The following is a story about how I finally did the thing that most people I grew up with did when they were twelve. In the past sixteen years, I have started The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time four times. The first time, I only got to the Goron Village and then I had to return my friend’s Nintendo 64 because it was 1998, after … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – …Because They’re Hard
Back in Summer of 2015, I was asked by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra if I could do an arrangement of a pop song for a divisional choir and the orchestra. Every other year, the River East Transcona School Division hires out the orchestra to play with their choir. This was an enormous opportunity, so of course I said yes, then got it done on time … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Quest for Beer at the Orchestra
(This is part one of a two-part post. The first part will introduce the topic, while the second will address some of the skills associated with what it looks like in a classroom, at least at a rudimentary level). The CBC (our public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) ran a program this past year on its current events show about mindfulness in the classroom. It … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Fine-Thanks-And-You (Part 1)
There are so many things that I need to write about: Being on sabbatical, my premiere with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, my composing residency in Banff, etc. But there’s one experience this past week that really ripped my stuffing out and I’d like to share it (or maybe I just need to write about it). This is going to be a long one, but also … Continue reading On Kindness…
Holy smokes, “Betty Boop Dance Card” is out for iOS! I’m really proud of this score and it pushed me harder than ever before. It is, by an enormous margin, the most music I’ve ever written for a game, clocking in at approximately 46 minutes of music. The score is incredibly diverse – from swing to rock to 8-bit to modern pop… it’s got a … Continue reading “Betty Boop Dance Card” Released!
Well, it’s been busy, but I’ve been trying to find an hour or two every couple of days to work through this project. After beating XIII, I took my copy of FFVIII to get cleaned up and, while the scratches were still there, at least the FMVs didn’t freeze up and I could beat the game. Then, I went all the way back to the … Continue reading BEAT ALL THE FINAL FANTASIES: I + VIII + XIII-2
This past weekend, I read an article in the Winnipeg Free Press about how Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation was a role model for the author (Melissa Martin, @DoubleEmMartin) during her youth. She starts by describing the alpha males of popular culture: In most pop-culture media, alpha males are swaddled in visual signifiers of virility and violence. They swagger, they swear, they have unfussy … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Transform and Make It So (Part 1)
“Underwater” from Breath of Fire, by Yasuaki Fujita, Mari Yamaguchi, Minae Fuji, and Yoko Shimomura and released in 1993. There are times where I think to myself “you know, this would be a great game, if only it were better.” I know that seems ambiguous, but think about other forms of media that you’ve tackled in your life: Books you really wanted to like, TV shows with … Continue reading
When in doubt, move forward – if you’re wrong, who cares, but you’ll probably be right most of the time. – Michael Brandon So, we took our Grade 10 Band up to Camp Arnes, MB for Band Camp this past week and it was just a delight. The kids were respectful toward each other, us, and the camp staff, and worked their faces off. They … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – When In Doubt, Move Forward
“Story Organ,” from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, released in 1995 There’s something magical about the music of Koji Kondo. It’s not that it’s terribly clever, motific or well-structured, but there is something that speaks the kid in all of us. I think it’s that he understands that there are different elements in every kid (or every person, really): There are adventurers (Legend of … Continue reading VGM Wednesday – “Story Organ” from “Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island”
