Thursday, May 10, 2012

Music Makes The Movie


Hi everyone!

   This post is by my dear friend Alexis for a scholarship that requires a blog. :) 


Write a 350-500 word essay about how your college has or will specifically contribute to your career path.



  I have always loved music and enjoy playing the piano.  My career goal is to become a movie soundtrack composer. I will be attending Ave Maria University this fall to pursue an undergraduate degree, double majoring in Music and Business.
             I have a deep passion for music and am interested in composing film scores. I’ve enjoyed academics and have worked very hard for success in school.  My enthusiasm for movie making began a few years ago when I realized how powerful and beautiful film can be, and how it can impact the world for good.  I have produced many short films and won a scholarship for a movie contest. In the future, I hope to be involved in filmmaking as a composer who spreads wholesome messages through media, letting the world know that there is always hope, and dreams do come true.
            Ave Maria University is a perfect fit for this career path because of its unique music program.  At AMU, there is a particular focus on choir and sacred music that is rarely ever found on college campuses.  Sacred music is a very useful area of study for film scoring because of its spiritual influence. There is something intangible and mystical about music that can move the human heart and elevate the soul. It’s a very powerful tool, especially when juxtaposed with motion picture imagery.  That is not to say that Bach’s Mass in B Minor is an appropriate soundtrack for Transformers 3.  Rather, choir and sacred music exercise a musician’s ability to set certain moods to certain events.  The composer studying Bach will have a strong musical foundation. Trevor Rabin, one world-renowned film composer, said that: “The process of composing the film score for each movie is completely different. They all have their own personality and their own completely different life but there's never been a formula. Each time it's a new thing.” Writing notes to express human emotions is an art. "Art has a unique capacity to take one or other facet of the message and translate it into colours, shapes and sounds which nourish the intuition of those who look or listen. It does so without emptying the message itself of its transcendent value and its aura of mystery," to quote John Paul II. Essentially, music and composing are art forms that require much study and creativity.  I believe AMU will prepare me very well by giving me a strong foundation in music overall, and will inspire creativity to flow forth from there.
            While creativity and art are required in a film score career, there is also a business side to such a profession. Marketing and time management are prerequisites to success in this field; it is my hope to study music and share its beauty with the world through Hollywood. I am very eager to begin my double major and pursue this career.