Sonic Boom

There was always something enticing to me about sounds and notes, there was something that magnetically drew me to pick up an instrument and learn the intricacies of how to put notes on a page together that pursuit of curiosity lead me to study at the esteemed Berklee College of music for Music Composition & Film music.

This time allowed me to explore my love affair with sound and my strong desire of creating things.

However, during my time at music school, I was frustrated on a number of occasions; in many classes we had to take I didn’t feel rewarded to develop creativity and originality as much as a premier arts institute should.

One would think being at an arts school that’s what they are there to teach, however I always felt it lacked in being able to let you roam free and wild, letting your imagination and creativity come to their own.

One could argue it is very difficult to actually teach someone to be creative, yet I would say that there are ways in which you as a teacher can inspire someone to look unique angles to things.

For example, one of my classes was “Scoring to picture” where we would get a clip from a movie (that already existed) like an action sequence from Batman v/s Superman and our task would be to write original music to that sequence. As much fun as this task and work as this task was, your own personal creativity or originality was rewarded or stressed upon much and you would be required to submit something that fits the bill and is lock stock.

Personally, I was drawn to the arts so much due to the express reason that there are no rules, you can do whatever you wanted and there isn’t a definite right and wrong. The ability to tell stories and portray colors was especially appealing.

Going back to the example of the “Scoring to Picture class” that I took, I would always have arguments with my teacher as I would do a presentation of my music which would almost always stem from the thought point of “how can I do this differently and unlike anyone else out there” as that’s what I thought would be able to separate myself from the rest.

After graduating and getting some time to digest all that was thrown at me during my studies I

thought to myself if I was to teach this class the assignment, I would give my students would be to take this little clip of film and score in the craziest fashion that you can.

Give me absolutely your craziest version of this bit of film you can. Come up with something in this that is unique and where you have been able to do something that you think others did not.

For example, make an instrument out of the human voice and synthesize it, process it manipulate it, make it sound like something that’s not out there, or using a custom-made instrument like a guitar-viol which is a guitar that can be bowed.

The way I would grade the assignment would be based on how many creative things the student/composer does and how much he has thought about what he/she is doing.

In order to encourage them to push themselves to try new things and get out of their comfort zone.

Going-off on that thought.

I thought why I don’t organize a music composition competition held worldwide for composers, songwriters, artists and musicians or even music enthusiasts who would like to present their creativity for a community to hear and be inspired from.

It would be with a $35 (regular) $25 (early bird) $15 student discount

The term competition in this setting is a bit inappropriate since it defines that one is better than the other and that there is a definite winner or 2nd place & 3rd place much like a sport. Music is anything but sports so calling it a music presentation is more fitting, within a set of defined parameters. The parameters would be similar to what I look for in a student akin to the “Scoring to picture” assignment (taught my style or my version of it, focusing on creativity and impact).

Also none of the assignments I did during my studies were linked to something with a grander purpose or deeper message.

Creating impact and change with your art was appealing to me, hence I would set parameters that I would define for the participants with a goal to working towards dramatic change and making a difference.

So the criteria for this Online musical presentation would be that the song/piece that the participants present have a deep message that they are trying to put forth, a message that relates to one of the major social issues we have a society.

These are just issues that I personally feel for and would like to see become better during my time on the planet. So, I would ask the participants to select from one of the following:

1) Racism

2) Childhood abuse, bullying

3) Mental health conditions – Depression, PTSD

for example, I could write a song that addresses any of these 3 particular issues and especially share a story, perhaps my personal journey facing one of these and how having a creative outlet helped me cope with these traumatic experiences.

So, if I was bullied as a child in school, how music helped me find an outlet for all those emotions and become a companion that helped me emotionally relive the stress that came from that.

Composers could even write a 4-part suite that tells a fictional story where a character indirectly has to face his demons and confront his deepest traumas, similar to a movie. Having an analogy for one of the topics above and delivering his message. Like Wagner’s ring cycle opera.

Songwriters & lyricists to would write a song based on the pressing issues.

3 of the works on 3 of the issues mentioned above would be selected from all the entries to be polished up and presented as a campaign for raising awareness, pitching to filmmakers & activists who would like to make a change and see these areas improved.

10 Runners up will also get a discounted version of an online masterclass with a renowned songwriter, composer and producer (similar to Masterclass.com).

What I would be looking for is how the participant creatively tackles this theme, how they decide to represent one of the issues, how far they can push themselves to represent these pressing things. How much of the creative fuel they can burn to create a work of art that has impact and delivers a strong message.

“A musical presentation that rewards pure creativity and outside the box thinking to deliver a message”

During my time at Berklee I attended an awareness concert where one of my professors organized and raised awareness about climate change, childhood abuse and racism. In this concert, songwriters performed songs about one of the three topics and also spoke about the back story of their song and the experiences within one of those areas and how doing this concert allowed them to give back to the community and also see how their art can make a difference to larger issues society faces.

I think what I learned most from that concert was; making your art be a part of something bigger can give it more power and impact, especially if it represents a cause that’s close to you.

So, I decided what if I took that further organized one myself with these set parameters and use creativity for good and make a difference to the world around you.

Those of us who are blessed with the gift of being able to express ourselves through art can use it to affect people and help them cope with their inner demons and traumatic experiences.