Last week Los Angeles-based film composer Ryan Leach posted this great article on his blog, and I liked it so much I asked if I could re-blog it (thanks Ryan!). Throughout the article he discusses his technique of copying another composer's music to better understand the music and the thought process of the composer, a technique I have been using as well for quite some time. After you've read his article, head over to his website and check out what he's been up to!

How do you get started when scoring a film that requires ethnic influence in the music? Over the next couple of months I will be scoring a number of ethnic influenced films and I'll be sharing my process with you every step of the way. Our first step is the research, but it includes much more than music.

Films I will be scoring include an Irish influenced animated short by Grounded filmmaker Justine Howard, a Greek influenced documentary feature by director George Tsioutsioulas, and an Asian influenced Legend of Zelda fan film by A Boy Named Bellamy filmmaker Israel Combs. 

To college, or not to college? That is the highly debated question (one of many) in the music industry. With success stories ranging widely from both college educated and non-college educated musicians, it can be difficult to weigh the pros and cons of spending time and money for a piece of paper with some black ink on it. Let's take a look at our options for the Film Scoring career path.

When you're done, check out my list of Film Scoring programs.

Happy New Year everyone! 2014 flew by, but I'm already super excited about 2015. Those who know me know that I'm a planner and an obsessive organizer, so I take my New Year's resolutions very seriously. I write them down, put them on my fridge, and stare at them for hours. Maybe not hours. But now it's time to write some new ones! When you're done reading my recommended list, tell me what your resolutions are in the comments. 

Someone recently asked about the best TV themes of all time, and I thought "that sounds like a great list for my blog!" As someone who lived most of their childhood through the 1990's (which I would consider the last decade of great theme songs), I do love me some cheesy classic TV themes. Below is just a small list of my favorite TV themes from the 1950s through the 1990s, in no particular order. I should note that there are many more that I would include, but I had to narrow it down.

As I type this there are less than 10 days left until Christmas, which means that even the last-minuters are starting to feel the holiday cheer (panic). Whether you're working overtime before the end of the year, trampling other customers in stores to get last red Power Rangers action figure (those are still around right?), or Googling "how to enjoy the holidays alone", a good Christmas special can make the holidays a little more manageable. Here is a list of my all-time favorite Christmas specials.

It's that time of year again! It's officially December, everyone's getting sick of Thanksgiving leftovers, and Christmas is pretty much in full swing here in America (sorry other holidays). Smart shoppers probably have half their gifts already bought, while busy (forgetful) shoppers like myself are still in the planning stage. In case you know a composer, or you are one yourself, I've come up with a list of relatively affordable film composer toys for this holiday season!

We've all been there - you're on a roll, the creative juices are flowing, and then out of nowhere you hit a wall. It can happen at any moment, sometimes even before you get started. So what can you do to generate new ideas and get the momentum going again? Here are just a few things I do to get the gears moving again; give them a try, you'll be surprised how well they work!

No two composers share the exact same formula or workflow when it comes to scoring to visual media. I'm always adjusting my workflow to meet the needs of each individual project I'm on, it's just necessary in order to keep growing as a composer and as a professional. Although I'm always trying to do something a little different, there are a few questions I ask myself that, for the most part, stay pretty consistent from project to project.

We love profound quotes, especially from people we admire. They inspire us; they give us a small piece of the speaker's personality; and sometimes they can teach us things about ourselves. I've seen a few great quotes from composers that have stuck with me for one reason or another, so I thought I'd compile a few for my blog.