In semester one Notation and Orchestration tutorial classes, there were a variety of presentations done that have helped me improve as a composer in a variety of ways such as giving me insight on how to improve a particular aspect of my music, the ways we can approach composing music and much more broad ideas such as general ways to boost creativity. Two presentations that I took particular interest in were Ffion Bishops ‘Recording – It's a Struggle’ and Matt Armstrong’s ‘Music in Cartoons’. Both presentations had a particular idea they wanted to discuss in a way that was both easy to understand, enjoyable and both personally related to me and my interests as a composer.

 

Ffion’s recording presentation discussed her first experience in a recording studio, attempting to record a piece of hers and the challenges she had to face and overcome. She began her presentation by discussing her inspiration for the piece that she was recording, where she revealed that the piece was for piano and vocals, meaning they would have to be recorded using good microphone techniques to achieve the high level of audio quality that she was going for. She also explained the genre and background of her piece, meaning her recording would also have to take elements from the style she’s going for. For example, because her piece was contemporary, contemporary vocals are often having a great amount of compression applied to them, which is something she may have taken into consideration. Later, Ffion discussed her issues when recording. She explained how the room was taken by an ‘unofficial contemporary class’, how there was limited time to record her piece which created pressure, and how there were technical difficulties. Because I had recently recorded a piece in the recording studio myself, all the following issues were extremely relatable and had given me insight into some issues that may occur when I’m recording in the future. Ffion explained how her piece felt rushed because of all these issues. She explained how editing couldn’t fix her piece, due to issues in the actual performance being so dire that they were beyond fixing. I could relate to this as instrumental parts in my own recording experience occasionally had issues so extreme that the part had to be re-recorded. She then explained her plan to re-record, and how she can do it better next time. The explanation of what she can improve on helped me think about what I can also do to improve my recording when I am in the studio. Ffion then asked the audience not only if they had questions, but also for feedback for working in a recording studio. This was a great opportunity for me as I was able to get lots of help into ways, I can improve my work in a recording studio thanks to the great amount of insight the audience gave. Overall, I enjoyed this presentation. Its delivery was funny and relatable as Ffion is a first-year composition student like me, the topic was a great choice and the way the presentation was structured was a good choice.

 

Another presentation I loved was Matt Armstrong’s ‘Music in Cartoons’. This was another presentation I found highly relatable as I aspire to enter the modern music industry, possibly writing music for cartoons. He begins by talking about the history of music in films, mentioning things like silent films, he then discusses the use of classical music at the forefront of films such as in Looney Tunes, which I would often watch as a kid. When I saw the video thumbnail from the ‘Butcher of Seville’ scene in Bugs Bunny, I was instantly struck with nostalgia, remembering when I used to sit on the couch and watch Looney Tunes as a kid, this hooked me straight away and I was engaged with his presentation for the rest of it. Matt explained why types of music were popularized within this time, the rise of music styles with big film companies such as Disney and DreamWorks and why they were also successful. Later in his presentation Matt discussed another show that struck a lot of nostalgia for me, ‘Adventure Time’, Matt discussed the music of Adventure Time and its success, and one song that I remember from my childhood. The music of Adventure time while being catchy and easily memorable, often have moral messages and are used as a form of character emotional expression, the song Matt discussed was a prime example of that, as the song discussed honesty and truthfulness. Matt’s discussion of the music of Adventure Time reminded me of why I have a passion for music of modern medias and has helped me think of new ways to go about the purpose of my compositions. Matt began talking about his own plans for creating a cartoon, including things such as his inspirations, his motivation to work on a cartoon, his plans for producing the cartoon through WAAPA, and his long-term procedure for creating the show. Matt discussed the plot of his show, ‘Frog and Cat’ being about how a “frog and cat go on many adventures in their quest to become great knights.​ Frog talks a lot, Cat meows and each of them understand each other perfectly”. He also discussed his plans for things to include in the show, such as teaching children about music, which I love as music education often lacks representation in educational TV. Matt explained the challenges for his show that he has to overcome, such as a lack of drawing ability and goals such as having the show story-based with music as an accompaniment, this has given me insight into challenges I may face when working in the modern media industry and goals that I may strive for or the goals of others that I may have to work with. To conclude, I loved this presentation as it covered a wide variety of topics that I have interest in, the presentation was relatable, and it gave me the greatest nostalgia throwback I’ve had in a long time!