A Story for Jonathan

a brief snapshot of STORMHistory...

Yesterday, I shared "The Robert Justman Story" with an accomplished Actor whom I greatly admire. I met him before he began work on a new Star Trek series and was fortunate…

STORMLore: The beginning!

At the Boston Conservatory, the requirement for graduation was simple: play a trumpet recital. But for me, that wasn’t enough. I couldn’t stand in front of others as a Teacher or as a conductor unless I first…

The 1st of November needs a special STORMLog entry.  Let’s call it “Trial by Storm vs. Genius.”

Because it’s potentially meaningful to Composers and Music Educators, I’d like to share… or rather confess… my first experiences with writing.  This…

With one foot here and the other firmly planted in Eternity, Ed Lisk the Man left us at 5:30 AM on 14 October 2025. But Ed’s teachings, wisdom, insight, and faith in Music as a vehicle of Love and connection…

On 18 September 2025, a band director and fellow composer asked me:

“When you got started, how did you get your first pieces performed?”

Here’s my response—may it help you, too.

When I began, I sent one piece to one…

Dedicated to "SSIM" (Studio Sound in Motion) and the much larger Story that one day must be told.  

This article appeared in the June 2019 Issue of "The Journal of the Association of Concert Bands".


“Never Forgotten” has been played…

Related story here: "Untold Story: Rise of the Robots"

Ironically, I’ve just returned from visiting an emerging “AI-Studio” where I’ll serve as Composer and Music Supervisor.  For those exploring AI, for those who know “Storm” Music, and for…

From 1993 to 1994, Melillo worked as a composer and sound designer at Absolute Entertainment in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Working within the limitations of 59K (kilobytes) for all music and sound, he composed and sound-designed 11…

POW Speech for 14 SEP 2023 at PACMOAA

Speech written to honor the Souls of Bataan & Corregidor
by © STEPHEN MELILLO IGNA 11 SEP 2023

Tomorrow, (15 SEP) is National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

The form of the presentation is…

“Remember the Future for Truth is Timeless . . .”  Stephen Melillo 2004

7-8 May 2025

90: My Mom would have been 90.
80: The End of WWII in Europe.
20: Anniversary of the Chapters V-8 Recording of “Writings on…

“A Symphony of History and the Cosmos: 
The Story of T Corona Borealis and Dominick H. Melillo, Jr.”

Eighty years ago, a 16-year-old amateur astronomer named Michael Woodman discovered something extraordinary—an exploding star system, 3,000 light years away, called T…

Only for Now on Amazon
Only for Now on Apple Books
 

Thoughts on ONLY for NOW
1978-2024

For teens and people who love them. 

There’s only 1 way to be 65 years old and resurrect a book written while you’re…

The Untold Story of “The Witcherton Affair”
By Stephen “Steve Mel” Melillo & Jonathan “Jon” Heap

Mayor Bambolini said, “Anyone can make an omelet with eggs, the trick is to make one without eggs!”

In 1974-75, a bunch of high…

The “world” constantly unleashes its wars, its divisions, its dictates against reason, its fomenting of hatred, and a list you well know.  Now imagine LOVE unleashed, a Love of Humanity, a True Romantic Love, a Timeless Love.  

The “Ahab, &…

A link to the full concert on Youtube is below…
 

Interview by Carter Schmelz 6 JUN 2023
After the 21 APR 2023 Little Creek Navy Base Concert of 
Beyond Courage, Kakehashi: That We Might Live

General Questions:

What inspired you…

Once there was a Woman in a race… Her training put her far in front of the other runners.  After she crossed the finish line.. (in her mind there was no such thing)… she waited for the media and…

“Whoever said you gotta be in it to win it should talk to…”

Well, yeah.  In 1985, the Harrison Jazz Ensemble went to Canada, as the article says.  But what’s not there is the sequel.  We went back and became…

3 MAR 2023
Music to LIVE Again for!
“Romance” from the Concerto for Violin

3/3/1,(333x)

Today is the anniversary of STORMWORKS Chapter 3: WAIT of the WORLD, recorded in The Netherlands by the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands…

GODSPEED! A DEEPER Dive for STORMAficionados, Family, Colleagues & Friends

Mahler said, “If a Composer could say what he had to say in words, he would not bother trying to say it in Music.”  

Prompted by a recent post from…

Today is the Birthday of personal super-hero Composer, Miklós Rózsa. Many thanks to Lester Lim and his fine Musicians.  This arrangement is available through ALFRED. 

Here now is the Untold Story about this arrangement of ‘Music from BEN HUR.’ 

…

9 APR 2022 
"viel Erfolg in Omaha Beach", a Story about “God Bless America.” 

There are 101 arrangements of GOD BLESS AMERICA on a certain publisher's site.  I had previously researched the potential Copyright Owners at the US Copyright Office…

22 SEP 2021 
46 Years Ago… 

Recently, I was interviewed by John Smistad of Mythaxis Magazine.  He asked, “What made you pursue Music?”  I related a Story, but never got to the “punch line.”  Here now, is the Story…

What follows is super compressed.  When you're ready to absorb this, get a cup of coffee or tea. “Probability & Statistics” was one of my favorite subjects.  Feel free to calculate the ODDS of all this.

“The best Stories are

Photomementi in PDF here.

SAM “Uncle Sammy” RING, a Great Man Always

18 JAN 2025, on the Birthday of Sammy

"The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering."

Sam Ring’s life is beyond “story.” He was born…

10 Feb 2020 
The Birthday of Jerry Goldsmith 

“If you have a man riding a horse, don’t score the hooves—score the mind of the man.”
— Jerry Goldsmith

There are simply no adequate words to express how deeply I admire…