to quote and not quote

First off, I finally managed to word an email to a comp professor at Michigan that I sent out tonight, I hope it doesn't sound too stupid.

Tonight, I played clarinet on one of my former professor's works (I'm not playing the concert, just reherasals, which is just fine with me as it's an excercise in longtones and my intonation is nowhere near what it needs to be for the piece) and the conductor wasn't kidding when he said it was very Arvo Part. I mean, I know that's his thing, it's what he likes, and it's what I like too, but still. there were parts that seemed really close to Part's Te Deum. And this isn't the first piece of his that closely resembles another like this. I don't know why it bothers me, but it does. And it completely makes me question things that I use and "quote" (so to speak) in my own music. Is it as obvious to others? does it bother them? Should I care? Then there's what was discussed in seminar last week, though the examples given were much more...personal? That is to say, any "quotes" were not very obvious and were altered into something new. (by the way, I think it funny that the word quote is in quotes)

I don't know. just things to think about I suppose.