Some more questions; this time from Morgan in Connecticut, a
high school student interested in getting into film scoring.
When did you discover that this is what you wanted to do? And
how did you develop that during your college experience? I am
someone with a strong interest here but unwilling to commit to
music school. Do you have any advice as to how I might pursue this
interest?
I realized when I was roughly 17 or 18 that I composing was a
strong suit for me, but I didn't actually commit to it until I went
through a few majors in college, and ruled them out. My first two
years of college, I really didn't dwell too much on what I would
eventually be--just tried a few things out, like law (hated it) and
architecture (couldn't draw). The whole time I was taking those
classes, I was also studying composition. It was always present.
Eventually I decided to apply to grad schools for it, and when I
got accepted to the Royal College of Music, I decided 'this is
it... I'm going for it now.'
I don't think you really need to commit to music school yet.
Many a great musician got a fine liberal arts education first,
before focusing on the music. Leonard Bernstein comes to mind; if I
remember right, he went to Harvard first, before going to Curtis.
So go ahead and go to a liberal arts school--I highly recommend it,
in fact. Do a double major--music and
something else--make yourself a well-rounded individual, and
it will inform your music down the line. (E.g. all the work I do
with setting ancient religious and secular texts comes from being
an English major in addition to being a music major.)
I saw that part of your undergraduate education was at Stanford.
Was there anything in particular that attracted you to that school?
I am in the midst of the college search process right now and
Stanford is one of the schools I am looking at (in addition to
other liberal arts schools with strong music programs). Do you have
any advice as far as what might be important for someone who is not
applying to a conservatory or music school but rather a school with
a strong music program? Is there something in particular that I
might look for? I wish there were schools like these with film
scoring programs!
I wanted to go to Stanford simply because it was an exceptional
school. I didn't even apply to music conservatories as an
undergrad. I think that those types of schools are looking for
well-rounded individuals. Obviously, all things being equal, you
should go to the school with the best music program as well--but
bear in mind that a lot of the growing that you'll do as a musician
happens outside the classroom, and outside the major. My best
experiences at Stanford were from being the music director of
Talisman A Cappella and various
musical theatre productions.
I have had this interest for a while, although I am not very
good at it! Do you feel that some of the skills required to compose
in general can be acquired, or are we born with the majority of
them? While I play several instruments I am not an incredibly
strong musician in any one of them. Do you feel that strength in a
particular instrument contributes to strength in composition?
No one's good at it when they're first starting out, so don't
worry about it. The important thing is to keep writing and
writing... only by getting the bad music out of your system will
you get to the good stuff. I play several instruments, and the
truth is I'm TERRIBLE at them. The one skill that I would suggest
that you get good at is ear training. I can listen to a piece of
music and transcribe note-for-note what every instrument is
playing. Every time I listen to a piece of music, I'm doing a
mental transcription and analysis of it. That's a pretty useful
skill, because it allows you to dissect anything you hear, and
learn subconsciously from it.
Hope that helps!
Christopher Tin
