Mikel was born in Victorville, California in 1964, and began playing piano at the age of eight. He also played clarinet, trombone, saxophone, and percussion throughout junior high and high school. He continued his education at Shoreline Community College in Seattle, where he studied piano with Nancy Matesky, and trombone with Barry Ehrlich. This was interrupted by an opportunity to work as a church music director. After spending twenty years as a church musician, performing and recording artist, private piano teacher, and recording studio owner/engineer, Mikel returned to school to pursue a degree in Music Education. After an encounter with eighth blackbird, pianist Lisa Kaplan encouraged him to pursue composition. Mikel now holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Boise State University. There he studied composition with Prof. J. Wallis Bratt, played percussion in the BSU Symphonic Winds under the direction of Prof. Marcellus Brown, and sang in both the Jazz Choir and BSU’s premiere classical chorus, Meistersingers. He received the Griff and Mary Bratt Music Composition Award for three consecutive years. Mikel has received commissions from the Marsing (Idaho) High School Band and Choir, trumpeter Dawn Sandmeyer, the Biotzetik Basque Choir, and the Treasure Valley Youth Symphony. His Piano Sonata No. 1 - "Nostalgia for the Children" has been performed by Dr. James Cook, music department chair at BSU, Magdalena Zimmerman, (B.M. Performance, Boise State, 2006), James Berry (M.M. Education, Boise State) and Maria Klyutkina (Boise State grad student). His arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner for Brass Ensemble was featured at the 2006 Boise State University commencement ceremonies, and was given special recognition by university president Robert Kustra. His original score is featured on a short film entitled Proserpine, produced by Born Mad Films. Twenty-four of his works are published by Lighthouse Music Publications in Ontario, Canada. Someday Your Prints Will Come Words and Music by Mikel Bell I took a walk to Fotomat With a roll of Kodachrome A month went by and there I sat With no proof I’d been to Rome Now I’m wond’rin’ where my film is at If it’s on a plane to Nome And when I ask the counter-brat If they’ll ever make it home She says, “Someday your prints will come You’ll be glad they’re finally here You’ll appreciate them one by one Even more each passing year And if you wonder where your prints may be And you’re puzzled by the loss Just take this small advice from me ‘A rolling stone collects no moss’.” They checked every last computer base Even one that wasn’t theirs And she looks into my drooping face And she says she really cares She says, “Look inside your camera case Among the tabs for taxi fares” And tells me one more stupid place Like underneath the rocking chair I said “Listen little baby face Disasters come in pairs And if you don’t pick up the pace You’ll be livin’ with the bears I brought my film in Saturday The receipt is in my car I don’t enjoy the games you play Now tell me where my pictures are!” And she says, “Someday your prints will come You’ll be glad they’re finally here You’ll appreciate them one by one Even more each passing year And if you wonder where your prints may be And you’re puzzled by the loss Just take this small advice from me ‘A rolling stone collects no moss’.” Someday your prints will come. © 2008 Lighthouse Music Publications Reprinted with permission There Would Be Music Words and Music by Mikel Bell There would be music Had the singer sung Had the piper piped his tune Or had the bell been rung There would be laughter Had the laugher laughed Had there been sufficient joy And gleefulness not lacked There would be dancing Had the dancer danced Had the buoyant bodies been Given half a chance There would be Springtime Had the Winter passed Had the daffodils emerged With greening of the grass There would be music Had the singer… © 2007 Lighthouse Music Publications Reprinted with permission No Mournful Days Words and Music by Mikel Bell No mournful days Shall haunt the one I love Nor bitter Mays Her lips shall e'er speak of No salted tears Shall graze her tender cheek Nor others' ears Her words shall ever seek No dark regret Shall cloud her fertile mind Nor heavy debt Shall keep her thoughts entwined No fearful heart Shall lumber in her chest Nor friend depart Her presence yet unblessed No furrowed brow Shall mar her lovely face No ox or plow Shall loosen our embrace No gloomy night Upon my love befall Her love requite No mote withheld, but all For my reward Is not in selfish greed The one adored Shall profit me indeed © 2007 Lighthouse Music Publications Reprinted with permission Until Words and Music by Mikel Bell Until the final drop of dew is vapor Until the fading light of day is gone Until the chirping songbird’s voice is silenced My love for you will firmly carry on Until the massive ocean swells are leveled And forceful waves no longer pummel cliffs Until the dark sea floors are luminated My love for you will yet inspire gifts Until the final slice of cobalt heavens Be transformed into orange and reddish hues Until the shadow’s length cannot be measured My love for you will be my spirit’s muse Until the planets wake and mount rebellion And leave their orbits blindly seeking more Until the nightly starry twinkling ceases My love for you pervades me to the core Until the mask of mountain snows be melted Revealing scars of centuries neglect Until the frigid arctic waters boil My love for you, my countenance reflect Until the glassy mountain lakes be emptied Until the oaks relinquish their domain Until the grandest canyon overfloweth My love for you will be my heart’s refrain © 2008 Lighthouse Music Publications Reprinted with permission |
3/27/08 - I have a NEW WEBSITE!! CHECK IT OUT! ------------------------ Lighthouse Music Publications!! 12/8/07 -  See them HERE (Do a search for "Bell, Lighthouse") ------------------------ 9/15/07 - I have just been accepted as a member of ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.  ------------------------ ------------------------ Please check them out and feel free to leave a review. (If for some reason the link does not take you directly to my page, do a search for Mikel D. Bell) ------------------------ 6/20/07 -  Lighthouse Music Publications has a brand new look for their website!! Check out the new features, including SOUND CLIPS for THEIR ENTIRE CATALOG!! ------------------------ See them HERE (Do a search for "Bell, Lighthouse") ------------------------ SENIOR COMPOSITION RECITAL Saturday, April 28, 2007 7:30 PM BSU Morrison Center Recital Hall Seventeen original compositions performed by 64 talented musicians! Save the date now! ------------------------ 2/19/07 - JUST RELEASED!! TEN NEW WORKS from Lighthouse Music Publications! Check out these new releases HERE! Remember, all prices are in CANADIAN Dollars. ------------------------ at Boise State ------------------------ Also see this older article in the Marsing High School Husky Times: Music Notes (It's on page 2) ------------------------ You'll have to scroll down to page 8 ------------------------ 12/2/06 - Friday, December 8 at 7:30 pm At the BSU Morrison Center Recital Hall 10/20/2006 - Announcing the premiere of The Camp Vaudeville March for Tuba-Euphonium Quartet. OCTUBAFEST - This Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm, in the Morrison Center Recital Hall at Boise State University. 9/7/2006 - While the Lavenders Were Blooming is now available from J.W. Pepper! 8/28/2006 - "PROSERPINE", a short film by Born Mad Films, with original score by Mikel Bell, has been accepted into the Idaho International Film Festival! It will be showing twice - once on Friday, September 29 at 7:00 pm at the Edwards Theater in Downtown Boise, and then at 4:30 pm on Sunday, October 1 at the Egyptian Theatre in Downtown Boise. For more info and tickets, please visit the Idaho International Film Festival website. 8/8/2006
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