Meet Carlos Aguilar: Music Instructor and Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlos Aguilar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Throughout my childhood creativity often was a necessary part of problem-solving. Having spent my entire childhood in Mexico City meant that I couldn’t buy any of the cool American toys that they advertised in all the DC and Dell comic books. Being unable to order from abroad, I ended up building replicas of those toys from scratch. Luckily my father built free-flight model airplanes as a hobby, so I had plenty of tools and construction material handy. I built action figures using modeling clay and regularly built working submarines and spaceships inspired by the comic book ads. My friends and I also became fascinated with car suspensions and built elaborate spring systems into existing model cars. In contrast to my changing interests in toys, my interest in music has been consistent since I was a toddler in England, where the Beatles were becoming hugely famous. As far back as I remember I always felt compelled to compose music. As a child, I mainly plagiarized songs like Bingo with a few modifications. As I grew older however, coming up with a good musical idea became more and more important. By its very nature, music is a creative problem-solving art which was explained in a nutshell by old Ludwig Von Beethoven himself: “Music should be inevitable yet unexpected.” That is perhaps the greatest challenge in music and the greatest reward as well. It was probably my father who inspired me to think outside the box and approach problems in a creative manner. When no one else could solve a problem in his multi-nation service area, he would travel there and solve it for them. Musicians often find a problem in their composition that is remarkably challenging and may take weeks to months to solve (unless you’re lucky enough to be Mozart, who had it all figured it out from the very beginning). To this day I instinctively approach challenges creatively. I have found that I solve problems best when I use both my intuition and logical deduction together in the same way that music combines math and emotion seamlessly. Most importantly I seek out the solution by pondering all the complications rather than hoping for a smooth outcome. As an old mentor once told me: “I can handle the good surprises just fine”. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most musicians belong to a certain style or genre. I prefer to let the composition process lead me to the genre that emerges naturally. For this reason, my compositions range from ancient to contemporary: from easy listening to harmonically challenging. Among my favorite approaches to composition however are the études or studies. Technical pieces that can be performed as a musical work of art provide the student with both the technical benefit as well as an expanded repertory. Students enjoy learning the studies head up and continue to play them through the years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Voyage 3 McKinney, TX it’s a beautiful city with many attractions. If I was going to show somebody something special however, it would have to be in Fort Worth where you have the Kimbell Art museum and Bass Hall. McKinney, TX is a beautiful city with many attractions. If I was going to show someone around however it would probably include the metroplex as there are rare gems in Fort Worth as well as Denton, where are you can still order a hamburger and homemade root beer at Frosty’s Drive, which that has been run by the same family Since the 50’s. Fort Worth has the impressive Kimbell Art museum. Dallas Has an upscale fried chicken restaurant named Bubba’s which has cloth napkins metal cutlery and fantastic southern cooking in an Art Deco diner that has probably been there since the 30s Pizza lovers will find Sicily’s in McKinney is hard to beat: especially if they’ve eaten pizza New York! The historic neighborhood here is also quite beautiful and The downtown Square has all sorts of interesting and unique places to shop and eat. They designed the trafic light posts and other fixtures to look nostalgic so the ambience there is quite cozy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dedicated to the late, great, Dr. Rosemary Killam My most fervent, enthusiastic and influential professor and mentor. Perhaps the only professor to offer students practical advice about how to make a living as a musician after graduation. Learning 16th century polyphony with Dr. Killam was a true musical epiphany that has influenced my compositions in arrangements to this day.

Website: www.AguilarMusicStudio.com
Linkedin: Carlos Aguilar Aguilar Music Studio
Facebook: Aguilar Music Studio
Yelp: Aguilar Music Studio

Image Credits
Special thanks to the Luna, George, and Bonilla families for their kind permission and Melanie Corley