Spring 2022
Musical Marvels Spring 2022
SPRING 2022 | MUSICAL MARVELS
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Table of Contents 4
A Special Hello from the Editors
6
Tuneful Teaching
14
Movement Behind the Music
5
Meet the Editors
12
Students of Sound
18
Organs of an Organ
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The Accents of ACL
26
The Sound Behind the Scenes
34
Games
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ACL: Austin’s Live Music Wonder
32
Memories of Movies’ Music
36
Special Thanks
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MUSICAL MARVELS | SPRING 2022
Contributions from the Editors Front Cover: Piper Chen Inside Covers: Julia Brooks Inside Title Page: Julia Brooks
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Pull Quote & End Sign Design
Game Pages: Chanell Waller Back Cover: Chanell Waller
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A Special Hello from the Editors Dear Readers, Welcome to Musical Marvels! In this magazine, we dive into the roles and impacts of music in different areas of everyday life, specifically in schools, churches, live concerts, and film production. Our hope was to provide insight about the various ways in which music affects everyone’s lives, despite their differences. While making our magazine, each team member got an insider’s look at their specific topic by conducting research and interviewing professionals. By doing this, we were each able to convey the voices of our interviewees through graphics, photos, and stories. The section of our magazine covering musical education focused on the various impacts that music has on students and teachers throughout the city of Austin. We then took a look at the musicians behind the instruments who play such a significant role in nearly every church service. Afterwards, we highlighted the various experiences of workers and volunteers of the Austin City Limits music festival. Finally, we covered the process of creating and editing and soundtrack of films, along with the various challenges and inspirations that come along with it. We were particularly proud of how well we were able to work as a team and make connections between our topics. Additionally, we take great pride in our graphics and photos, which took us the most amount of time and effort since we had to perfect the illustrations to best portray each of our interviewees. Creating this magazine was an amazing experience for each of us, as it allowed us to explore new areas and discover ideas we wouldn’t have before. We hope you enjoy our magazine and all of the newfound knowledge that comes with it! Sincerely,
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Meet the Editors Julia Brooks Hello, my name is Julia Brooks, and I’m an editor for Musical Marvels and a student at LASA. While making this magazine, I learned and wrote about the effects that musical education has on students and teachers. I have a personal connection to this topic because I have played the piano since an early age, and I plan to continue learning it. Music has a tremendous impact on my life, and I had a great time interacting with various other music students and teachers, so I hope you enjoy this magazine!
Hey there! My name is Chanell Waller, and I’m a freshman at LASA. I really enjoy making art, specifically portraits and animated characters, and I hope to continue with it. My enthusiasm for art inspired all of my designs in this magazine. As an editor in Musical Marvels, I wrote about the role of music in church. I interviewed a number of church musicians, and I learned about their experiences with music. As you read this magazine, I hope you get to explore the world of music in churches!
Ailia Zhao
Hey, I’m Ailia Zhao, a LASA student and editor of Musical Marvels. I have a deep interest in anatomy and biology, and I hope to pursue a career in the medical field. In our magazine, I focused on live music in Austin, specifically on the Austin City Limits Festival. I’ve played the piano and viola, and have danced ever since I was a child, so music has always been a big part of my life. This magazine was extremely fun to create, and I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!
Piper Chen Hi! I’m Piper Chen and a student at LASA. I have always had a love for math, especially geometry. I hope to pursue a career in architecture so I can continue to explore this field of math. Acting has also been a creative outlet for me since elementary school, and I wish to continue acting on the side. In Musical Marvels, I served as an editor and focused on the topic of music in film, especially its history and behind-the-screens production. Thank you for reading our magazine!
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Catherine Davis plays the piano alongside backup dancers. Their performance is site-specific to the Blanton Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of Tanner Edelmann.
Tuneful Teaching How has musical education affected students and teachers? By Julia Brooks, editor hroughout the city of Austin, music bears a tremendous impact on daily life, but there would be no music to listen to if there weren’t any teachers to teach or students to learn, according to Cristal Martínez Pérez, a music student with a unique beginning to her journey. “[Learning music] wasn’t really my choice, since I was so young,” Martínez Pérez said. “My parents introduced it to me, but afterwards, just seeing my professors… other people my age playing inspired me the most [to] keep playing.” While musical education is scattered and various throughout
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Texas, it all comes together in the capital city, where opportunities abound. In Austin, students can learn virtually any instrument they wish to, and they can share their passion easily with others. Martínez Pérez, who is learning the violin at Texas State University, understands just how important music is in her life. However, as a child, it was more of a chore than a pleasure. “I just saw it as another extracurricular that I was doing and something that my parents were driving me to do every week,” Martínez Pérez said. “At that moment, I don’t think I thought it was that important, but as I kept playing and
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as I kept meeting more musicians and learning new music, it gained importance, and now, it’s probably the most important thing to me.” Martínez Pérez started learning music in the Texas State Youth Mariachi during third grade, and now, she understands the many different aspects of learning music that make the experience so valuable to her. “I liked… finding a new piece and listening to it for the first time and finding so much excitement and wanting to learn that piece and wanting to be able to reach that level of playing,” Martínez Pérez said. This love of music is shared by Max Henry, a private piano student
and a senior at McCallum High School studying guitar and percussion. Henry plans to study music composition in college and pursue a career in it, a decision that was heavily influenced by members of his family. “My dad plays a lot of music, and so does my uncle, so I’ve just been around it a lot,” Henry said. “I grew up with that as a part of my life, and now, it seems absurd for me to do anything without it.” Like Henry, Martínez Pérez found herself so infatuated with music that she decided to pursue a job in it. Her parents, who are both educators, motivated her to chase her dreams of becoming a violin teacher. “I think education is probably the most important thing,” Martínez Pérez said. “Seeing them in their jobs inspired me to want to do that.” A private piano and choral teacher at capital music center, Catherine Davis, was also inspired by her family to learn music. Davis said that growing up, music was very important in her household, and she found her love for the piano by watching her mother and sister play it. “I was super inspired by music when I was probably 10 and 11,” Davis said. “When I got to middle school, I started taking violin lessons and doing choir, and I think having all three instruments… [as] more social things at that age really took practicing away from me.” During middle school, Davis struggled with her motivation to continue learning music. She nearly was forced to quit music entirely, but things turned around in the end. “I didn’t like to practice very much,” Davis said, “but my mom convinced [my teacher] to keep me going, and thank the Lord she did because my life would’ve been pretty different if that had been the case.” Motivation is a common struggle amongst music students. Martínez
Pérez’s high school years were especially troubling because of the structure of her orchestra class. “Everything was so competitive, that made me want to stop playing, or just stop being in the class and stop auditioning for things,” Martínez Pérez explained. “My private lessons just didn’t seem like something I was
lacked motivation﹣especially during Covid when there was no performing at all,” Henry said. “It was hard for me to rationalize practicing because I thought ‘What am I practicing for?’ That got me thinking about more personal reasons for practicing music and playing songs.” Davis, who also teaches Henry
“It’s for art therapy, for artistic expression, for their own enjoyment, [and] to see their self-confidence blossom.” - Andrew Clark, classical guitar teacher enjoying anymore, but after I stopped seeing my peers and seeing my classmates as competition, I started working on self-improvement instead of how other musicians might see me.” Like Martínez Pérez, Henry experienced struggles because his practice lacked a sense of community. This specifically rang true during the pandemic, when Henry found himself with no audience to perform for. “I’ve definitely had bouts where I
piano, loves to watch this growth in her students. Being a part of this experience is a great honor for her. “It’s about watching them find this ‘proud as punch’ moment where they just feel good,” Davis said. “Holding onto that aspect of ‘hard work equals feeling good’ is the best part.” Davis believes that these moments are important for the lives and esteems of music students. She also explained that finding a piece to help them
Capital Music Center sells drums and pianos from the Roland Corporation. These instruments are designed to help beginners learn music. Photo courtesy of Tanner Edelmann. SPRING 2022 | MUSICAL MARVELS
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express themselves can have other benefits, especially during troubling times.
Andrew Clark, a classical guitar teacher at McCallum High School, finds it important to instill the same
“It’s about watching [students] find this ‘proud as punch’ moment where they just feel good... Holding onto that aspect of ‘hard work equals feeling good is the best part.” - Catherine Davis, private piano teacher “I’ve seen… teenagers going through a lot of stressful times, especially during Covid, finding music and learning different things and being so proud of themselves,” Davis explained. “When you’ve accomplished a piece that you’ve really worked hard on and played really well, it makes you feel so good.”
message in his students. “The joy in your journey with the instrument is more important than any competition or trying to be ‘the best,’” Clark said. Clark, who started his music career when he took up learning piano as a child, developed an interest in the guitar after hearing professionals like Julian Bream and Andres Segovia
Andrew Clark directs his class in a performance. The performers are students of classical guitar at McCallum High School. Photo courtesy of McCallum High School.
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play. He then decided to drop his piano classes and follow his passion. “[Piano] was just something my parents made me do once a week, and that was really a chore,” Clark said. “Eventually, I just fell in love with the classical guitar, and then that took over.” Henry had a similar situation when he first started learning the piano. By the time he got into middle school, the instrument was just a “school activity” to him, and he wanted to pursue a different path in music. “I wanted to learn a different instrument﹣a different instrument to be my instrument,” Henry said. When he reached 8th grade, Henry had an empty elective spot. Not fully sure of what to do, he settled on taking guitar. “I kept doing it because I loved it so much,” Henry said. “I got really serious about it, and it’s just been a huge outlet… since then.” Clark also enjoyed expressing himself with the guitar as a student. Now, as a teacher, he’s noticed many of his students follow the same path. “It’s for art therapy, for artistic expression, for their own enjoyment, [and] to see their self-confidence blossom,” Clark explains. “I think that it takes discipline and commitment and that spills over to other areas.” After graduating college and taking a break from music, Davis noticed that she was missing these benefits. Being in a world without music was something that made her very unhappy. “I decided that I would just try some sales jobs and do something without music, and I quickly realized that doing a job that didn’t have music in it was not good for me,” Davis explained. “Working in a cube or feeling like I was doing something that didn’t quite matter to me or make a dent in the universe in the way I wanted to just wasn’t how I wanted to be.”
Symphony orchestra and combined choir students of the Butler School of Music perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125. The performers are directed by are directed by Farkhad Khudyey. Photo by Julia Brooks.
Davis knew that she needed to connect herself back to her passions, so she looked into opportunities that would help her become more involved in music. She said that to be involved with music, you need to have your hands in many different aspects of it. “When I started taking a couple of students in addition to the sales job, as well as playing in bands and doing all sorts of gigs, I felt rejuvenation and then decided I was going to go really headstrong into…teaching again,” Davis said. Davis now enjoys teaching fulltime, as well as composing and performing her own songs. She explained that one of the plus sides to
private teaching is the control she has over her hours and income, but the biggest benefit are the relationships that she’s built with each student. “I have had students that, privately, I’ve taught from when they were 6 or 7 until they graduated high school, and it is a very long mentor-mentee relationship,” Davis explains. “It is really such an honor to be a part of everybody’s life in such a way, [and] you get to develop really wonderful friendships.” Her students, she said, are a great source of inspiration for her, and they have made all the effort of being a teacher worthwhile. James Buhler, a music theory, form, and analysis
teacher at the Butler School of Music, also enjoys connecting with his students. “It’s always great interacting with students and really feeling like you are able to get the students to think in new ways,” Buhler said. “I think that’s one of the best things about the college experience.” Introducing new ideas to his students and watching the learning curve’s effect on them is one of Buhler’s favorite parts of being a teacher. “You’re getting them to think more complex thoughts and having to put them together,” Buhler said. “It’s just really fascinating to see… yourself
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having an effect on students and their learning.” Like Davis, Buhler puts a lot of value into the bonds he shares with his students, and he admires their ambition and passion to learn music. To Buhler, these devoted student and teacher musicians create a sense of community that’s hard to replace. “Having a group of people who are interested in something that can seem, to other people, a little bit esoteric… is really something that is quite
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interesting,” Buhler said. “They’re just great students [who are] very, very interested and have this passion for the music that you can really work with, and [you can] get them to engage in really interesting ways.” Buhler, however, doesn’t have a passion for mastering a particular instrument. Instead, he enjoys the intellectual side of music which lets him think about the various elements of a song and how they’re put together. “I like the music theory task, which
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is a strange discipline,” Buhler said. “You’re like a language teacher: it’s rudimentary that you’re teaching students how all of this stuff works.” It was during high school that Buhler realized that he didn’t want to perform music for a living. During his ensemble classes, he discovered that he wanted to master the fundamentals of music structure and theory. “You’re sitting there a lot in rehearsals and whatnot, not doing much, so you’re either bored at that
Andrew Clark directs classical guitarists in a performance. The performers are students at McCallum High School. Photo courtesy of McCallum High School. level, or you start to listen to what everybody else is doing, which is what started happening with me,” Buhler explained. “It was from that experience of listening within the band and orchestra that I started to hear how the music was working and got drawn into ‘How does all this stuff work?’” Buhler was also interested in music composition but struggled to create all of the components in a song. To solve this problem, he taught himself how to use virtual instruments, such as synthesizers.
“I had that experience with technology there… and that got me back into composing,” Buhler said. “I found that I really enjoy that aspect of it, so it’s become a real kind of rich hobby.” For students like Marínez Pérez or teachers like Catherine Davis, music is not just a hobby but an everyday force that brings people together. Whether it’s in classrooms, during celebrations, or just during time spent alone, music has a powerful impact that inspires and brings joy.
“Music is part of every culture, and it’s important in almost every aspect of it,” Martínez Pérez said. “It’s about sharing with others and enjoying the music as it is.”
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Students of Sound Graphics by Julia Brooks, editor
100 teenagers in Austin were surveyed about their musical education in the past, present, and future.
Do you plan to continue taking music classes throughtout highschool and/or college?
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Clarinet, 2%
What instrument are you currently learning?
Miscellaneous, 4%
French Horn, 3% Trombone, 3% Piano, 27%
Vocals, 6%
Flute, 4%
Saxophone, 6% Violin, 6% Trumpet, 6% Viola, 2% Percussion, 7% Bass, 3%
Guitar, 19%
Cello, 2%
22.8%
How many years have you spent learning music?
10+ Years
13%
7 Years
13%
6 Years
4.3%
9 Years
4.3%
8 Years
16.3% 5 Years 7.3%
4 Years
10.9% 3 Years 5.4%
2 Years 0%
1 Year
2.2% <1 Year
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Woman lifts her hands during worship unto God. Music is a big part of church services because it is believed to wusher in a move of God’s spirit. Photo courtesy of Ashley Hogans.
Movement Behind the Music The work of a church musician By Chanell Waller, editor usic is a powerful tool used in almost every church to usher in strong praise and worship. It has the ability to shake a congregation into praise, shouting, dancing, singing, and much more. For those in the congregation, it can be easier to
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loosen up and express themselves with the songs of worship that come from the pulpit. The musicians and singers in churches have the responsibility of leading the lay members, the nonclergy people in the congregation, into praise and worship. Church musicians believe that they were spirit-led into
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the position and anointing that is in their life. Take Victoria Clark, director of music at Wilmington Apostolic Church in Maryland, for example. Clark said that her position as director of music was something that was always a part of her life. “I don’t know if I was necessarily
Lady Katrina Nixon praises as she feels the spirit of God at Freedom Temple Pentacostal. Photo courtesy of Ashley Hogans.
called,” Clark said, “but I was just in love with worship, and worship is my heartbeat. I was called to be a worshiper, music was created to worship God.” This call towards preformings is what makes church music feels so right to those a part of the ministry. The minister of music at the River Apostolic Church in Junction, Texas, Leanne MacIntosh, said that the drive to sing brings her closer to her faith. “I love to clap and dance, and I want to never lose that love of worship no matter where I am,” MacIntosh said. “Jesus deserved His praise and worship.” For Christians, worship is directed towards God on a daily basis, and music is there to help them express their worship. However, most have
“When I began my walk with God, I loved music and wanted to sing, but first, I was a worshiper in the congregation.” - Leanne MacIntosh, minister of music at River Apostolic Church learned how to worship with and without. All musicians have to start somewhere, and for many church musicians, they start with a love to worship. “When I began my walk with God, I loved music and wanted to sing, but first, I was a worshiper in the congregation,” MacIntosh said. MacIntosh explained that a lot of lead musicians in churches started out as worshippers in the congregation before working as musicians in the church. “I believe I was called from the womb; music is in my
DNA,” MacIntosh said. “I consecrated my voice, my hands, and my ears to hear and sing worship music.” For MacIntosh, music is not just a substance to make you feel better, but it’s a powerful tool given by God to send up worship. “Music is something that can be emotionally attached to somebody,” Clark said. “If you bring that wrong song or that wrong spirit to the platform, it has the ability to make things go left, emotionally.” Because music has impacted members of the congregation differently, the musicians have an important role in knowing what songs to bring into the church service. “You have a responsibility to be on the platform, you need to seek God in what you’re doing,”
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Freedom Temple Pentecostal Church is ushered into a powerful moment of praise. Photo courtesy of Ashley Hogans.
“You have a responsibility to be on the platform, you need to seek God in what you’re doing. Thats our responsibility...we hit the prayer room before we get on that platform.” - Victoria Clark, director of music at Wilmington Apostolic Church Clark said. “That’s our responsibility… we hit the prayer room before we get on that platform.” However, lead musicians and ministers of music, who are responsible for the music portion in every church service, devote a lot of their time to music outside of church hours, according to Miram Hogans, the minister of the Freedom Temple Pentacostal Church. “The weeks that we rehearse are the busiest for me,” Hogans said. “Our rehearsals can go on for hours… it can sometimes be a little stressful, especially when I have to balance time in my personal life.” The roles that musicians play are
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dependent on by the church. They do a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that the music that they play will usher people into a powerful praise. “It’s hard work, but I enjoy it,” Hogans said. “Especially because I was not always here, being in this position is such an honor… I really don’t mind the challenging times that come with this calling for that reason.”
Evangelist Miller jumps for joy at Freedom Temple Pentacostol church. Photo courtesy of Ashley Hogans.
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Organs of What Make an Organ Work Organ Consol
Swell Pedals
Photo curtisy of Geograph.Org.Uk
Stop Knob
Toe Piston
Keys
In the Black church, a very B chord progression of 1, 5
Crescendo
Gb
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F
Bb
Ab
G
A
B
an
Organ
Graphics by Chanell Waller, editor
Top 5
Most Popular Songs On The Organ
#5 Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings in G minor BY POULENC
#4 96 TEARS BY ? AND THE MYSTERIANS
#2 Bridal March by Wagner #3 Chorale No. 3 in A minor by César Franck: Bach #1 Toccata And Fugue In D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
y popular chord to play is a 6, 4, 1. Here is an example:
Sources: Classicsfm.com, SongFacts.com
C
Gb
Eb
Db
D
E
F
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A live performance takes place at ACL. Photo courtesy of Finn Ryan.
The Accents of ACL Behind the scenes of Austin’s festival of a lifetime By Ailia Zhao, editor eople travel to cities in the US with enticing attractions. New York City has Broadway, Los Angeles has Hollywood, but Austin has something of its own too. It has live music that attracts many, with one of the major annual events being Austin City Limits. Due to the attendance of numerous artists, volunteers, and guests, it’s quite known in the world of live entertainment, especially because of the local spark engraved in its roots.
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As the Live Music Capital of the World, Austin hosts numerous concerts and shows, including Austin City Limits. Originating in 1974, the festival has a rich history of Austin’s culture integrated into it, with many local restaurants, breweries, and stores scattered across the festival grounds. During the six days that it takes place, the festival has an average of around 75,000 guests per day over six days. There are food stands, bars, booths, and many other features, where people can experience new things, whether
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they’re behind the scenes or enjoying them. Many young adults entering the world of work get the significant opportunity to obtain a temporary job at one of the biggest music festivals in the nation. Along with providing a great experience, it’s also quite fun, something where you not only learn, but enjoy your time, as said by Matthew Chen. Matthew Chen, an employee at ACL who worked at the alcohol station, has had his job for several
Crowds of people watch performances at ACL (top), and hold up posters for human rights (bottom). Photos courtesty of Finn Ryan, ACL attender. years and has learned new things. “I get to hear and watch the same performances, and I do get paid pretty well while I’m there,” Chen Said. “I also get to hang out with a pretty cool group of people which makes it better,” he added. Providing guests with drinks for many hours a day may seem distracting, making the event different from an employee’s perspective. However, this is actually inaccurate, according to someone who’s had firsthand encounters with it. “Being able to watch the music when you’re working is pretty much the same as being in the crowd” Chen said. “Getting all that interaction… and meeting a bunch of people who were attending the festival as a guest was very different, and that was fun.” Although these personnel still put in a lot of effort in making sure that all the visitors are well treated, many of them work for multiple hours a day to ensure satisfaction. “By the end of the week, pretty
much everybody, at least at the bar, has probably logged around at least 30 hours,” Chen said. In addition to working at a very special event, Chen explained that employees gain important lessons about worth ethic for the future. “It’s not hard work, you just have to work hard,” Chen said. “It’s something that I learned, and a mentality that I’ve got from that.” Along with working, thousands of people go to ACL for the music, entertainment, food, and much more. Additionally, a large portion of Austin citizens take pride in the festival, seeing it as a chance to showcase the reality of how great their city is. Finn Ryan, Austinite and longtime attendee of ACL, enjoys everything featured annually in the festivities.“I’ve been attending since 2009 [and] every year since then except 2020,” Ryan said. Among the many captivating aspects of ACL, the local culture that can be seen everywhere is one of the most noticeable parts of it, even for people who reside in the
same city. “There was a lot of Austin culture around the festival,” Ryan said. “It was nice to see since visitors might get to learn about Austin a bit while they’re there.” This year, similar to all the past years, many singers performed. The lineup was very diverse, ranging from country to pop. “I liked Mother Mother, Girl in Red, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and Phoebe Bridgers a lot,” Ryan said. Everyone has different opinions on music preference, but there’s a variety of music to enjoy. ACL allows for many local restaurants and shops to set up booths, allowing people from everywhere to enjoy community specialties. “I liked the pretzels from Schultz Garden the most, but I got to see a lot of local restaurants being showcased, which was cool,” Ryan said. Because Austin City Limits is one of the largest festivals in the nation, many people travel into town to attend the event. During the event, Austin can be seen differently than just an average city, and many may remember it forever as the city of live music. “With festivals like ACL, Austin
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definitely creates a name for itself,” Ryan said. “I’ve been to a lot of concerts here in the past few years, and it’s really great that artists like coming to Austin,” he stated.
added. Chen said that locals realize the effects of ACL, especially through personal experiences. Even if it’s a casual comment, it allows them to
“If there was one event that I would recommend someone from outside of Austin to attend in Austin, it would definetly be ACL.”
understand the real meaning of Austin culture. “If there was one event that I would recommend someone from outside of Austin to attend in Austin, it would definitely be ACL,” Ryan said. Given the way the event has been integrated into Austin’s history, it’s necessary to mention that its 20th anniversary was celebrated this year, and there are many more to come. Similar to Broadway and Hollywood, ACL will make a history for its home, and along the way, it will continue to influence the world around it.”
- Finn Ryan, ACL attender Austin has become an attraction for both musicians and attendees over time due to Austin City Limits, and it’s gained a lot of exposure. “It definitely contributes to the way people from outside of Austin view Austin as a music city,” Chen said. “It is one of the larger music festivals to happen here in the United States,” he
truly see how significant the event is in terms of Austin’s appeal.“I’ve met some folks who’ve traveled to Austin for the sake of ACL,” Chen said. Furthermore, they’re proud of being host to such a known attraction, and regard it as one of Austin’s most precious possessions, something that an outsider has to see in order to truly
Numerous different singers perform at ACL. Photos courtesty of Finn Ryan.
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Billie Eilish performs at ACL and sings to the audience. Photo courtesy of Finn Ryan.
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PERFORMERS
ACL: AUSTIN’S LIV
Many musicians come from around the nation to perform at Austin City Limits. • In 2021 alone, at least 90 artists came to Austin to be part of the ACL lineup. • The most recent festival featured artists such as Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Tyler, Meghan Thee Stallion, and more! • They switch off after a bit so you get the experience of all of them at one location!
A T X
Fun Facts about ACL!
In 2018, Auckland and Sydney city limits w
EMPLOYEES
This year’s festival (2021) marks the 20th an
Approximately 450,000 people attend ACL e
There are many forms of jobs that you can apply for at ACL! • Selling food and merchandise, selling tickets at the event, setting up and closing, helping with navigation, and more! • ACL provides many jobs, not only directly, but for people who work in hotels, bars, transportation, etc. In fact, it provided over 1,500 jobs in 2019.
Information provided by Austin City Limits, ACL Radio, tival Survival Guide, Daily Music Roll.
ACL 2022: Octob
Over 180 band
source: aclf
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VE MUSIC WONDER Graphics by Ailia Zhao, editor
ATTENDEES Along with providing sensational music, ACL provides a lot of perks. • There are multiple free items you can collect at ACL Care centers, and an Austin Kiddie Limits area for children. • The festival features many local resteraunts and breweries for you to try!
were introduced!
nnivesary for ACL!
VOLUNTEERS
each year in total!
There are three main volunteer groups with different purposes: KVUE on ABC, Volunteer ATX, Job Monkey, Fes-
ber 7-9 and 14-16
ds performing!
festival.com
• The Volunteer HQ Team is in charge of managing and helping volunteers! • The Rock and Recycle Team ensures that everyone is recycling by handing out bags to carry recyclable items. These bags can be exchanged for a t-shirt! • The Divert It! Team similarly informs people on the topic of recycling, in an effort to divert waste from landfills! SPRING 2022 | MUSICAL MARVELS
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Composer Dave Wirth uses a variety of instruments when creating scores for films. one popular tool is the synthesizer, usefull when producing unique sounds from different sources. Photo courtesy of Dave Wirth.
A look into the soundtracks of films By Piper Chen, editor
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he lights fade, and the music starts. Sounds flow through the theater as scenes flash across the screen. To film score composer Dave Wirth, music is an essential part of every film. It guides the audience through the story and lets the perspective of the characters be seen. His process is lengthy and difficult, but it is crucial to the final product. Wirth begins this procedure by simply doing it. “[In the] beginning of working on a film…I just write whatever comes out,” Wirth said. “If the director is very clear about what he or she wants at all, it’s very easy to get an idea.” While Wirth likes to let the music write itself, Hanan Townshend, who has been studying music since six years old, has a different method. When scoring films, he prefers to root himself in the script and visuals so he can guide the audience emotionally. “My process usually begins with
reading the script and seeing if the story resonates,” Townshend said. “If I’m scoring to picture, I usually like to start composing for the opening or the ending of the film.” Both Townshend and Wirth agree that a major part of the film score composing process is having a relationship with the director. After that, it’s all about letting the rest of music come naturally. “Once I have a really clear way forward that the director is after, I’m waiting for that moment of total inspiration,” Wirth said. “That could come to me while I’m sleeping.” After the music is recorded and the film is put together, composers leave the frame. Enter Evan Dunivan, who shared the process he has perfected after 13 years in post production. “You edit all the dialogue, you clean it all up, you do a lot of EQing, which is balancing the frequency,” Dunivan said. “There’s a lot of things that you do to… make it a polished product.” Joseph Kennemer, who works in post production in Central Texas, begins similarly. He expanded more on what steps are taken next. “I’ll put in what we call the Walla, which is crowd noise,” Kennemer said, “and then I’ll put in the Foley, which is… all those sounds that people make in the world.” These same steps are taken by Dunivan and he follows by mixing the film. He has found that the blending of each sound is crucial to the At Soundcrafter, the Austin-based studio that Evan Dunivan works flow of the soundtrack. at, there are many specialized rooms for the various stages of post “How the sound of production. Photo courtesy of Tom Hammond. the film interacts with the music and vice versa is a SPRING 2022 | MUSICAL MARVELS
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thing we take for granted,” Dunivan said. “But it’s very important for a professional product in a quality art project.” Creating the balance between music and the sound effects of a soundtrack is only part of what makes it a complete movie. Dialogue is a key part of a film’s audio and it must be intelligible for the story to make sense. “Some movies are really busy: there’s lots of talking, there’s lots of fast paced editing, and lots of music,” Kennemer said. “In those cases, I’m really taking a backseat to the rest of the crafts, and just holding it down, so all the other crafts can do their thing.” For some movies, understanding the story and characters requires more push from the soundtrack of a film. This gives Kennemer more opportunities beyond post production. “On stuff that’s more psychological or science fiction, I’ll take a more active role,” Kennemer said. “I’ll get involved in pre-production and start shaping the film.” In post production, there are a number of things that promote this active creativity. It often appears in the form of sound design. “Sound design can mean two things. The popular definition is just making cool sounds,” Kennemer said. “The original true intent of the phrase… [is the] creative use of sound with the storytelling.” Unique manipulations of sound depend on a number of factors, such as the characters within a film “Designing the sound of some sort of creature character, anything that has… almost personality to it,” Dunivan said. “You’re putting a lot of creativity into that.” The characters are not the only element that can affect the soundtrack of the film. It also depends on the setting of a movie.
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“It’s about set designing, too,” Kennemer said. “[Where] do the sets of the scenes take place? And do they encourage sound to have an active role or not?” While set plays an important role in the audio of film, the message intended may not get across anyway. This is why, according to Kennemer, keeping the audience in mind as you work in post production is important. “Trying to watch the movie… as an audience member,” Kennemer said, “that’s really the principle right there.” Creative liberties must also be taken into account when Townshend is composing the music of a film. Things as simple as the timeline in which the film is shot can play a role in the creation of the score. “I begin composing music before the film is shot or during the editing phase,” Townshend said. “I enjoy seeing how the music can help shape the cut of the film, and it
in movies go through also play an important role in shaping the composition. How the moods shift between these scenes also guides the score. “I find that the moments influence the themes,” Wirth said. “There could be a moment of hope right before a moment of tension, so I’ll write a theme that fits that moment of hope but then it transitions into that tension.” Understanding the mood of the movie in specific moments affects Townshend’s process as well. “If I’m scoring to picture, I usually like to start composing for the opening or the ending of the film,” Townshend said. “This allows me to get a sense of where I am starting or where I’m heading and will often help influence and solidify the thematic material for the movie” Composing scores for the movie is
“I want to compose the music for something that I don’t understand so that I can understand it.” - Dave Wirth, film score composer allows more freedom to experiment and explore the musical landscape of the film.” Wirth has found that the characters and views represented within a movie are what affect the final score the most for him. “If somebody presents something to me that is completely outside of my worldview, that’s the film I want to do,” Wirth said. “I want to compose the music for something that I don’t understand so that I can understand it.” The moments characters
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Graphics by Piper Chen
One major choice that Hanan Townshend has to make when composing for films is what instrument to use. Some include the guitar (top left), Piano (top right), and synthesizer (center). Photo courtesy of Hanan Townshend.
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not always easy. Creativity may be limited by constraints that the movie genre sets. “Creating memorable themes can be a real challenge at times,” Townshend said, “especially when moving between projects to a different genre.” No matter the setting or genre of a movie, the director has the final say. Knowing exactly what the director wants is not as simple as it seems. “I can’t tell a director, ‘What if we took this string and we notated it this way.’ That doesn’t mean anything to them,” Wirth said. “A lot of it is me trying to figure out what [directors] are trying to match with… something
that really hits the vibe that they’re after.” Budget is challenging too, but Wirth has found that it opens up new perspectives for him. “I’m happy to have to think about ‘How can we make this sound really, really, really cool for as little amount of money that we’re spending on it?’” Wirth said. Money can be problematic in post production as well. Kennemer has had to experiment with sound a lot to overcome the lack of funding. “By the time filmmakers get to me, they usually have overspent their budget,” Kennemer said.
Post production is a process that requires a multitude of steps and programs. Photo courtesy of Joseph Kennemer.
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“You can’t just spend as much time as you’d like if they don’t have the money for you to do so.” Despite little funding at the post production level, the quality of a movie can still be upheld. “If you don’t have much money and you want to make a good movie,” Dunivan said, “you really need to leverage sound to the maximum because it’s just so much easier to do than showing people things.” Kennemer has discovered this for himself and is often trying to get directors to understand this as well. “I’m always trying to get
A part of Evan Dunivan’s job in audio post production is the creation of sound effects called Foley. In film making, Foley is everyday sounds, like footsteps. Photo courtesy of Tom Hammond. directors to realize that sound should always be their secret weapon,” Kennemer said. “There’s no reason not to use sound.” Audio post production professionals must also be careful with this idea. The powers of sound are not infinite, especially if the provided sounds are low quality. “One boring but huge problem is the quality of the sound that was recorded on set,” Kennemer said. “The dialogue is recorded out in the world
and so it can be noisy and hard to handle.” As Kennemer put it, the challenges that those in post must deal with are worth the while. Music is a key part of each film and without it, films would be incomplete. “The kind of way I think about it is with movies, the visual is the melody,” Kennemer said. “And what you hear is the harmony.” Graph
ics by
Piper
Chen
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Chen, editor Graphics by Piper
A N D
After the Golden Era, film music began to reach beyond late romantic style scores. Rather than purely orchestral sounds, jazz, pop, and Western music started to integrate into film. It was during this time that the sounds associated with spies, deserts, and the Southwest were created.
The 70s marked a time for great innovation for music in film. Early synthesizers were being produced, and soon they entered the world of film scores. Composers were able to create entire soundtracks on their own rather than having to search for sounds from various instruments. These sounds could be saved as well so they could be reused in the future. This made the production of movie music much faster and cheaper. Film scores also started to drift back towards classical sounds.
Sources: Film Independent, Video Caption Corporation, Google Arts & Culture, Reel Rundown
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1890s
Silent Era
1929
During the Silent Era of film, most music was live. Classical pieces were adjusted to fit the mood of the film showing and were performed along with the film, often by a one performer or a small ensemble. In higher class theater, full orchestras could be present. As the mood of the film changed, the pianist would often improvise. In the later films of this era, organs were used to create a variety of sounds by one person.
The Golden Era began once music and dialogue were synced with the film. It continued the use of classical scores, but rather than pre existing symphonic pieces, music started to be composed specifically for movies. Temporary tracks also became useful when music that could convey the director’s vision were needed before the completion of film compositions.
We are now in the Kitchen Sink Era of film music. Many genres of music have been integrated into film, opening doors for ways to use music to move the film along and bring the audience with it. Film scores can be accessed easily and are often released separately from the movies. SPRING 2022 | MUSICAL MARVELS
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Games Crossword
1 2
4
3
5
6
7
8
Down 1. Gradually increase in volume 2. Slow and leisurely 3. Gradually become softer 4. Very fast 5. Medium or moderately
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Across 2. Quick and lively
4. Very soft 6. Sequence of chords used to signify the end of a phrase 7. Strong or loud 8. Used in sheet music to denote where the
Word Search Education Teacher Microphone Student Piano Guitar Live Choir Church Flute Trumpet Violin Musician Drums Performance
Answers for Crossword 2. Allegro 4. Pianissimo 6. Cadence 7. Forte 8. Coda
Across
1. Crecendo 2. Adagio 3. Decrecendo 4. Presto 5. Mezzo
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Down
Special Thanks
To the People Who Made this Magezine Possible Catherine Davis Piano Teacher at Capital Music Center
Andrew Clark Classical Guitar Teacher at McCallum High School
James Buhler Professor at the Butler Cristal Martinez Perez School of Music Violin Student at Texas State University Beck Broderick Actor Max Henry Music Student at Joseph Kennemer McCallum High School Audio Post Production and Capital Music Professional Center Hanan Townshend Film Score Composer Dave Wirth Film Score Composer Nick Marcus Film Score Writer and Reviewer Evan Dunivan Audio Post Production Professional Kevin Garcia LASA Ezine Teacher
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Matthew Chen Staff at Austin City Limits Miram Hogans Minister of Music at Freedom Temple Pentecostal church Victoria Clark Director of Music at Wilmigton Apostolic Pentecostal church Leanna MacIntosh Minister of Music at River Apostolic Church Fin Ryan Long-Time Attender of ACL
