Steffen Thum is a German composer for film, TV, games and advertising, based in Berlin. With over 70 credits to his name, he has extensive experience across high profile studio films, independent cinema, TV and advertising campaigns.

Max Aruj is a composer born and raised in Los Angeles. His recent projects include MoviePass, MovieCrash (HBO), Lansky starring Harvey Keitel, and The Ice Road (Netflix) starring Liam Neeson.

Both are successful film composers with experience working on high profile projects with composers such as Lorne Balfe, Hans Zimmer and others.

They’re here to talk with us today about collaboration, lessons learned in their careers, and their work on the film “Betrayal.”

Topics Include:

*Working for another composer is another level of training and “school”

*The importance of working very cleanly and clearly in collaboration

*Work at a high level to hone your craft

*The importance of attention to detail

*Behind the score of “Betrayal”

*Advice for aspiring musicians

https://www.steffenthum.com/

https://maxaruj.com/

Robert Arzola is a freelance composer and music supervisor for Phantom Power based in the Atlanta, GA metropolitan area. After injury interrupted his plans of being a classical performer, Robert pivoted to composing. As a freelance composer, Robert has scored feature films for Reel One Entertainment, Lifetime, Lionsgate, and Feifer Worldwide along with the video game Tactical Breach Wizards. Robert has landed numerous placements in trailers as a composer, sound designer, and editor. As the music supervisor for Phantom Power, Robert helped release multiple albums and has helped Phantom Power acquire placements for various major campaigns. He is also a contributor for the YouTube channel, The Samplelist, where he does overviews of sample libraries.

Today we talk about his career, his pivot to composing, and we do a deep dive into his score for the game Tactical Breach Wizards.

https://robertarzola.com/

David Naroth is a Composer, Sound Designer, and all-around creative person. He loves creating and audio is his favorite outlet of that creativity! He loves experimenting with the traditional and non-traditional to create new perspectives in his compositions. He also loves to push himself to explore different genres of music and loves to work on all types of visual media formats.

Today David joins us to discuss his latest project, “Searching for Amani.” The documentary takes place In the heart of Kenya, where a tragedy shatters a young boy's life. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, 2024. We also talk about creating sonic palettes and world building through sound, as well as sonically representing abstract concepts like climate change.

Topics Include:

-Sonically representing climate change

-Collaboration in composing

-The process of creating sonic palettes

-World building through sound

-Experimentation vs working fast

-The differences between documentaries and fiction projects

-Gear David can’t live without

-Finding source sounds and creating a sound library

-Sampling and re-sampling

https://www.davidnaroth.com/

https://www.searchingforamani.com/

Austin Weber first gained attention in 2018 with his original records and boundary-pushing music videos. His music and videos are vibrant collages of early YouTube blogging, David Attenborough documentaries, and heartbreak. His theatrical live shows feature puppet monsters, lucha libré matches, and Gregorian chant ceremonies.

With an upcoming solo record set to release in November 2024, and his involvement in scoring the recently Tribeca-premiered film Rent Free, Austin continues to push creative boundaries. His score for Rent Free uses homebuilt instruments and analog synthesizers alongside an original soundtrack of new songs to alternatingly ground and augment the chaos of your early 20s.

Topics include:

-Early success laying the track for a music career

-The fun of being your own boss vs. having a director

-Classical vs Media music....is there a difference?

-Classical music as a visual medium

-The “Cow tools” Plinko instrument – making new instruments for “Rent Free”

-Collaboration and communication in Music

https://www.austinweber.info/

https://www.youtube.com/@AustinWeber

https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/5h0rTGkBqbWz66GwvsgwzF?si=b675e9bced7f4c43

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28626359/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

My guest today is Dr. Erin Parkes, Founder and Executive Director of the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education. She is here to talk about her work with Adaptive Concerts, which are performances that are adapted for neurodivergent audiences that may respond differently to stimuli, and especially music.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Dr. Erin Parkes holds a Ph.D. in music education from McGill University, where she researched how to train studio music teachers to work with students with autism. In 2012, Dr. Parkes founded Lotus Centre for Special Music Education, a charitable organization committed to providing access to music education for people with

exceptionalities. In addition to her role at Lotus Centre, Dr. Parkes is an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, where she is also a principal researcher at the Music and Health Research Institute. Dr. Parkes presents at conferences and guest lectures internationally on teaching music to students with exceptionalities and other issues in music education.

MORE INFORMATION ON ADAPTIVE CONCERTS:

www.lotuscentre.net

https://www.chamberfest.com/series/2022/adaptive-concerts/

https://nac-cna.ca/en/stories/story/a-musical-experience-for-autistic-children

https://nac-cna.ca/en/video/series/the-music-circle

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1321103X231214113

https://xeniaconcerts.com/

After 12 years as a composer for media, David Bertok is branching out into the world of concert music with his most recent project, ONE, which will be released in October. He joins Christine in this episode to discuss his journey through music, his belief in the human touch of music, and the perfection in imperfection and experimentation.

Topics include:

*David’s background from Germany to LA

*The value of a wide range of skills

*With new technology is human creativity necessary?

*Will AI make us appreciate live performances and creativity more in the future?

*What AI cannot do.

*What is the composing process for “ONE”

*David’s favorite pieces

*Improvising Baroque Counterpoint?

*Why create a neoclassical?

*From the DAW to the recording stage

*The advantages of live instruments

*The perfection in imperfection

*Advice for aspiring musicians

About our Guest:

https://www.davidbertok.com/

Composer of the award winning feature films "Peace by Chocolate" and "Botero", David Bertok writes for film, TV and the concert hall. After graduating from music college in Germany, David enjoyed a busy career as a live musician touring Europe with progressive rock bands opening for acts such as Scorpions and Saga. His band, Subsignal, reached the German album charts twice during his tenure as keyboarder, songwriter, lyricist and producer.

In 2012, he relocated to Los Angeles on a Fulbright Scholarship admitted to the famed Scoring for Motion Picture and Television Program at USC. David's creativity extends to songwriting, producing and more. After 12 years as a composer for media, David is branching out into the world of concert music with his most recent project, ONE, which will be released in October.

https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/david-bertok-on-his-neoclassical-album-one

"You can't be the producer and the generator at once"

When you get a chance to learn from an influential and innovative musician like Evan Frankfort, you can't pass it up! In this episode Evan shares fantastic practical advice for aspiring musicians/producers as well as his own philosophies on creativity, curiosity, craft, and of course....The Spiritual Machines!

4- time Emmy nominated, Songwriter, Sound Designer, and composer Evan Frankfort's innovative musical contributions in both television and indie rock have offered uniquely captivating soundscapes for nearly 30 years. He currently serves as Head of Music for Hearst Media, as well as frontman of the innovative indie rock band “The Spiritual Machines” and co-creator of “Less Friction.” His past credits include shows like The 100, and Beverly Hills 90210, and he has collaborated with iconic artists like The Bangles, Plain White T’s, Rancid, Warren Zevon, and Liz Phair.

Topics Include:

*Finding your place in music – embrace your differences

*Hiding the Tool – how it applies to music making

*The Spiritual Machine – what defines us as individuals or as human?

*Instruments as Spiritual Machines

*Don’t get bogged down by proving something

*You can’t be the producer and the generator at once

*Spontaneous vs Scheduled creativity

*Creativity through collaboration

*The Spiritual Machines and the evolution of a band’s “sound”

*What is your “spiritual machine?”

*Balancing life as a Music Director and a creative

*Advice for aspiring musicians

Just like the many students in the US returning to school this month, music teachers are making goals of their own for the upcoming school year. In honor of that, Christine is switching from interviewer to interviewee, and with the help of producer, Russ, will be discussing some of the activities she's planning on implementing to help her students become more connected and creative in their music making. We also discuss a teacher's role in preparing and protecting their students in very competitive environments/auditions, as well as reviewing lessons Christine has learned from a few of her fantastic guests on this program!

Resources Mentioned:

**These are not affiliated links. We're not getting sponsored by any of these products...we just like them**

The Mind's Ear by Bruce Adolphe https://a.co/d/hmBdsu2

Rhythm Cup Explorations by Wendy Stevens: https://composecreate.com/product/rhythm-cup-explorations/

Pattern Pieces by Piano Safari: https://pianosafari.com/product/patternpiecespack/

Shades of Sound by Jenny Boster: https://a.co/d/1JB7JeW

MvW Episodes referenced:

What Are You Trying to Say? Musical Imagination with Bruce Adolphe: https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/what-are-you-trying-to-say-musical-imagination-with-bruce-adolph

How to Win an Audition: A conversation with Dr. Scott Holden https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/musicians-vs-auditions-part-1---how-win-an-audition

Audiation and Music Learning Theory with Siliana Chiliachka: https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/audiation-and-music-learning-theory-with-siliana-chiliachka

Competition in Music with Dr. Brandon Bascom https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/competition-in-music-with-dr-brandon-bascom

Performance Anxiety: https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/performance-anxiety-5-principles

Jenny Boster: Female Composers and Why We Should Study Them https://frostedlens.com/musicians-vs-the-world/f/female-composers-and-why-we-should-study-them

Binaural beats are an audio illusion often used in psychology circles to aid in stress reduction and concentration. Our guest today, composer John Joseph Wiater, used this compositional technique in a creative way to enhance the emotional impact of his score for the film “I Think I’m Sick.” He’s here to talk with us about it today.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

-John’s background

-Finding the first composing job

-Branching out to new styles

-Binaural beats – what are they?

-The use of binaural beats in film scoring

-Future possibilities for exploration with binaural beats

-DIY building a composing business

About our Guest:

https://johnwiater.com/

https://itisfilm.com/

Philidelphia-based John Joseph Wiater (Waiter) has scored over 15 genre-spanning films from an Oscar-qualifying family drama short to a dark comedy on suicide awareness, to espionage, romance, and sci-fi adventures.

John's most recent credits include the debut feature from Danny Gevirtz "I Think I'm Sick", which portrays a young man's second chance at life after a failed suicide attempt. The score was a collaboration with long-time musical collaborator Matt Fell, and featured a textural scoring inspired by binaural beats and choral vocals.

John has a strong following on social media through his educational and film composer and music production-centric content, and a large fanbase for his artistic compositions streaming on music platforms.

Today we are talking with Award-winning mixing engineer Shalev Alon. We’ll be discussing the art of mixing music, the difference between vocal and instrumental mixing, and we’ll also hear his excellent advice on building a successful career in music.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

-Mixing Music in depth: The width, the depth, and the height

-Our ears are in charge of the final decisions – if it sounds good, it’s good.

-The intricacies of mixing vocals

-The importance of the foundation: good songs, good arrangement, good production

-Common mixing mistakes

-Shalev’s background and career path

-Everyone can be successful in the entertainment business

-What does success mean for you?

-The value of persistence

-The balance of building relationships – having social awareness

-The 3 things you need to build your reputation and business

https://www.youtube.com/@S.AMixing