At age 14, I formed my own professional concert band, which lasted about a year. I conducted a massed band made up of several high school bands performing my marches at the World's Fair of 1964-65, and in 1966, became the youngest guest conductor of the last professional concert band in America, performing in Central Park in New York City (Guggenheim Memorial Concert's Goldman Band). I was called "The World's Youngest Composer/Conductor of Marches" and "the teenage Sousa" by the press in both NY and L.A.
At age 23, I was elected to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and did professional scoring in Hollywood of films and commercials, plus worked as an A & R man in a recording studio.
In the early 1980s, I began composing original ragtime for concert bands, brass bands & other instrumental ensembles. Today, my compositions are published by Bernel Music, Ltd. (brass band), Bourne Co. (concert band), Concert Works Unlimited, Dorn Publications, Heritage Music Press, Ludwig Music Publishing, Manhattan Beach Music, plus my own company, Sound Traditions Publishing, which in addition to publishing band & orchestra ragtime, has the largest listing available today of ragtime and old-style blues for saxophone quartet.
1995 marks the 4th year I have been awarded an ASCAP Popular Music Composition Award for ragtime. In 1987, my rag for band, "That Newport Rag", was commissioned by the city of Newport, Oregon as their "official" music. I have also received commissions from the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, & The Brazil Concert Band. I have contributed articles on ragtime, particularly for band, for "The Rag Times" (15522 Ricky Ct., Grass Valley, CA 95949) and was ragtime editor for "The West Coast Rag" from 1990-91.
Stephen Kent Goodman