Hello, I'm Scott Brickman, also known as Mr. Music at UMFK. I was born December 28, 1963 in Oak Park Illinois, and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. As many of you know I am the first person in my family to attend college and the only musician. I have been teaching at UMFK since the Fall of 1997, so, I'm not a new faculty any more.

My music education began with piano lessons at age eleven. I do not recall where I got the notion that composition was an integral part of musicianship, but I began writing, trying to imitate the music I was playing (easy pieces by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, etc.) At my eighth grade commencement I performed a twelve_tone Nocturne I had written the summer before.

During my high school years I was very active in my school's music program (as well as playing on the baseball team, three years at the varsity level!). I played violin and viola in the orchestra, piano in the jazz band, piano for three musicals and took the theory/musicianship classes that were offered. I was also active in garage bands in my neighborhood. I mostly played bass, and sometimes guitar. In high school I really loved punk and new wave music. To this day I'm an Elvis Costello fan. During my senior year I had two encouraging experiences; I received a perfect score of five on the A.P. Music Test, and received first prize in a composition contest sponsored by the Public Schools of Cook County. My Fanfare for Wind Quintet (1982) was premiered at the Chicago Public Library April 16, 1982 by the Windy City Winds.

As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin_Madison I majored in composition.. In addition I was involved in composer advocacy, becoming a founding member of the Wisconsin Alliance of Composers in 1984. After graduation I applied to and was accepted at Brandeis University , where I received my Ph. D. in Music. I've also had the fortune of working with the two members of the Harvard music faculty, Donald Martino and Mario Davidovsky. I was able to do this through residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, an educational Artists Colony in New Smyrna Beach Florida.

My compositions have been performed and/or premiered in major U.S. cities (Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Miami, Philadelphia), half of the continental U.S. States as well as in Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Portugal, Romania, the U.K. and Yugoslavia. Sketches of Maine is recorded on a New Ariel CD of Contemporary Piano Music performed by Jeffrey Jacobs. Additionally several of my other compositions are scheduled to be released on commercial CDs soon. I've recently become more active working both with Electroacoustic Music as well as pop and Musical Theater genres. You can hear some of my music by clicking on the audio file button above.

Please feel free to stop by and see me. My office is in the Honors Center on Pleasant Street. When I'm not there I can usually be found in the Nadeau Hall Music Technology Lab. I am here for the students. I enjoy being an integral part of UMFK and especially the Fort Kent Community. If I can at all help you in your musical pursuits, let me know!