Author Archives: Glenn Schoonmaker

Colossal Re-Score

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As a composer, I recently had the exciting opportunity to participate in the Spitfire Audio Colossus Re-Scoring Competition. This challenge allowed me to flex my creative muscles and dive deep into the world of dystopian soundscapes. In this blog post, I’ll take you through my process of creating an original musical score that evokes tension, unease, and drama.

Conceptualization

My goal was to create a score that would complement dystopian imagery, building a journey from quiet suspense to dramatic intensity. I wanted to capture the essence of a blockbuster production while maintaining a unique and engaging sound.

Tools of the Trade

To bring my vision to life, I carefully selected a variety of high-quality sound libraries and software:

  1. Spitfire Audio’s Contemporary Drama Toolkit
  2. Abbey Road One (various orchestral sections)
  3. Olafur Arnalds Cells
  4. Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere 2

These libraries provided a rich palette of sounds, from orchestral elements to modern synth textures.

Production Process

My workflow centered around Logic Pro as my primary Digital Audio Workstation, with notation work done in Steinberg’s Dorico. This combination allowed for both detailed audio production and professional notation capabilities.

To enhance the audio and achieve a polished, professional sound, I employed several signal processing tools:

  • Universal Audio’s SSL G Bus Compressor
  • Fairchild 670 Compressor
  • Ampex ATR-102 Master Tape
  • Logic’s built-in Limiter, Distortion, and EQ
  • Izotope’s Ozone 9 for final mastering

Reflections

This project was a great experience as it challenged me to blend diverse elements seamlessly and push the boundaries of my creativity. The process of crafting a score that can stand alongside blockbuster productions was both daunting and exhilarating.

I’ll be doing a more behind-the-scenes look at my composing process in another post, where I’ll focus on what worked, what could have gone better, and what I want to remember moving forward.

Thanks to Spitfire Audio for providing the opportunity to be part of this.

Dorico

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Towards the end of last year I decided to try out a demo version of Steinberg’s Dorico Notation Software, as I had heard great things about it from some of my friends at Chigiana. I loved it so much that I bought a full version once the demo expired. How I wish that I had been able to use it while I was in Berklee’s program. It’s so much more enjoyable to work with than Finale, on so many levels. 

While I found some great tutorials on YouTube and Groove3, it wasn’t the same as doing a real project, from start to finish. For this I chose to create a project that would combine a few things I had been wanting to do for a while. 

First, notate a full orchestral score in Dorico, while using Note Performer (which I hadn’t really used yet). Secondly, analyze and recreate some of the scores in composer Ryan Lynch’s “10 ESSENTIAL Orchestral Scores You Need To Study” list. For this project I chose to focus on Mozart’s Symphony No 40 in G minor.  

Based on the original score found on IMSLP, here is the version that I created (first five minutes of the piece):

Mozarts-Symphony-No.-40-in-G-minor-FULL-SCOREDownload

And here is the audio via Note Performer (and some processing in Logic using UAD’s Studer A800, SSL G Bus Compressor, Fairchild 770, and Ozone 9): 

Below is the analysis that I put together, based on Ryan Lynch’s template:

Overall, I really enjoyed this project as it helped me to get more familiar with Dorico while giving me an even deeper appreciation of just how great Mozart’s music is. Just amazing!

Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive

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Right after I finished things up with Berklee’s Music Composition for Film, TV, and Video Games program, I had the great fortune of being part of the 2023 Academia Musicale Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive program in Siena, Italy. Everything about it was truly fantastic. 

Each person associated with the program was of the highest caliber, super talented, and crazy smart, going above and beyond to make this a world-class experience for all involved. The amazing faculty was made up of USC and Berklee instructors, supported by a team of industry professionals. The people in my cohort were incredibly talented, humble, kind, and generous. I feel extremely fortunate to be associated with this group of amazing people. And the location, Siena, is a beautiful and enchanting hilltop medieval village straight out of a dream. Can’t imagine a better place for this type of experience.

The program itself was divided into two primary segments. The first part was focused on creating a score to picture to be recorded by a string quintet at a studio in Rome and the second being a score to picture to be performed by a 42-piece orchestra recorded in a concert hall in Florence, with instruction on film music composition & analysis, orchestration, masterclasses, critiques, music technology, MIDI mockups, editing, sound design, sync licensing, and score & parts preparation throughout.

The program lived up to its name, as it was truly intensive. Most days I was getting up ~3 am and working throughout the day and then passing out when I got back to my apartment around 9 pm. I think out of the 20 days I was there I had one full day off. The rest of the time I was either in classes or working on my pieces. Seeing everyone work with such intensity, focus, and commitment, creating the amazing music that they made, was truly inspiring.

Thank you to all involved in making this a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ciao, my friends!

Here is the piece I wrote for the string quintet. Special thanks go out to the amazing musicians that played on the recording:

Violino 1 – Antonio Pellegrino
Violino 2 – Nataliya Nykolayshyn
Viola – Bruno Pucci
Violoncello – Luca Pincini
Contrabasso – Massimo Ceccarelli

Glenn-Schoonmaker-The-Hotel-Budapest-Score-Concert-ScoreDownload

Here is the piece that I wrote for the orchestra:

Glenn-Schoonmaker-Time-Stops-Big-Fish-Concert-ScoreDownload

Here are some photo highlights.

Berklee Online – Post Graduation Thoughts

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I’ve been putting this off, writing about my overall experience with Berklee Online, for a couple of reasons. First, I spent the last month in Italy doing this amazing program, the Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive Program. Secondly, I think I was making it bigger in my mind than it needed to be.

To get straight to the point, I feel that Berklee Online’s “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games” degree program is excellent. Was it perfect in every regard? No, nothing is. Was it what I needed when I needed it? Absolutely.

When I started looking into getting a degree in music back in 2019 I wasn’t even considering online education. I wanted a “legitimate” music education. I did a bit of research to see what the top schools were and USC’s Film Scoring program was at the top of that list.

I reached out to USC’s Thornton School of Music’s admissions department, asking about the process of getting into their Masters in Screen Scoring program, and they recommended Berklee Online as an undergraduate program. I was surprised, as I didn’t think an online program would be a viable option, and asked for clarification. They assured me that they had admitted a number of highly qualified students into their program that had come from Berklee’s online program. With that, I looked into Berklee Online and applied. Within a few weeks, I got the news that I was accepted into their film scoring degree program and would be starting in the Fall of 2019.

The “Pros”: great program, with excellent content, world-class musicians as course authors/instructors all without having to relocate to Boston. Berklee came to me. Also, with Covid, I would have had to do online studies anyways so it worked out great.

The “Cons”: while convenient the online program can never achieve the same experience of being in-person, getting immediate feedback, learning, and collaborating with others in real-time. This became super apparent during the Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive. So much more immediate, in-depth, and fun.

40 classes and 3.5 years later I now have a bachelor’s degree in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games. As for what is next, I’m not exactly sure right now. Between Berklee Online and Chigiana’s Film Scoring Intensive, I’ve been at it full-time for quite a while and could use some downtime.

Thank you, Berklee for giving me what I needed, when I needed it. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from some amazing people and become an alum of your prestigious and excellent school.

Berklee Online – Term 13

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Well, it’s kinda hard to believe, but this was my final term with Berklee. All in all, it was a good term, but I am happy to be at the end of the program. The course materials were really good and the instructors did a great job.

The classes that I took this time around were “Introduction to Digital Cinematography”, “Music Cognition”, “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games Capstone“, and “Rock History”.

As with previous terms, I will go into detail on each class in separate posts. I’ll also do a wrap-up/reflection post of my entire experience with the program afterward.

Thanks for everything, Berklee.

Introduction to Digital Cinematography

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I took this class mainly to fulfill an elective requirement for the “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games Degree” program, but really enjoyed what we learned about. The instructor, Hana Kitasei, was super professional and often provided insightful feedback and direction.

Thanks to my wife, Rachel, for being my collaborator as some of the assignments required human subjects and her help was invaluable either in front of or behind the camera.

Here’s the clip that I put together for my final assignment.

And here is what we covered during the twelve weeks.

Week 1 – “Introduction to Visual Storytelling – Jan 9th – Jan 13th
Introduction, Meet and Greet, Visual Storytelling, Photography, Exposure Times, Photography as Art, Cinema, Workshop: Images as Communication, Discussion 1.1: How Do Images Communicate Something to Us?, The Power of the Image, Messages Hidden in Images, Communicating Your Message, Discussion 1.2: What Images Do You Want to Create?, The Frame, Aspect Ratio, Determining an Aspect Ratio, Workshop: Framing, Assignment 1: Visual Storytelling, Recap

Week 2 – “A Technical Introduction to the Camera” – Jan 14th – Jan 20th
Introduction, How is an Image Created?, Camera Obscura, Creating a Permanent Photograph, Modern Camera Sensors, Creative Use of Exposure Time, Camera Components, Camera Functions, Exposing an Image, How a Digital Sensor Determines Brightness, Exposure and Shutter Speed, Using Slow Shutter Speed on a Video Camera, Quiz 2.1: Camera and Exposure, Controlling Exposure, Three Exposure Controls, Aperture Effects, Exposure and Aperture, The Sensor, Adjusting Sensitivity, Noise, Workshop: Exposure, Video and Still Cameras, Discussion 2.1: Your Camera, Assignment 2: Creative Exposure, Recap

Week 3 – “The Lens” – Jan 21st – Jan 27th
Introduction, What is a Lens?, Lensless Photography, Convergence, Lens Speed, Field of View, Sharpness, Distortion, Guidelines for Choosing a Lens, The Main Functions of a Photographic Lens, Exercise: The Creation of a Lens, Consumer Cameras, What Lens Do I Need?, Choose a Lens, Choosing a Lens, The Normal Lens, Workshop: Lens Types, Exercise: Lens Selections, Perspective and Depth, The Illusion of Depth, Depth, Perspective, and Lenses, Discussion 3.1: Lenses, Quiz 3.1: Lenses, Assignment 3: Creative Use of Lenses, Recap

Week 4 – “Camera Placement” – Jan 28th – Feb 3rd
Introduction, Examining a Shot, Shot Types, Extreme Long Shot, Long Shot, Medium Long Shot, Medium Shot, Medium Close Up and Close Up, Extreme Close Up, Shot Size and Lenses, Using the Medium Close Up and the Close Up, Over the Shoulder Shot, Two Shot, Camera Height, Eye Level Height, High Angle, Low Angle, The “Hero” Shot, Quiz 4.1: Camera Placement, Objective and Subjective Camera Work, Audience Viewpoint, Viewpoint in Movies, First Person Viewpoint, Third-Person Restricted Viewpoint, Omniscient Viewpoint, Point-of-View Shot, Analyzing “Vertigo”, Discussion 4.1: Camera Placement, Assignment 4: The Subjective Camera, Recap

Week 5 – “Camera Movement” – Feb 4th – Feb 10th
Introduction, When Was the Camera Moved First?, The History of Camera Movement, Camera Movement Types, Motivated Camera Movement, The Panning Shot, The Tilt Shot, The Tracking Shot, The Circular Move, The Push-In Shot, The Pull-Out Shot, The Crane Shot, The Handheld Shot, The Steadicam Shot, The Aerial Shot, Moving the Camera Successfully, Static Shots, Significant Camera Movement, Quiz 5.1: Camera Movement, Discussion 5.1: Rocky, Assignment 5: Camera Movement, Recap

Week 6 – “Lighting Tools” – Feb 11th – Feb 17th
Introduction, What Can Light Do for Us?, Illumination, Depth and Shape, Texture, Mood, Telling a Story, Lighting Function Summary, Discussion 6.1: Lighting, Properties of Light, Angle, Color, Diffusion, Lighting Properties Summary, Quiz 6.1: Lighting, Professional Lighting Tools, Safety, Light Meters, Sekonic’s Online Classroom, Improvised Lighting Tools, Assignment 6: Lighting Tools, Recap

Week 7, Creative Lighting, Feb 18th – Feb 24th
Introduction, Three-Point Lighting, The Key Light, The Fill Light, The Back Light, Effective Use of Three-Point Lighting, Practical Lighting Applications, Lighting Analysis, Lighting the Face, Visual Intensity, Evaluating Visual Intensity, Contrast and Affinity, Evaluating Contrast and Affinity, Contrast in Color, Evaluating Color Contrast, How Does Light Help Tell a Story?, Quiz 7.1: Creative Lighting, Discussion 7.1: Creative Lighting, Assignment 7: Creative Lighting, Recap

Week 8 – “Color” – Feb 25th – Mar 3rd
Introduction, What is Color?, The Relativity of Color, The Human Eye, After Images, Primary Colors, Complementary Colors, Complementary Colors in Art, Color Interpretation, Shades of Red, Color Interpretation in Cinema, The Meaning of Color, Discussion 8.1: Color, Quiz 8.1: Color, Color and Images, Color in Film, Drive, Discussion 8.2: Emotion, Assignment 8: Color, Recap

Week 9 – “The Story” – Mar 4th – Mar 10th
Introduction, Story Basics, Exercise: The Scorpion and the Frog, The Rabbit and the Turtle, Exercise: Narrative Film, Conflict, Protagonist, and Antagonist, Exercise: Conflict, Three-Act Structure, The Screenplay, Using a Screenplay, Live Concert Video, Music Video, The Script, Discussion 9.1: The Script, Script Breakdown, Exercise: Script Breakdown, Visual Guidelines, Creative Inspiration, Visual References, Discussion 9.2: Visual References, The Shot List, Exercise: American Beauty, Storyboards, Assignment 9: From Story to Shot, Recap

Week 10 – “The Long Take” – Mar 11th – Mar 17th
Introduction, To Cut or Not, Exercise: Battleship Potemkin, Shooting Sufficient Material, Exercise: Zodiac, The Long Take, Discussion 10.1: Long Takes, Fictional Time, Real Time, Pace and Rhythm, Other Long Takes, Challenges, Background, Camera Movement, Lighting, Goodfellas, Performance, Designing a Long Take, Shadow Man Battle Scene, Careful Planning, Behind-the-Scenes Photos, A Story Within a Long Take, Discussion 10.2: Four Short Films, Assignment 10: Long Take, Recap

Week 11 – “Continuity” – Mar 18th – Mar 24th
Introduction, Exercise: The Edited Scene, Analysis and Structure in the Scene, Editing in the Scene, Editing and the Cinematographer, Types of Continuity, Continuity of Time, Present, Past, Continuity Example, Future, Conditional Time, Continuity of Space, Content Continuity, Lighting Continuity, Flexibility, Directional Continuity, The 180 Line, Discussion 11.1: Continuity, Crossing the Line, Cutting, The 20/30 Rules, The Content Cut, The Action Cut, The POV Cut, The Conceptual Cut, The Jump Cut, Assignment 11: Continuity, Recap

Week 12 – “Collaboration” – Mar 25th – Mar 31st
Introduction, The Creative Team, The Creative Team: The Producer, The Creative Team: The Director, The Creative Team: The Screenwriter, The Creative Team: The Cinematographer, The Creative Team: The Production Designer, The Creative Team: The Editor, The Movie Set, The Movie Set: Assistant Director, The Movie Set: Script Supervisor, The Movie Set: Costume Designer, The Movie Set: Makeup Artist, The Movie Set: Assistant Cameraman, The Movie Set: Sound Mixer, The Movie Set: Electric Department, The Movie Set: Grip Department, Discussion 12.1: Collaboration, Shooting and Camera Procedures, Building a Winning Team, Finding Fellow Filmmakers, Quiz 12.1: Collaboration, Resources, Assignment 12: Digital Cinematography, Recap

Music Cognition

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This was a very interesting class that introduced us to the science involved with studying how the brain processes and makes sense of sound. Seeing the kind of work being done in the field of Music Cognition was fascinating, often beyond my full comprehension, yet fascinating, nonetheless.

I was particularly interested in the “Performance Expertise, Improvisation, and Anxiety” lesson. I have done a lot of shows over the years, and before some of them I felt perfectly fine, others I felt somewhat anxious, while some left me completely terrified. The recommendations for coping with Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) were good reminders of what to do in both the short and long terms.

Suggested short-term strategies:
• Rehearsal
• Positive thinking
• Prayer
• Relaxation techniques
• Using calming substances

Suggested long-term strategies:
• Practicing and developing musical technique
• Talking with classmates, friends, teachers, family
• Relaxation techniques
• Counseling therapy

Thanks to our instructor Professor Bradley Vines for guiding us through this introduction to an incredibly complex area of research.

Here’s what we covered during the twelve weeks of the course.

Week 1 – “Cognitive Psychology and the Neuroscience of Hearing” – Jan 9th – Jan 13th
Introduction, Meet and Greet, Cognitive Psychology: What Is the Nature of Mental Activity?, Music Cognition: What Is Meant by Musical Behaviors?, Processing Stages, Experimental Psychology: Research Methods, Workshop: Vocabulary Review, Part 1, Discussion 1.1: Scientific Investigation, The Human Brain, The Auditory Pathway, Workshop: Vocabulary Review, Part 2, Workshop: Brain Structures, Neural Activity, The Hearing Mechanism, The Cochlea and How Hearing Works, Hair Cells, Workshop: Vocabulary Review, Part 3, Measuring Neural Activity in Humans, Electroencephalograms (EEG) and Event-Related Potentials (ERP), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), Workshop: Measuring Neural Activity, Discussion 1.2: Musician vs. Nonmusician, Assignment 1: Separating Sense from Nonsense, Recap

Week 2 – “Perception, Part I” – Jan 14th – Jan 20th
Introduction, Physical Correlates of Pitch, Physics of Sound Waves, Harmonics, Partials, and the Fundamental Frequency, Quiz 2.1: Physics of Sound, Theories of Pitch Perception, Virtual Pitch Perception, Absolute Pitch and Amusia, Workshop: Pitch Comparison, Discussion 2.1: Pitch vs. Timbre, Tonality Perception, Foundational Work, Innate Concepts of Tonality, Workshop: Tonality Perception, Timbre Perception, Psychological Correlates of Timbre, Link between Pitch and Timbre, Discussion 2.2: Learning Timbre, Assignment 2: Interpreting a Result Figure, Recap

Week 3 – “Perception, Part II” – Jan 21st – Jan 27th
Introduction, Object Perception: The Gestalt Principles of Organization, The Gestalt Psychologists, Gestalt Principles Important to Audio Grouping, Workshop: Gestalt, Auditory Scene Analysis, The Listening Context: Fission, The Listening Context Examples, Quiz 3.1: Gestalt, Rhythm Perception and the Internal Clock, Internal Rhythms, Rhythm Perception and Neural Oscillation, Workshop: Beat Markers, Rhythm Preferences, Regular vs. Irregular Patterns, Neural Connections for Beat Perception, Workshop: Beat Tapping, Discussion 3.1: Human Evolution, Assignment 3: Skimming a Research Paper, Recap

Week 4 – “Musical Development, Talent, and Creativity” – Jan 28th – Feb 3rd
Introduction, Music and Language, When Speech Becomes Music, Speech Acquisition, Parallels and Differences between Music and Language, Quiz 4.1: Music and Language, Testing Infants, Musical Constraints, Order of Acquisition of Musical Behaviors, Infant- and Child-Directed Songs, Learning Emotion in Music, Workshop: Match Musical Examples to Behavior, Musical Talent, Creativity, Creativity in the Brain, Quiz 4.2: Creativity, Discussion 4.1: Natural Musical Ability, Assignment 4: Follow-up Research, Recap

Week 5 – “Performance Expertise, Improvisation, and Anxiety” – Feb 4th – Feb 10th
Introduction, Musical Performance, Acoustic Correlates of Expressivity, Performers’ Signatures, Quiz 5.1: Performance, Musical Errors and Learning, Transfer of Learning, Musical Practice, Workshop: Experiment, Musical Improvisation, Performance Anxiety, Coping Strategies and Treatments, Quiz 5.2: Improvisation and Anxiety, Discussion 5.1: Show and Tell!, Assignment 5: What Do We Mean By “Good” Improvisation?, Recap

Week 6 – “Evolution and Cross-Cultural Music Cognition” – Feb 11th – Feb 17th, Introduction, The Evolution of Music, Music and Early Social Life, Workshop: Matching Terms: Evolution, Music and Speech, More Commonalities in Music and Language, Quiz 6.1: Music and Speech, Cross-Cultural Musical Behaviors, Intonation Perception, Quiz 6.2: Culture and Intonation, Discussion 6.1: Musical Behaviors, Assignment 6: Research a Language, Recap

Week 7 – “Music and Emotion” – Feb 18th – Feb 24th
Introduction, The Study of Music and Emotion, What Are Emotions?, Emotional vs. Non-Emotional Music, Workshop: Music and Emotion, Mechanisms of Musical Emotion, Workshop: Mechanisms of Musical Emotions, Musical Emotions and Physiology, Why Do We Like Sad Music?, Quiz 7.1: Physiology of Emotion, Discussion 7.1: Musical Performances, Assignment 7: Music and Emotion, Recap

Week 8 – “Music and Memory” – Feb 25th – Mar 3rd
Introduction, What Is Memory?, Localizing Memory, Workshop: Measure Your Memory Skills, Types of Memory Processes, Memory for Music, Workshop: Types of Memory Processes, Experiments in Music Encoding, Valence, Arousal, and Memory Encoding, Surface or Deep Structure Memorization?, Absolute vs. Relative Musical Memory, The Nature of Auditory Working Memory, Quiz 8.1: Experiments in Memory, Musical Imagery: Voluntary and Involuntary, Involuntary Musical Imagery: Earworms, Workshop: Musical Imagery, Discussion 8.1: Musical Memories, Assignment 8: Music and Memory, Recap

Week 9 – “Individual Differences and Music Preferences” – Mar 4th – Mar 10th, Introduction, Developing the Musician’s Brain, Biological Markers of Musicianship, Quiz 9.1: The Musician’s Brain, The Musician’s Brain, Synesthesia, Workshop: Match Sentences, Music Preferences and Personality, Measuring Personality, Correlations between Personality and Music Preferences, Quiz 9.2: Music Preference Dimensions and Musical Genres, Musicians’ Personalities and Career Choices, Discussion 9.1: Do Your Musical Listening Habits Reflect Your Personality Traits?, Assignment 9: Propose a Research Experiment, Recap

Week 10 – “Music Marketing and Branding” – Mar 11th – Mar 17th
Introduction, Background Music, The Work of North and Hargreaves, Workshop: Effects of Background Music, Sonic Branding, Celebrity Endorsements, Workshop: Sonic Branding Review, Multi-Sensory Integration, Sonic Seasoning, Coffee and Music, Ad Music and Cognition, Music’s Impact on Moral Choices, Quiz 10.1: Definitions, Discussion 10.1:, Assignment 10: Best Jingles of All Time, Recap

Week 11 – “Music Therapeutics and Intervention” – Mar 18th – Mar 24th
Introduction, Music Therapy for Neurological Disorders, Stroke Recovery, Melodic Intonation Therapy, Quiz 11.1: Neurologic Music Therapy Review, Music for Well-Being, Pre-Term Infants, Cancer Treatment, Sports Performance, Workshop: Music for Well-Being Review, Music in Communities, Classrooms, Work Songs, Quiz 11.2: Music in Communities Review, Discussion 11.1: Music While You Work, Assignment 11: Music Therapy Interventions, Recap

Week 12 – “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning” – Mar 25th – Mar 31st
Introduction, Machine Learning as a Creative Tool, Workshop: Machine Learning, Musical Metacreation (MuMe), Performing Robots, Workshop: MuMe and Performing Robots, New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME), Ubiquitous Music, Workshop: NIME and Ubiquitous Music, Discussion 12.1: Musebot Music, Reply, Assignment 12: Research and Summarize Findings, Recap

Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games Capstone

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This was the class that I was looking forward to taking during my final term with Berklee Online. The idea of being able to work on one piece for an entire term, to focus on and consider a piece of music for an extended period of time was really exciting to me. It did not disappoint.

This course was a great way for us to put together everything we learned throughout the degree program into one project. It required that I utilize topics covered in Music Theory 1-4, Film Scoring 101, Counterpoint, Music Notation & Score Preparation, Orchestration 1 & 2, Music Composition for Film 1 & 2, and Mixing & Mastering on a regular basis. It was the perfect way to finish up the “Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games Degree” program.

One of the biggest takeaways for me from this capstone project was to break music cues out into smaller, stand-alone, Logic project files. I fell into a trap trying to work with one large file so that I could get a sense of how one section was flowing into another, contextually. Unfortunately, it just made for much bigger problems later in the project as I started hitting technical issues with my DAW (clicks/pops, memory overflows) even with frozen tracks and large buffer sizes, which brought all forward progress to a halt. If I were to do it all over again breaking everything into seperate projects would be the first thing I would do (after spotting and mapping everything out).

Another important takeaway for me with this project was having a musical sketch of the entire piece from beginning to end. It really helped to have a “roadmap” to pull everything together and work from. This helped maintain forward momentum and alleviate writer’s block.

Super happy to have been able to study with Ben Newhouse again as he’s one of my favorite teachers ever, not just with Berklee. His approach to the material was always clear, methodical, and well thought out. He always gave really helpful, useful, and timely feedback on all assignments and communications, and was very inspiring as an instructor and person.

Here’s the capstone piece that I put together. It’s a rescoring of the excellent BMW Films “The Hire – Ambush”.

End Credits ScoreDownload


Here’s what we went over during the twelve weeks.

Week 1 – “Overall Industry Profitability” – Jan 9th – Jan 13th
Introduction, Meet and Greet, Course Overview, Need for a Macro Industry Analysis, Porter’s Five Forces—Plus One, Bargaining Power of Suppliers, Bargaining Power of Buyers, Nature of Competition, Influx of New Entrants, Availability of Substitutes, Government Policy, Workshop: Business Terminology, Summary of Strategic Recommendations, Discussion 1.1: Trends and Changes in the Industry, Degree Review Quiz: Music Notation, Assignment 1: Introduce Your Capstone Project, Recap

Week 2 – “Client Needs and Your Solutions” – Jan 14th – Jan 20th
Introduction, Clients, Creativity, and Being a “Hired Pencil”, Discussion 2.1: Horner Follow-up, Musical Expertise, Budget, Customization, Risk, Quantity, Time, Aesthetics: “Different” or “Similar” Music, Client Need Profiles, Possible Solutions for Common Client Needs, Discussion 2.2: Three Different Clients, Degree Review Quiz: Music Technology, Assignment 2: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 3 – “Finding Clients” – Jan 21st – Jan 27th
Introduction, Conference Networking Strategies, Film Festivals, Film Societies, Organizations, and Conferences, TV Industry Conferences, Video Game Conferences, Databases and Cold-Calling, Film Schools, US Film Schools, International Film Schools, Industry Publications, Discussion 3.1: Elevator Conversation, Degree Review Quiz: Music Theory I, Assignment 3: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 4 – “Composer Marketing Materials” – Jan 28th – Feb 3rd
Introduction, Demos, Audio Demos, Video Demos, Demos: A Possible Approach, Cover Letters, Networking Letters, Credit List, Resumé, Business Cards, Website, Discussion 4.1: Website Content, Course Reading Quiz: Lessons 1-4, Assignment 4: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 5 – “Copyrights” – Feb 4th – Feb 10th
Introduction, Copyrights, Compositions and Recordings, Musical Composition and Sound Recording Copyrights, Music Licensing, Performing Rights Organizations, International PROs, The Term “Publishing”, Work Made for Hire, Contract Considerations, Evaluating Contracts, Workshop: Copyright Terminology, Discussion 5.1: Your PRO, Degree Review Quiz: World Music, Assignment 5: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 6 – “Royalties” – Feb 11th – Feb 17th
Introduction, Will I Get Royalties?, Evaluating Royalty Opportunities: Television, Film, Workshop: Royalty Opportunities, Video Games and Music Libraries, Royalty Valuation: Inflation, Royalty Valuation: Present Value and Discount Rates, Royalty Valuation: Net Present Value, Workshop: Net Present Value, Royalty Stream Example 1, Royalty Stream Example 2, Discussion 6.1: Royalties or Upfront, Degree Review Quiz: Music History, Assignment 6: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 7 – “Make It Once, Sell It Many Times” – Feb 18th – Feb 24th
Introduction, Multiple Payments from Multiple Clients, An Independent Film: Example 1, An Independent Film: Example 2, A Television Episode: Example 1, A Television Episode: Example 2, A Television Episode: Example 3, A Music Library Cue: Example 1, A Music Library Cue: Example 2, Key Observations, Discussion 7.1: Selling a Single Product to Multiple Buyers, Degree Review Quiz: Film Scoring, Assignment 7: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 8 – “Pricing” – Feb 25th – Mar 3rd
Introduction, Industry Rates, Cost-Plus Pricing, Competition-Based Pricing, Ability-to-Pay Pricing, Price Discrimination, Price Takers and Price Makers, Pricing Strategies for Composers, Workshop: Pricing Terminology, Discussion 8.1: Ability-to-Pay Pricing, Course Reading Quiz: Lessons 5-8, Assignment 8: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 9 – “Intermediaries” – Mar 4th – Mar 10th
Introduction, Agents, Hollywood Agents, Music Libraries, Submission Services, Break Even, Agent Break Even, Music Library Break Even, Submission Services and Probability, Workshop: Break Evens and Submission Fees, Try Multiple Approaches, Discussion 9.1: Submission Services, Degree Review Quiz: Video Game Music, Assignment 9: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 10 – “Other Jobs” – Mar 11th – Mar 17th
Introduction, Music Supervisors, Music Editors, Orchestrators, Music Preparation, Composer Assistants, Production Assistant Jobs, Discussion 10.1: Composer’s Previous Jobs, Degree Review Quiz: Orchestration, Assignment 10: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 11 – “Temp Scores” – Mar 18th – Mar 24th
Introduction, What is a Temp Score?, Benefits of Temp Scores, Weaknesses of Temp Scores, Creating Soundalikes, Composer Opinion of Temp Scores, Discussion 11.1: Temp Scores, Decreasing the Need for Temp Scores, More on Temp Score Weaknesses, Degree Review Quiz: Music Theory II, Assignment 11: Capstone Project Update, Recap

Week 12 – “Communicating with Clients” – Mar 25th – Mar 31st
Introduction, An Alternative to Theoretical Musical Terminology, Creative Flexibility, The Benefits of Incorporating Feedback, Confidence and Expertise, Do Not Say Bad Things About Your Music, Discussion 12.1: Communicating with Clients, Course Reading Quiz: Lessons 9-12, Assignment 12: Capstone Project Final Submission, Recap

Rock History

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This class was very well put together, covering a lot of ground in going over the history of Rock music and its associated sub-genres. Filled with video interviews of artists, producers, engineers, and promoters, as well as a number of original articles the course author, Steve Morse, had written for various publications, the course is overflowing with the history of Rock.

When I signed up for this class I thought that it would be pretty easy to get through as I had done so much personal research on the subject over the years. Turned out that I ended up spending way more time on researching the assignments for class than I thought I would, just to make sure that I had my facts and references straight. That being said I couldn’t see myself doing very well with a history class on classical music so I’m glad that this course was available. All in all, it was a good class, just a bit too much information for 12 weeks.

Here’s what was covered in the course.

Week 1 – “Dawn of Rock & Roll” – Jan 9th – Jan 13th
Introduction, Meet and Greet, Historical Perspective, Digging Into the Roots, Influence of Country-Hillbilly Music, Influence of Acoustic Blues, The Blues Gets Amplified, Rock’s Commercial Beginnings: From Bill Haley to Elvis and Sun Records in Memphis, Elvis, Business Spotlight: Colonel Tom Parker, Discussion 1.1: Analyzing the King, Early Rock & Roll Hitmakers, Technology Spotlight: Leo Fender, Les Paul, Business Spotlight: New Trends, Emergence of Black Stars: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Emergence of Female Stars: Wanda Jackson, Brenda Lee, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Discussion 1.2: Birth of Rock Music Map, Inside the Music: The Beats, In Their Own Words, Quiz 1.1: Birth of Rock, Assignment 1: Rock’s Roots, Recap

Week 2 – “Rock’s Racial Integration, a Backlash; Payola; and Moving Beyond the Day the Music Died” – Jan 14th – Jan 20th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Buddy Holly’s Pioneering Role and Tragic End, Business Spotlight: Buddy Holly and Decca, Rock in Retreat, Alan Freed Helps to Racially Integrate Radio Stations and Concert Tours, then Implodes, Early Rock & Roll DJs: The Pied Pipers of Rock, New Trends, Dance Crazes, Teen Idols Signify Safe Music and a Retreat from Rock’s Roots, Discussion 2.1: Teen Idol’s Re-Recordings, The Rise of The Brill Building Movement and Spector’s Wall of Sound, Surge of Girl Groups and Female Stars, Technology Spotlight: Shifting Music Formats, The Four Seasons Bridge Doo-Wop and Rock, In Their Own Words, The Isley Brothers Provide a Bright Spot and a Link to the Beatles, Workshop: You Know My Name, Assignment 2: 1959-1963: Rock’s Dark Age?, Recap

Week 3 – “Rock Regains its Lustre, Climaxing with the British Invasion of the Beatles and Rolling Stones” – Jan 21st – Jan 27th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, Instrumental Rock, The Surf Rock of the Beach Boys, Business Spotlight: Rock Matures, Beatlemania, Fab Four Inventiveness, Beatles Firsts, The British Invasion, Discussion 3.1: The Beatles’ Popularity, The Rolling Stones Add a Sense of Rebellion, Sparked by Chicago Blues, Stones on a Roll, Business Spotlight: Brian Epstein of the Beatles Vs. Andrew Loog Oldham of the Stones, The Who Slam Into View, Technology Spotlight: Marshall Amplifiers, The Kinks Create a Different World, Quiz 3.1: Rock’s Golden Age, In Their Own Words, Assignment 3: The British Invasion, Recap

Week 4 – “Soul Music, Funk, Bob Dylan and Folk-Rock, and the Birth of Protest Music” – Jan 28th – Feb 3rd
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Motown Records, Behind The Hits, Business Spotlight: Hitsville USA, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Temptations, Stax-Volt Records, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Soul Sisters: Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin, Funk-Rock Pioneers: James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone, Sly & The Family Stone, Protest Music, Bob Dylan’s Inspiration for Folk-Rock, Like a Rolling Stone, Business Spotlight: Albert Grossman, Personal Manager, In Their Own Words, Discussion 4.1: Folk Music’s Influence, Technology Spotlight: Recording Innovations, Donovan: the So-Called “Scottish Dylan”, Simon & Garfunkel: Bringing Folk-Rock to the Mainstream, Workshop: Terms Review, The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Good Time Music, Frank Zappa: The Ultimate Iconoclast, Assignment 4: Rock’s New Voice, Recap

Week 5 – “More British Invasion, Guitar Heroes, British Folk-Rock, and the Rawness of Garage Rock” – Feb 4th – Feb 10th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, More British Invasion Bands of the ’60s: Dave Clark Five, Animals, The Hollies, Them, Hendrix in a Class by Himself, Discussion 5.1: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Yardbirds and their Alumni: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, The Jeff Beck Group, Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Alvin Lee and Ten Years After, Technology Spotlight: New Frontiers in Electronics, Garage Rock’s Cult Status, Spotlight Moment: Rock Critic Gets Carried Away, In Their Own Words, Business Spotlight: Muscle Shoals Studio, Birth of British Folk-Rock, Quiz 5.1: Guitar Gods, British-Folk, and Other Acts of the Middle to Late 1960’s, Assignment 5: Second British Wave, Recap

Week 6 – “Progressive Rock; the Birth of Psychedelia; and Acid Rock in San Francisco, L.A., and London” – Feb 11th – Feb 17th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Progressive Rock Soars in England: Cream, Traffic, and More, Traffic, Jethro Tull and King Crimson, Emerson, Lake, & Palmer and Yes, Technology Spotlight: Robert Moog and the Synthesizer, What is Psychedelic Rock?, Pink Floyd Launches Psychedelic Rock, Life in the Studio: The Moody Blues, The Beatles Raise the Bar, The San Francisco Scene, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin’s Cosmic Blues, Jefferson Airplane Take Off, Santana’s Latin Rock, Country Joe and the Fish, Business Spotlight: Concert Promotion Impresarios Graham and Law, Los Angeles Weighs In, The Byrds, The Doors, Love, Buffalo Springfield, Mamas & the Papas, Afro-Psychedelia: The Chambers Brothers, Black Voice of Conscience: Curtis Mayfield, Discussion 6.1: Psychedelic Sounds: West Coast and Across the Atlantic, Festival Peaks at Monterey Pop and Woodstock, Business Spotlight: Trends, Workshop: Terms Review, In Their Own Words, Assignment 6: Still Rock & Roll?, Recap

Week 7 – “Turning the Corner to the ’70s” – Feb 18th – Feb 24th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, A Tough Start, Rock Festivals Imperiled, Excesses on the Road, The 27 Club, Straddling the Extremes: Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Accelerate, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Glam Rock Asserts Itself, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, T. Rex, Garry Glitter, Elton John, Glam-Funk Psychedelia: George Clinton, Rock Opera in Vogue, Discussion 7.1: Rock Opera, Business Spotlight: Trends and More Lester Bangs, Technology Spotlight: Laser Lights and Inflatables, Soft Rock as a Rejection of the High Decibels, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, James Taylor, In Their Own Words, Canadians Leave their Mark on the Soft Rock Genre, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Business Spotlight: David Geffen, Record Executive, Britain’s Contribution, Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart, Nick Drake, The Beatles Go Solo: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Quiz 7.1: Ushering the 1970’s, Assignment 7: Rock’s Extremes, Recap

Week 8 – “Americana, Reggae, Blues Power in the Arenas, and New Superstars” – Feb 25th – Mar 3rd
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Americana, The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Gram Parsons, Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, Business Spotlight: Chris Blackwell, Reggae Pioneers, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Discussion 8.1: Reggae, Blues Rock Returns and Southern Rock Peaks, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, J. Geils Band, Steely Dan Builds a Cult, In Their Own Words, Technology Spotlight: Heil Talk Box, Screaming Your Way: Aerosmith, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Kiss, Ted Nugent, New Superstars: Springsteen, Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Mainstream Rock, Boston, Foreigner, Heart, Bad Company, Meat Loaf, Rush: Doing it their Way, Business Spotlight: Trends, Jimmy Buffett Hits the Beach, Workshop: You Know My Name, Assignment 8: Rock Regionalism, Recap

Week 9 – “The Extreme Rebellion of Punk” – Mar 4th – Mar 10th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Setting the Scene, The Velvet Underground, MC5, The Stooges, CBGB’s Provides a Home, The Ramones, The Patti Smith Group, Television, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Talking Heads, Blondie, Suicide, The Cramps, Business Spotlight: Seymour Stein of Sire Records, Discussion 9.1: Rockin’ At CBGB’s, Fanzines, In Their Own Words, Technology Spotlight: Drum Machines, The Sex Pistols Pace British Punk Explosion, The Clash Pick Up the Banner, Rock Against Racism, Quiz 9.1: Fill in the Blank Generation, Other Punks of Note, The Jam, The Buzzcocks, Devo, X, Assignment 9: Three Chords and the Truth?, Recap

Week 10 – “Lennon Shock, New Wave, MTV Superstars, The ’80s Soar Despite Censorship” – Mar 11th – Mar 17th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, The John Lennon Tragedy, From Punk to New Wave: U2 and The Police, The Police, U2, Business Spotlight: Super-Producer Brian Eno, Discussion 10.1: Your Thoughts on U2?, Other Prominent New Wave Acts, Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick, The Cars, The Pretenders, The B-52’s, The Go-Go’s, Squeeze, MTV Changes Everything, MTV Stars: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and More, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Billy Idol, Peter Gabriel, ZZ Top, Synth Pop and the New Brit Invasion, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Culture Club, In Their Own Words, Business Spotlight: Trends, Technology Spotlight: Dawn of the Digital Age, Brits on the Edge, The Cure, Joy Division, Gang of Four, Hard Rock Grows a Sense of Humor, Van Halen, AC/DC, Business Spotlight: Super-Producer Mutt Lange, Rock Censorship Turns Nasty, Discussion 10.2: Rock Censorship, Workshop: You Know My Name, The Mainstream Prospers, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Huey Lewis & the News, Bryan Adams, Assignment 10: Rock Videos, Recap

Week 11 – “Rock’s Social Conscience, Street Poets, Surging Female Stars, Rap Crossover, and Thrash Metal” – Mar 18th – Mar 24th
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Benefit Concerts in Vogue, Live Aid: July 13, 1985 at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Farm Aid: Sept. 22, 1985 in Champaign, Illinois, Conspiracy of Hope: June 15, 1986 in New Jersey, Human Rights Now!, Discussion 11.1: Benefit Concerts, Rock’s New Street Poets, Billy Joel, Warren Zevon, John Mellencamp, Tom Waits, Revivals: Blues and Rockabilly, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Stray Cats, Musical Spotlight: Give the Bass Player Some!, Sisters Doin’ It For Themselves, Donna Summer, Tracy Chapman, Tina Turner, In Their Own Words, Business Spotlight: Ampitheaters and Another Format Becomes History, Technology Spotlight: Scholz Research & Development, Rock/Rap Crossover, Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, Arena Rock Surges, and Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Returns, Hair Metal Brings the Ooze, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, New King of the Hill, Thrash Metal Slams In, Metallica, Slayer, ’80s Surprises, Quiz 11.1: The Late 1980s, Decade’s Positive Climax: Bonnie Raitt, Assignment 11: New Attitudes, Recap

Week 12 – “More from the ’90s, then the Effect Of 9/11 and Rocking into the 21st Century” – Mar 25th – Mar 31st
Introduction, Historical Perspective, Alt-Rock Comes on Strong, R.E.M., Pixies, Welcome to Grunge, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Grunge by Association: Smashing Pumpkins, Pushing the Boundaries: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Flaming Lips, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Flaming Lips, Business Spotlight: SoundScan Changes the Industry, Dramatic New Voices, Sinead O’Connor, Alanis Morissette, Melissa Etheridge, Amanda Palmer and the Dresden Dolls, Nu Metal and Rap-Metal, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Punk-Pop Redux: Green Day, Technology Spotlight: Pro Tools, Watershed Moments at Woodstock ’94 And ’99, Woodstock ’94: Rain, Mud, the Launch Of Green Day, the Coronation of Metallica, and the Feistiness of Aerosmith, Woodstock ’99: An Anger-Filled Festival Erupts with Rap-Metal Bands and a Destructive Finale, More Noteworthy Festivals, Brit Revival with Oasis, Radiohead, and Coldplay, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay, Business Spotlight: Napster Jolts the Industry, Discussion 12.1: Alternative Rock, In Their Own Words, Sonic Pastiche: Beck, Garage-Rock & Blues Revival: The White Stripes, Jam Bands Capture Fresh Attention, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, The Black Crowes, Technology Spotlight: A Classic Band on Stage, ’90s/’00s Surprises, Workshop: You Know My Name, Disastrous Effect of 9/11 On Changing Radio Playlists, Rock Goes Country, Rolling Stones Keep Rolling, Long Live Rock: Into the Future, Assignment 12: New Horizons, Recap, Postscript: Sources and Texts

Hope for the Hopeless

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One of the highlights of the Fall 2022 Term was a collaboration that I did with fellow Berklee Online students Adriene Mixon and Parker Sanders as part of the Project Management For Musicians course we were in. 

The song features Adriene’s beautiful lyrics, Parker’s well-crafted guitar solo, and me handling the rest. I really like how this one turned out. 

Thank you, Adriene and Parker, for working on this with me!

Photo by Joseph Driscoll on Unsplash