How can I make a career as a composer?
This has been my absolute passion/dream for the last three..months. I had an epiphany in my dreams and in my heart I would love to fufill my life composing pieces of music. (Primarily inspired by Philip Glass) Classical or not. In all reality, I would love to become a famous film score composer. The only problem is I'm already a sophomore in high school with only 4.5 years of violin experience. I take private lessons, but this is only my second (going to be third) year in my school orchestra. I have so many ideas, but I cant exactly put them into sheet music because of my limited knowledge of music! I understand that in order to get into a music school like Eastman (I would LOVE to get accepted there!) you have to play whatever instrument exquisitely so I dont think I could go to one straight after high school.
But, is it possible for a mediocre violinist of age 15 like me, to ever become a film score composer? And also could a breakthrough in women composers (im fully aware there are many, but that career is dominated by males) be started by me?
Comments
First of all, high five to another person who finds passion in composing! I too find it endlessly fascinating how much music is the real force behind the emotional evocation in the audience of any given film. I mean, films without music seem rather empty and lifeless, to be honest. The great thing about composing is that you dont have to personally perform the music you create! (although that would certainly help you) First of all, i would say that the piano is your best friend when it comes to composing. Not all of us can formulate 4 part harmonies in our heads! The piano is the best solo musical medium for composers to explore different compositional fancies and ideas.
I mean, look at me. Ive played violin for less time than you! only 2.5 yrs. Then i started playing piano about 2 years ago. But a lot of practice later, ive been able to compose full length pieces on piano. As for violin, i have managed to get a first violin part at my university's orchestra, full of talented musicians who have played their whole lives. its more than i could imagine! Anyway its my opinion that that all boils down to hard work and time. You gotta spend a lot of time and effort with things if you want your dreams to come true.
The other thing to look up material on is musical theory. A lot of the performers look at theory as the boring side of music, but thats not the case with me! I think its fascinating, and an incredibly useful tool when it comes to making music.
At any rate, i would still emphasize that i think that the creation of music is really a dynamic activity, and is the result of the composer first giving birth to ideas through sound (i.e. playing it out on an instrument) and then writing it down once theyve developed a solid idea.
So if i were you i wouldnt let a feeling of inexperience with music writing get in the way at all! Put a lot of work in and try to educate yourself on basic chord progressions and song forms, learn to analyze how the masters before you made their music. Start experimenting, make up a melody on your violin, or whatever instrument. As you learn more, make it more and more complex. Anyway, start going for it, you have lots of time!
I also think its amazing that you want to be part of a pioneering movement of women film scorers. That sounds incredibly awesome to me. Thats a great ambition, and a great goal to get you moving forward! Go for it!
As someone who finds film scoring endlessly fascinating, its exciting for me to find more people who feel the same way. To weave a work of art purely of sound to evoke any desired emotion in the listener seems to me to be one of the highest forms of musical art.
Now for the practical edge. It sounds like you certainly have the motivation down. Now youre looking at where would be good to go to study such a field. Eastman is certainly a good music school and would definitely help you greatly in your career. But there are of course many places where you can study music composition as a major. I may not personally know a whole bunch, but i definitely know some in my home state of Massachusetts USA. First off is Berklee college of music. It is expensive, yes, but arent all colleges? Berklee boasts arguable the best undergraduate film scoring major in the country, and its reputation allows its graduates to quickly get jobs as composers in the real world. For example, the composers behind the Back to the Future and Lord of the Rings film scoring masterpieces were straight out of berklee. Another great boston example is the new england conservatory of music. They have a good program for composing, if a bit classically leaning.
Anyway, im sorry for rambling, but i was excited to see someone else who seemed so excited in composing. If you want to talk more about it, feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. Although i am still a university student and far from any kind of success in film scoring, it still remains my dream career.
You will succeed as long as you try hard and don't take no for an answer.