It’s been almost two weeks since I shared a work space with some of Berklee’s finest musicians, composers, and copyists. In being back home with just my “Summer Goals List,” an old piano, and a family full of non-musicians, I’ve gotten the opportunity to truly appreciate the experience that I had in Los Angeles.
Being able to twirl around in my little desk chair, throw out any composer’s name, and get a chorus of information in response from my co-workers was truly inspiring. Since that first day in the office, I’ve started a mini archive of my own, divided by film and classical composers. The archive contains their education, their path to success, their biggest works, and in some cases, sheet music from some of their pieces. In creating this, and augmenting my knowledge through what I learned in LA, I realized just what an immense amount of information I absorbed this summer. My awareness of composers has more than tripled, and I’m so appreciative.
It’s so interesting how once you start to build on your foundation in a field, your ability to add to that field multiplies. One of my goals in the beginning of this summer was to compose a piece for double bass, piano, percussion, and clarinet, and I’ve written dozens of versions of it (finally composing mentally instead of writing it all out), and each version is so different depending on what composer I was studying at the time. In these next two weeks, I hope to finish the piece, allowing the style to be a culmination of all of those that inspire me musically.
My biggest incentive for taking this internship was to grow as a composer, even if my job description did not include composition. Seeing how my style has changed just this summer, I feel that this desire was met more than I could have hoped. Now, I’m focusing on expanding my understanding of the differences between classical and film composition, and deepening my knowledge of the main composers, while also composing more, and working with short films to start actually creating for the screen.
For anyone interested in interning at JoAnn Kane Music Service, my one piece of advice is to make the most of the brilliance of your coworkers. The work may be tedious, and at times, boring, but your hands are moving alongside those of composers, conductors, orchestrators, instrumentalists, and quite frankly, geniuses. In fact, in the entirety of the music industry, whichever part of it you’re interested in, your most valuable resource are those that know more than you–and they always will. Humble yourself, listen well, and try to be genuine in every interaction; relationships in LA often serve as ladders, so keep that in mind while also absorbing something from every moment.
At the end of my internship, I learned that my boss, Daniel Gold (to the left in the picture), used to be a film composer. Over lunch that day, he explained to me the ins and outs of the process, the conflicts in the path, and what he learned. My other coworker, Laurel, is an accomplished instrumentalist in LA, and she explained how the most important thing, no matter what you end up doing 9-5, is that you have an outlet for your passion.
While I realized that music preparation might not be the career for me, I got so much from this experience: figuring out what questions people will ask before they ask them, treating every individual as significant in this field, and listening, ALWAYS. Whether you end up hearing information on a train delay, or Barbara Streisand’s new album, you’ll always walk away better for it.
Regarding this field as an arena for gender equality, I finally understood my professor’s advice on the matter of being one of few female composers: “You just have to be good. Be undeniably good.” My coworker Laurel, though she usually was the only female in her office, responded to the situation with a “I didn’t even notice. I just do my work.” And she warranted respect. Of course, change needs to come in the industry. But this is one of those areas where we cannot right the inequality by just drawing attention to it, we have to put forth viable options for attention.
This summer strengthened my social justice agenda, while, interestingly, also diminishing my frustration with the situation in film composition. I suppose I’ve just resolved to fix the problem by being, well, undeniably great.