions for friends? recitals.
‘What really inspires me is the idea that somebody else is going to be turned on by the music,? he said, explaining his conviction that the magic of music comes from its social aspect. ‘Like I’m going to find the on switch with someone.?
When conducting the choir at St. Dan’s, he said, or the band at Country Day, the musicians can get to a point where they sound good. But, he continues, there’s sounding good and then there’s feeling good about the music. And then there’s turned on.
‘You see the light come on, and that’s what I like,? he said. ‘That’s what I think about when I write.?
During his college years, Territo’s work attracted the attention of well-known conductor H. Robert Reynolds, who in his 26 years at the university served as the Henry F. Thurnau Professor of Music, Director of University Bands and Director of the Division of Instrumental Studies.
Although Territo laughs about the way he always ended up as the last chair French horn, Reynolds remembers him as a student with a great talent for teaching and for composition.
‘His music has been played all over the place,? said Reynolds, who has since retired from the university. ‘I’ve conducted a number of his pieces myself, and when other musicians hear it they are attracted and want to play it as well.?
Reynolds recalled conducting a piece of Territo’s music on at least three occasions ? in Hawaii, at Boston’s Tanglewood, and at Carnegie Hall, where he conducted the National Wind Ensemble in a Memorial Day 2006 concert.
‘That was so exciting, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been part of,? said Territo. ‘I got to shake hands with brilliant composers, meet brilliant directors, and just to be part of the history of that hall was great.?
On the occasions Territo was present to see his piece performed, Reynolds asked him to say a word or two to his musicians before the performance.
‘He’s got an infectious energy,? Reynolds said. ‘He’s a power-packed person with all the right ingredients, and he doesn’t think a lot about giving credit to himself.?
Reynolds, who also served over 20 years as the conductor of the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, which consists primarily of members of the Detroit Symphony, said he likes energy, harmonic structure, and the pacing of the fanfare.
‘Hopefully he’ll always teach in the schools,? Reynolds said. ‘He has such talent and ability as a teacher, and that’s where people learn to love music for their whole lives.?
Territo likes to describe his music by saying it is more traditional sounding than the work other modern composers are doing.
In the 20th century, he said, music took a ‘really strange turn? and became more complex, and more difficult to listen to.
‘Composers started working more with the Crayola 128-pack,? he said, referring to the trademarked crayons known to children everywhere. ? I still tend to work with what I would call the Crayola 8-pack, I like to use more simple musical ideas.?
But although he most times prefers the uncomplicated sounds, Territo still likes the challenge of writing a more complex piece.
In fact, when Territo’s music was played at Carnegie Hall, a man named Ramiro Barrera, who conducts the James Logan High School Wind Ensemble in California, was on hand with his group. He took notice, and commissioned Territo to write a piece of music for him.
‘He was going to pay me quite a bit of money,? said Territo, ‘So I knew I better put in some good work and make sure it’s worthy of a 21st century ensemble and so I wrote a good solid 21 century piece.?
He doesn’t take any pains to give the illusion it was easy.
‘I swear to god I thought it was going to kill me,? he said. ‘It was so much work.?
Finished just a few weeks ago, the piece is called ‘The Stormy Present,? and is a lift, explains Territo, out of a speech given by Abraham Lincoln during a December 1, 1862 message to congress:
‘The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise ? with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.?
For Territo, the act of writing music is an emotional process. There is a time, he said, for writing happy music, and a time for writing angry, sad music.
‘Historically, this is a time to write songs of sadness and songs of anger, and that’s what the complex 128-pack of 21st century music is good for,? he said. ‘It’s good for expressing things like bitterness, sorrow, fear and anger and some of those emotions that don’t come through as clearly with the more traditional sounds.?
This, he said, takes a lot of searching for that often elusive button.
‘When I’m writing I look for the on switch in myself,? he said. ‘What would make me happy or sad or stirred or angry, or whatever I want it to be? What would tell this story best or paint this picture the best for me? What do I want to say??
For now, he’s happy composing music, teaching band to the kids at Detroit County Day and directing the choir at St. Daniel’s Catholic Church in Clarkston.
But Territo knows someday his dreams and his talent will take him where he’s meant to be.
Writing high school band music would be a great niche, he said, or conducting in a professional capacity, perhaps even composing film scores.
‘That’s a one in a million shot,? he said. ‘It would take a lot of work, but that’s one of my big dreams.?
Whatever the outcome, he said, the ultimate goal is just to be a to be a working musician his whole life’and to help others find that passion for music along the way.
‘I want to help people, that’s the kind of educator I want to be,? he said. ‘I hope that I can help people find the on button it in a way they didn’t know was there before.?