Danny Elfman Podcast - Week 4

Peer Comment - Week 4

I made a comment on my fellow classmate's blog. His name is  Ben Zuiderweg. This is what I posted:

Hey Ben!  I am glad to have read your blog on Richard Devine.  I actually never heard of him prior to your blog.  As I am a fan of sound design, electronic music, and scoring, he seems like someone I should research more about. I have looked him up on Spotify and am currently listening to him as I am writing this post.

One thing I love about electronic music is all of the work that goes into modifying each individual sound. It is so interesting learning how to do it. Coming from a classical background, I have had a very tough time grasping my mind around how electronic music is made. It takes a ton of skill to produce these works, and Devine really seems to know his stuff. He designs patches, creates software, and teaches the public how to do what he does. Your post has inspired me to continue looking out for Devine and what he's going to bring to the table next. Thank you for the knowledge!  

~Angela R

Independent Research - Danny Elfman

This week, I have chosen to write about Danny Elfman. I feel that he has contributed a great deal to popular music of today. From the band Oingo Boing to working as a film composer for many popular movies and television shows, Danny Elfman has inspired many musicians and composers, including myself, to reach beyond the norm and not fear the dark and quirky.

Born on May 29, 1953 in Amarillo, Texas, Danny Elfman was the son of children's novelist Blossom Elfman. He and his brother, Richard, grew up in Los Angeles. Danny then moved to France at 18 to learn about orchestration and theater (Marx). He often played his violin in the streets, and joined an avant-garde musical theater group called La Gran Magic Circus. Danny then moved to Africa for a year, learning Highlife, which is African pop that combined raggae and salsa with horns. With all this musical knowledge, Danny returned to Los Angeles to reunite with Richard and start the band Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, which was later shortened to just Oingo Boingo (Yahoo).

Oingo Boingo was originally put together for a movie Richard was writing called "Forbidden Zone." With Danny as the vocalist and front man, this quirky punk/new wave band began playing in the L.A. area, and when the "Forbidden Zone" was finally released in 1980, they instantly got noticed. A&M Records sought them out and they signed a recording contract, producing singles such as "Only a Lad," "Nothing to Fear," and "Dead Man's Party." (Prato)

In the mid 1980's, a fan of Oingo Boingo by the name of Tim Burton made Elfman's acquaintance. Burton asked Elfman to write the score for his work, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." From here, the relationship and friendship became solid, and the two continued to work together on numerous other films, such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This solidified Elfman's career as a film composer, and he continues to this day working with directors, including Tim Burton, on scores (Marx).

Elfman has won numerous awards for his work. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Original Instrumental Background Score for Batman. He earned an Emmy nomination for the main title theme music of the Fox animated series, The Simpsons. He earned Golden Globe and Grammy nominations for Best Original Score for The Nightmare Before Christmas. He received his first Oscar nomination in 1997 for Best Original Score for Good Will Hunting, and a Grammy nomination for Men in Black. In 2001 he earned a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Planet of the Apes. He received a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, and a Grammy nomination for Best Original Score of Big Fish. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song in Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He earned in 2010 a Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Alice In Wonderland, and was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Motion Picture for the same film (Yahoo).

Danny Elfman is an inspiration because he went from having no classical training to becoming one of the most prolific and respected film composers of our generation. He used influences from his travels to help him build from a small, quirky band, into this film composer with scores full of passion and emotion. Bits of Africa can be heard in his large use of percussion and brass instruments. As a listener, I love hearing his unique sound. It is very dark and intense, and can be very intricate and fun. 

As an industry professional, I love hearing how an adult can go from having little musical knowledge to becoming a huge deal in the industry (Yahoo). There isn't a person in the business who doesn't know Danny Elfman and his works. He is one of the the biggest film composers of our time, along with John Williams and Hans Zimmer. My biggest dream is becoming a film composer, so I look up to these people as my idols and inspirations. I want to continue my research on these film, tv, and video game composers to hopefully learn how they got to where they are, and set myself on a similar path. My goal is to finish my degree at Full Sail University, and while still working on music and producing, I want to apply at Berklee University into their film scoring program. One can never have enough education in a field they love. I want to experience multiple different learning environments like Danny Elfman, so I can grow as a person and a professional, and be able to reflect my experiences in my music.

Peer Comment - Week 3

I made a comment on my fellow classmate's blog. His name is Shannon McDowell. This is what I posted:

Hey Shannon! What an interesting topic to choose for this blog! I hadn't even correlated MIDI with this week's assignment. MIDI is so useful in the creation of electronic music, especially now. It started as a simple concept - data registering note on and off and volume control. Then it became this huge idea with datasets that can be used to create any audible sound.

In our profession as music producers, it's absolutely important we use MIDI. It allows us to create and produce music cheaply and without having to pick up an instrument. I usually use a keyboard MIDI controller to impute my music, as I feel it is the easiest form of inputting data into a DAW. Once in a DAW, I use the MIDI information and I'm able to transform sounds by changing parameters and with the use of plug-ins. 

I absolutely love your blog entry. I think it was a great idea to write about MIDI. You are right - it is a very important electronic music innovation. I am eager to read more from you in the future!

~Angela Russell

Electronic Music - David Bowie.

There were many artists who were a part of the electronic music world. One that I am choosing to write about today would be one of my favorite artists of all-time, David Bowie. He is a huge influential artist, who has been able to perceive musical trends and reinvent himself over and over since the late 60's. He has been responsible for creating of furthering several major trends in rock and roll (Rock and Roll). 

Born David Jones, Bowie began performing music when he was 13 on the saxophone. Upon graduation, he played the sax as a commercial artist for multiple bands. After years of performing, he joined a Buddihst monastery, formed a mime company, and formed an experimental art group (Erlewine). To finance the project, Bowie signed with Mercury, and released multiple albums, including Space Oddity (Kemp). At this point, David Bowie was fully submerged in the recording world, and was very popular. He was also lost in drug addiction. After a controversial drug-fueled moment involving a Nazi salute, Bowie left England and went to Berlin, where he lived and worked with a big name in electronic music: Brian Eno.

In Berlin, Bowie became sober and studied art. He also grew in fascination with German electronic music (Erlewine). Along with Brian Eno,  Bowie created the "Berlin trilogy," which included the three largely experimental, atmospheric albums Low, Heroes, and Lodger. Bowie reinvented himself creating these albums (Rock and Roll). Low was a mixture of electronics, pop, and avant-garde techniques. They used AKS synthesizers and it's use of creating drum sounds with an Eventide Harmonizer. Low and Heroes became influential albums of the 1970's. Heroes used synthesizers, keyboards, and guitar treatments. Lodger created several innovative videos, which became staples on early MTV (Erlewine). 

After his reinvention, Bowie went off to create more albums, star in films, and become an even bigger star. In the 1990's, David Bowie moved back into the electronic world in the way of electronica. He reunited with Brian Eno to create Outside- The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle, which was a concept album that wasn't very successful. However, he began to tour with Nine Inch Nails, who were a big name in modern electronic music at the time (Kemp). 

David Bowie has always been an inspiration of  mine. As a listener, I loved how he could effortlessly hop from genre to genre, and master everything as he went along. He helped define experimental rock, glam rock, art rock, pop, Krautrock, electronic music, avant-garde, and indie rock. He was able to reinvent himself multiple times, and become one of the hugest names of the 20th century. As a professional, I loved seeing one musician branch out so much and remain successful. His work with Brain Eno aided him into the height of his career. With how influential of a musician and artist Bowie was, I feel he made a huge contribution to electronic music. 

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is an electronic band that came from Germany. They helped pave the way for a new electronic way of music creation, with their self-described "robot pop." They were influential in creating hypnotic and rhythmic music performed solely electronically (Ankeny). Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider created Kraftwerk in the early 1970's. Both were classically educated musicians who had just come out oof the same improvisation class. Florian experimented with echo-units and amps on his flutes and violins, whereas Ralf did the same with his electronic keyboard. With their music vision in mind, they created their own studio,  which was called Kling Klang Studio. It was in this studio that they developed the audiovisual concept and music for Kraftwerk's albums (Matten).

In 1974, Kraftwerk matured in sound with the release of Autobahn. With the increasing success of the band, they were able to afford newer technology and studio upgrades. They could afford even more after the release of Radio-Activity, and Kling Klang Studio became a full working recording studio. It was here that Kraftwerk stopped its avant-garde experimentations and moved forward into the electronic pop genre (Bussy). 

Kraftwerk went on to write Trans-Europe Express in 1977. This album helped inspire hip-hop and DJ's in America. They then wrote The Man Machine in 1978, which was characterized by automated electronic music and sequenced rhythm tracks. Then between 1978-1981, Kraftwerk created the album Computer World. This album reached a new level that few have reached since. This album was completely a product of Kling Klang Studio, and illustrated the art of complexity and visionary music for today and tomorrow. Now, Kraftwerk was touring the world for the first time (Matten).

Kraftwerk is well known for their album concepts. Their albums were, in order, about highways, radioactivity, trains, science fiction and robots, and the futuristic computer world (Matten). Their production qualities were also unique. Autobahn was made largely with a Moog synthesizer (AllMusic.) Electronic voices and speech synthesis were used in Radio-Activity. Sequencers and vocoder voices were used in Trans-Europe Express. Automated electronic music and sequenced rhythm tracks created The Man Machine. Multichannel analog-sequencing that was synchronized to a multichannel tape-recorder was used in the recording process of Computer World. (Matten). 

Many musicians have been influenced by Kraftwerk. To name a few, they are Joy Division, New Order, Franz Ferdinand, and Duran Duran. Some musicians even used samples of their music, such as Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, U2, and Soft Cell. Some musicians did covers of their work, such as Jay-Z (Kraftwerk). 

As a listener, I thoroughly enjoy Kraftwerk. These men are so talented and helped broaden the spectrum of electronic music. I also am a huge fan of concept albums, which is basically what they continuously were putting out. As a professional, it is so interesting to learn of all the ways they would modify sounds to create the sounds they desired, and did everything almost completely electronically. They ended up using so much equipment to achieve their unique music. They are truly an inspiration to the audio world.

Pet Sound's Podcast - Week 2

Peer Comment Week 2

I made a comment on my fellow classmate's blog. His name is Kyle Lind. This is what I posted:

Hello Kyle!  I enjoyed reading your post about The Beatle's Revolver. I love the correlation you brought between Revolver and Rubber Soul, describing both the similarities and differences between the two. The flow through the timeline of the album fit very well throughout your blog. The Beatles grew quite a bit in this album with their drug experimentation and Indian influences, which you made sure to include. The recording innovations you mentioned are a big key to how The Beatles unlocked doors for the upcoming musical world. The technology used was very state-of-the-art. You went into great detail, and it was clear to understand. I am glad this album had such an impact on you. I think you did an excellent job on this post. I look forward to reading more of your blogs!

Angela Russell

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Another album I think music fanatics should check out is Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. It is one of the most important records to come out of soul music. It spoke out about "urban decay, environmental woes, military turbulence, police brutality, unemployment, and poverty." This album was also one of the best full-length soul albums from Motown. (Bush).

Marvin Gaye was born in Washington DC from a strict, Christian household. He began his singing career at the age of three at his church's choir, and also learned how to play the piano and drums. (Ankeny). After high school and the Air Force, Gaye joined several doo wop groups. He was soon discovered by Berry Gordy Jr, who picked him up for a solo career at Motown Records. (Marvin Gaye). After three failed singles, Gaye began finding success, and soon hit the Top 10 charts. He experienced a lot of great success. (Ankeny)

Marvin Gaye began to involve himself with the social changes happening in the nation, and wanted to write material about it.  He spent a year in seclusion writing What's Going On. The album had jazz and classical elements, and a sophisticated soul sound. It touched on the topics of poverty, discrimination, environmental issues, drug abuse, political corruptions, and other things that were plaguing the nation at the time. (Ankeny). Gaye drew inspiration from his brother Frankie, who had been a soldier in the Vietnam War and told him of his experiences. (Bush). 

Berry Gordy refused to release the album. He though the single was uncommercial. In retaliation, Gaye refused to record anymore. When Gordy finally broke, the single became a huge hit. (Marvin Gaye). The album's success allowed Gaye to have artistic control on his work, and helped Motown loosen the reins on their artists. (Ankeny). 

This album was like no other before it. It was languid, dark, jazzy with relaxed grooves, a heavy bottom, thick baselines, and filled with bongos, conga, and other percussion. In one song, Gaye had Eli Fountain improve on his alto sax, and one of the warm up session takes ended up being what was used. (Bush).  This album was a perfect mix of funk and jazz, and the lyrical content was very political compared to other albums being released at the time. (Marvin Gaye). 

This album opened the doors up for Motown artists to have more artistic freedom. Marvin Gaye stood his ground, and as a listener, I love hearing the truth in his lyrics. It takes guts to expose an artist's anger, opinion, concern for the nation, and hope to the public, and then stand ground against a label refusing to release his work. Gaye is credited for being an inspiration and allowing musicians the opportunity to express themselves completely. As an industry professional, I have nothing but respect for him.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

A very influential album is The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground & Nico.  It opened the doors to the future of glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and many other genres. Made up of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, this dynamic group was ahead of their time, and original in sound (Deming). Reed scraped at his distorted guitar, Cale played on a droning viola, and Tucker's unconventional and raw drumming are a part of what makes this band's sound so unique (Jones 2002).

The band started with John Cale and Lou Reed, who are the primary songwriters in the group. Cale was a member of the Welsh National Youth Orchestra, and later joined Goldsmith College in London with his viola. From there, he gained a scholarship to play with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts. He met composer John Cage, who convinced the young musician to head to New York (The Independent). It was in New York Cale met Reed, who was born and raised in New York. Reed's love of music started at a young age. Between practicing on his guitar and his moody behavior, his parent sent him to a mental institution, where he received shock therapy. He attended Syracuse University and worked as a songwriter when he met Cale. (Glickman 1996). The two shared many things: an apartment, dirty needles, and the hepatitis virus. They also began The Velvet Underground. (The Independent)

Andy Warhol discovered the group, and decided to produce them. They became the house band at Warhol's Factory collective, and began touring. Warhol's love for integrating art, music, and film came alive in The Velvet Underground. Warhol taught them that "the tools of art are anything you can put your hands on." (The Independent). Warhol also introduced German singer Nico to the band, in which they created this legendary album. 

The band didn't gain immediate success with this album. Due to their unique instrumental sound and Nico's untypical rock vocals, many people had trouble taking them seriously. If it weren't for Andy Warhol writing the checks and funding the album's existence, this album would have been one that disappeared before it even finished. (Deming) The group broke lyrical and instrumental taboos with their experimental rock. (Unterberger). Reed was well known to explore lyrically about drugs, kinky sex, and other risky topics otherwise unsung about at the time. (Deming)

Despite everything put into this album, the band soon started falling apart. Nico slept with and rejected both Cale and Reed, pitting them against each other. The album had a year long delay in which Warhol and Reed started losing interest in the band. (Jones 2002) Warhol and Nico were fired by Reed, and Reed left the band a while later (Unterberger). However, over the years The Velvet Underground became more and more popular. The boundary between pop and avant garde had been broken, opening the doors for bands such as The Stooges and David Bowie to erupt (Jones 2002). 

As a listener, I love The Velvet Underground and Nico. I love hearing the strange uses of the viola, in which I also specialize in. I also find the drums to be raw, strange, and fascinating at the same time. I appreciate the production quality behind an album with little promise at the time, and love Andy Warhol for allowing this masterpiece to exist today. This album is so important in how it broadened the spectrum of many interesting musical genres to develop.

The Beatles - Revolver

One of the biggest musical influence of all time is The Beatles. It was a rarity in the 1960's to find a person who wasn't infected with Beatlemania. They didn't sound like anything else, and their songs varied over multiple genres. They are a huge inspiration of mine.

Hailing from Liverpool, England, the "Fab Four" that were the Beatles consisted of George Harrison, John Lennon, Pail McCartney, and Ringo Starr. Influenced by Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent, John Lennon formed a group that would later turn into The Beatles (Rock and Roll). The Beatles were an immediate success, putting out single after single. They were mobbed by excited fans everywhere they went (The Beatles) Their harmonic range varied from Fifties vocal groups to rockabilly bands. Their appearance consisted of suits and shaggy hair, making them appear more accessible (Rock and Roll). 

One of their best albums was Revolver. With the stress of competing with other top musicians of the time, they turned to drugs, which affected the writing of this album. Their former manager, Brian Epstein, left, which also opened the doors for others to step in and influence them. Controversy erupted when Lennon made an anti-religious statement (The Beatles) Through this series of events, The Beatles stopped touring, and became a studio band (Plagenhoef 2009). 

The Beatles began to get creative in the studio. They started layering sounds and experimenting crafting songs (Rock and Roll). Influenced by LSD, Lennon used certain techniques to create trippy sounds. He used tape loops, backward guitar parts, and a flanged droning tamboura. They also experimented with Indian and classical music. They used artificial soluble tracking to save time in the studio, which was innovative for the time. It allowed them to double the track with manipulation of one machine's speed. They also employed close mixing of acoustic instruments to create a different sound as compared to other musicians from the time. (500 Greatest)

I definitely enjoyed Revolver. As a listener, I love the varied genres that the Beatles brushed on in each song. I love the fact each member could write and bring his own influences into each song. It's interesting as an industry professional to hear techniques that have been used for decades start with this album. The Beatles are legends, and will be known for decades to come for their creativity.

References

References for The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds.

Bush, John. Allmusic "The Beach Boys - Overview" Retrieved September 1, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beach-boys-mn0000041874.

Edwards, B (2009, Aug 13). "The Bob Edwards Show, Peter Ames Carlin" podcast. Retrieved August 31, 2012 on iTunes.

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum."  The Beach Boys Biography. Retrieved September 1, 2012 from http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-beach-boys/bio/.

Unterberger, Richie. Allmusic "The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds." Retrieved September 1, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/album/pet-sounds-mw0000398074.

Reference for The Beatles - Revolver.

"500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Beatles, 'Revolver'" Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2012 from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beatles-revolver-19691231.

Plagenhoef, S (2009, Sept 9). Pitchfork "The Beatles: Revolver." Retrieved September 1, 2012 from http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13434-revolver/.

"The Beatles." Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2012 from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-beatles/biography.

"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum - The Beatles Biography." Retrieved September 2, 2012 from http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-beatles/bio/.

References for The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Deming, Mark. Allmusic. "The Velvet Underground & Nico." Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-velvet-underground-nico-mw0001955423. 

Glickman, Simon (1996). "Lou Reed Facts." Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Lou_Reed.aspx.

"John Cale: The long reign of the alternative Prince of Wales." The Independent | News . Retrieved September 8, 2012, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-cale-the-long-reign-of-the-alternative-prince-of-wales-1913013.html.

Jones, Chris (2002, Nov 20). "The Velvet Underground & Nico (Deluxe Edition) Review." BBC. Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/fq4h.

Unterberger, Ritchie. Allmusic "Lou Reed." Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lou-reed-mn0000233066.

Unterberger, Ritchie. Allmusic "The Velvet Underground." Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-velvet-underground-mn0000840402. 

References for Marvin Gaye - What's Going On.

Ankeny, Jason. Allmusic "Marvin Gaye - Music Biography, Credits, and Discography." Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marvin-gaye-mn0000316834.

Bush, John. Allmusic "What's Going On - Marvin Gaye." Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/album/whats-going-on-mw0000651085.

"Marvin Gaye - The Original Trouble Man." Guidechart.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://marvin-gaye.guidechart.com/marvin-gaye-biography.php.

References for Kraftwerk.

Ankeny, Jason. Allmusic "Kraftwerk - Music Biography." Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kraftwerk-mn0000104714.

Bussy, Pascal (1993). Kraftwerk—Man, Machine & Music. SAF Publishing. Retrieved on September 15, 2012.

"Kraftwerk Biography." LyricsFreak. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://www.lyricsfreak.com/k/kraftwerk/biography.html.

Matten, Dirk. "Kraftwerk - Information." Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://www.elektrodaten.com/.

References for David Bowie.

"David Bowie Biography." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://rockhall.com/inductees/david-bowie/bio/.

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "David Bowie" Allmusic. Retrieved September 15,2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/david-bowie-mn0000531986. 

Kemp, Mark. "David Bowie." Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/david-bowie/biography. 

References for Danny Elfman.

"Danny Elfman - Biography." Yahoo. Retrieved September 22, 2012 from http://movies.yahoo.com/person/danny-elfman/biography.html.

Marx, Rebecca Flint. "Danny Elfman Biography." Fandago. Retrieved September 22, 2012 from http://www.fandango.com/dannyelfman/biography/p88821.

Prato, Greg. "Oingo Boingo Biography." Allmusic. Retrieved September 22, 2012 from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/oingo-boingo-mn0000390532.

Beach Boys - Pet Sounds.

One band I find absolutely inspirational to this era is the Beach Boys. Their fun, upbeat hits were something I grew up listening to. The peak of their reign was with the album Pet Sounds. It opened up the avenue to a new level of composition and production that hadn't been explored before (Unterberger).

The band consists of three brothers - Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson - as well as their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine (Bush). They fell in love with music after listening to George Gershwin and The Four Freshman. The harmonies they heard were ones they mimicked and built upon. (Edwards 2009). The Beach Boys got their start writing songs about surfing, hot rods, and teen romance. They were catchy and instant hits. They appealed to the restless youth who were apart of the hippie subculture, and shone a light on California and surfing (Rock and Roll).

Brain Wilson was the leader of the group. He orchestrated the harmonies, wrote the music, and produced the recording sessions (Rock and Roll). He took over the recording sessions against policy, and expanded the group's range beyond surf rock (The Beach Boys AllMusic). He did the writing and most of the band's tasks by himself, causing multiple breakdowns that fueled his creativity (Edwards 2009).

Brian began writing Pet Sounds in 1965 (Bush). He worked for four months, using an orchestra of session musicians and unique instrument to help him figure out the pet sounds he envisioned (Rock and Roll). The Beach Boys' biggest competition, The Beatles, had just released an album, and Brian worked very hard on achieving the same high quality into Pet Sounds (Bush). He and the group spent a great deal of time working on the vocals and their famous harmonic counterpoint (Edwards 2009). Tracks were layered upon tracks, creating a symphonic sound. The lyrical themes were much more intense compared to the earlier surfer songs, with songs about love affairs and failed relationships (Unterberger). 

I really enjoyed Pet Sounds. As a listener, there is so much to listen for - complex harmonies, innovative use of instrumentation, and pure emotion. Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys are definitely innovators for their time. In the industry, they are looked up to for the great effort they took in going outside of the norm to create musical genius, and to set themselves apart from the others. I believe this album is legendary, and will be looked up to for inspiration for generations to come. 

Welcome

Hello everyone! My name is Angela, and I have a passion for music.  I love almost all types of music, but I have a weakness for classical and rock music.  I am a composer and musician.  I began playing the piano when I was still learning to talk.  I began playing the viola in middle school.  I attended many competitions on my viola.  Since I loved playing so much, I was in three orchestra classes in high school: I was in the top orchestra class on my viola, I picked up the cello for the intermediate orchestra class, and was a teacher's aide for the freshman orchestra class.  On top of that, I was taking an IB Music class to learn about music theory, how to analyze music, how to write music, and how to import those songs into the computer.  That class changed me, and made me find my love for writing and playing with music, and putting my ideas into the computer. 

In my free time, I like to watch movies and play video games.  I love the music in the background.  It's amazing how much more involved you can feel at certain moments of these movies/games because of the music.  I often buy or download scores to movies and games.  I hope to one day become involved in music like that.  I became a student at Full Sail University under the Music Production program, and I am learning so much.  I've written many pieces since joining the program in August 2010.  I dream to finish this degree, and then go to school for composition.  Eventually, I want to be a film and game scorer.  I'd love to enhance everyone's experiences through my music. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at arussel4@fullsail.edu.