Soul Journey Music

Two Upcoming Unique Short Films I’ll Be Scoring

May 4, 2011

This summer, I’ll be collaborating with Nashville-based filmmaker, Jayson Wall, in scoring two of his latest short films, “Horny” & “LoveStruck”.

“Horny” is a quirky coming of age story about a teenage boy who is… well… horny. (Go figure, right?) One of the most interesting elements in the film is a fascinating dream sequence which includes several key dream archetypes. The mood and style is constantly shifting, so it will be a wonderful test of my compositional and scoring prowess!

“LoveStruck” is a hilarious short film shot entirely without dialogue–a modern take on the silent film. That makes the music an especially critical element. Sadly (or luckily, depending on which way you look at it), the original composer didn’t quite capture it. Which makes me the “ringer”, I suppose!

“Attente”, the operetta I’m working on for the West Village Musical Theater Festival, will be taking up most of my time until after the festival in the middle of June. So I will begin working on “LoveStruck” at that time, followed shortly afterward by “Horny”.

In addition to these two film projects, I’ve also got other film projects in the works for this summer. (More details to come.) It looks like it’s shaping up to be a summer of film scoring!

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“Attente” – A Short Opera Premiering in June

May 3, 2011

Apparently, the organizers of the West Village Musical Theater Festival were impressed enough with my submission to ask me to collaborate with them on a 10-15 minute opera (or would it be “operetta”?) to be premiered at the festival this June.

At first, I was a bit reluctant. (It has to be completed WHEN??) I’ll have about 2 weeks to write it and another week or so to get the mock-up orchestration ready.

Yikes!

Film and television often works on such tight deadlines, but we’re talking about an opera—not a film! That’s 10-15 solid minutes of artistic music that needs to stand on its own—not just underscoring.

Which is exactly why I decided to take the project. It will be a serious challenge to create something well-done and artistic in such a short amount of time.

It will also mean I’ll have TWO works premiering at the festival: 3 songs from “Another Time”, and my new, as-yet-to-be-composed short opera, “Attente”.

It’s a somewhat dark story about 3 lost souls in purgatory. (I love dark!) But there’s plenty of humor, too. So it’s not completely depressing. As the creator described: think Tim Burton and Danny Elfman.

Ooooooh!

Can’t wait to see the libretto!

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Accepted! – 2011 West Village Musical Theater Festival in NYC

April 18, 2011

There were nearly 500 applicants this year to the 2011 West Village Musical Theater Festival in NYC…

And as an excellent followup to my previous post, I’m happy to report that my collaborator and I have been accepted!

We will have the opportunity to have a 10-15 minute excerpt of our musical, “Another Time”, performed over a series of 5 performances for an audience of musical theater enthusiasts, directors, and producers. Audience members will vote on things such as “best director”, “best actress”, “best music”, etc.

I’ve very excited to be a part of this, and I believe it will do a lot to move things forward with this production. Plus… I’m completely stoked about the prospect of hearing some very talented performers sing my songs!

So… I’ll be spending a couple of weeks in NYC this coming June. And for that, I’m asking for help.

I almost never ask for money. But the arts are almost always under-appreciated and underfunded. And as a full time composer with lots of opportunities opening themselves up to me, I seem to have more promise than income at the moment.

Without financial help, I will not be able to make the trip. So I’m appealing to friends and family, and anyone who cares, to help me take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

I believe in being of service. So if there is anything I could do to return the favor, please let me know. Perhaps you’ll even consider commissioning a piece of music or a song or a jingle for your business… or maybe I could simply invite you over for lunch!

If you feel moved to help, I would be immensely grateful. (Just click the button below, and PayPal will take care of the rest.)

Peace & Gratitude,

J. Aaron Stanley

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“Another Time” – My First Full Length Musical

April 15, 2011

"Another Time" the Musical. Coming to a theater somewhere… sometime.

I’ve wanted to write a musical for years. So when I had the opportunity to collaborate on one a few months ago, I jumped at the chance.

Oddly enough though, I didn’t know a whole lot about musicals and I’d seen only a handful of them. So the last few months have been a crash-course education in the repertoire, in how musicals are put together, and in how the business works.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying myself! I can tell already that I will always be working on a musical.

As a composer, it is nice to just create music and melodies for the sheer fun of it, and not worry about how “profound” or “groundbreaking” or “original” it all is.

I’m creating to bring a story to life. And that in itself is the purpose and reward.

Who knows if I’ll ever be financially compensated for what I’m creating. But I’m not terribly worried about it. Because even if “Another Time” doesn’t become the next great American musical, I believe it will lead to bigger and better things.

I feel absolutely confident in what I’m writing, and I know it is great material. When I get some demos recorded, I’ll be posting them—which should be soon.

At this point, I have about four–possibly five–more songs to write before all the melodic material for the show has been created. After that, it is simply a matter of fleshing out the reprises and instrumentals.

I really do hope we’re able to get it performed with an orchestra. I have no doubt it will get a performance. But I will pray to the heavens for a budget to hire a chamber orchestra.

Today I wrote an emotional, rousing ending to Act I. A piano is certainly nice… but only an orchestra will deliver the emotion it cries out for.

Now that we’re in the home stretch (as far as writing is concerned), I’ll be posting periodic updates on our progress.

Stay tuned!

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“Ben Hur” (1925) – Re-Scored Soundtrack

April 12, 2011

Back in 1999, I wrote an entry for the Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composer’s Competition. However, I never submitted my entry because at the time, I couldn’t produce a decent mockup of it. Sibelius just couldn’t do it justice.

So… today’s project was sequencing this piece, which I call “Desert Crossing”. What took a week for my last mock-up effort now took a day. At the last minute, I decided to look up the video that originally inspired the piece, and post it with the music here on my blog.

Enjoy…

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“The Invoker” – An Epic / Fantasy Cinematic Orchestral Commission

April 11, 2011

Recently, I was approached about writing a cinematic epic/fantasy piece to promote a fantasy book series. It needed to be about 1-2 minutes long. And EPIC.

Oh… and it needed to be for full symphony orchestra (for obvious reasons), but my client didn’t have the budget to hire one.

Sampled orchestra, it is. (“Sure, I can do that! No problem!”)

For many years, I resisted using samples. I didn’t even know how to use a sequencer. I was content with writing in Sibelius (my music notation program) and hearing the basic Sibelius playback, knowing it was a far cry from what it would ACTUALLY sound like with real, live musicians.

But gone are the days when composers could just focus on writing the sheet music. These days, the world demands to HEAR your work in its finished form… with no apologies about cheesy MIDI sounds, improper balance, sterile performances, bad percussion playback, etc., etc. This time, a Sibelius demo just wasn’t going to cut it.

So… considering I don’t keep a live orchestra on hand… nor do I have the resources for hiring even a student chamber orchestra at the moment… I figured it was time I dug out the manuals and started learning how to properly sequence an orchestral mock-up.

Well…

After a week of hair pulling and daily ranting about why (fill in the blank) isn’t working properly, I’ve finally reached a milestone: my first ever sampled orchestral mockup. (“Whew!”)

Here is “The Invoker”…

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Post Winter Update

April 10, 2011

While most of the country was suffering from one blanket of snow after another… I’ve been fortunate enough to winter (and now Spring) here in beautiful Southern California. Other than a couple weeks of solid rain back in December, it’s been mild as usual. Perhaps a bit cooler than normal, but nothing I can justifiably complain about.

I’ve also been working on some fantastic new projects, which I’ll blog about soon. Despite the long quiet on this blog, I’m still writing music, and lots of it. I’ll have some great stuff I’ll be sharing soon…

Such as a commission to write a cinematic symphonic piece for use in a trailer to promote a fantasy book series. It proved to be the perfect opportunity to finally learn how to use Logic Pro and my sample library to create a realistic-sounding mockup. (Still can’t replace the real thing, though.)

I’ve also been working on a musical for the last several months called “Another Time”. That has proven to be a HUGE project. It is my first full-lenth musical and I’ll be very excited to finish that up and actually get it performed—something we (my collaborator and I) are working on.

I’m also making progress toward releasing the first of a series of songs themed around success. The first song is called “Rockstar Sales Superstar”, and I’ll be recording the vocals very soon.

Also… a film project which I should be starting this week. Just waiting for the final cut.

Oh… and I moved my studio (which has expanded over the winter) into a commercial office space in Torrance. I’ll post some photos very soon.

More details to come soon. Stay tuned.

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Post Summer Update

October 2, 2010

I haven’t posted in a while. The summer has been slow, at least as far as writing music is concerned. Not that I sat around doing nothing. (Except for those weeks in June when I, along with half of America, was depressed about the whole oil spill. It’s hard to be productive when you’re feeling down.)

Anyway, I spent most of my summer writing copy and building websites. I gotta keep the bills paid somehow… and there are many more people in the world with money to spend on marketing copy than there are with money to spend on commissioning new music. Especially these days.

Not to complain. (Although the situation does reveal what we value as a culture.) I actually feel blessed. I’m a firm believer that whatever is happening in your life is more than just the sum total of the thoughts, words, and actions you’ve taken up until this point. It also happens to be exactly what you need for your own higher learning and spiritual development.

Ever since I decided to allow myself to express my musical talent instead of suppressing it in the name of “making a living”, I’ve been able to chug along doing an eclectic blend of different things to keep me interested and enjoying life.

I write copy. I consult with small business owners about marketing. I write, arrange, and orchestrate music. I’m even writing a sci-fi novel (which may provide the inspiration for more musical works for wind ensemble.)

Yep.

Fun stuff. Vive la difference, and all that jazz. (Not to use the name of jazz in vain.)

Right now, I feel the call to compose something. At least, after I get caught up on some copywriting work, and finish an arrangement/orchestration for a musical theater project.

I’m thinking I should finish “Chakras”. That’s going to be a cool piece!

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“Chakras” – A New Composition For Woodwind Quintet

May 5, 2010

I started working on a new piece today. I feel compelled. I HAVE to write it.

It is called “Chakras” for woodwind quintet and percussion.

Chakras is a musical depiction of the awakening of spiritual awareness. In many esoteric traditions, ordinary human consciousness is depicted as a coiled serpent sleeping at the base of the spine. The sleeping serpent represents potential. It is man’s fallen consciousness.

As the serpent (or “kundalini” in Eastern traditions) awakens, it begins its path upward through the seven energy centers called “Chakras”.

Each Chakra is associated with certain areas of awareness or consciousness. As each Chakra is energized and brought into balance, one becomes more awakened and conscious.

Ultimately, as the kundalini reaches the seventh Chakra of infinite awareness, one becomes fully enlightened and experiences oneness with God.

I do not claim to be an enlightened being. I can only use my imagination to create a stylized musical depiction of the awakening of kundalini and the process of each Chakra being energized and brought into balance.

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a chamber work. It feels good to be writing for a small ensemble. It forces me to think more about the music itself rather than what to do with all the instruments. (Plus, it goes faster. I’ve only got a few parts to worry about!)

I believe chamber music is the testing ground of composers. I regret not having written more chamber music. But it’s never too late for anything.

Expect more to come.

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Why Talented Composers Do Not Succeed

May 3, 2010

I sincerely believe there is room in the world for anyone with true talent and a passion for composing. Yet many talented composers are not successful.

Why?

Based on my own history, I believe it comes down to a handful of reasons…

Laziness (in composing, in marketing, in general)
Fear (of success / failure)
Lack of self confidence (which relates to fear)
Pride (assuming people should come to you… or that you’re too good for marketing)
Lack of complete trust in the Universe/God to open the right doors for you
Lack of knowledge and skill in sales and marketing

All of the above have held me back in previous years. (I’ll be blogging in more detail about each of these soon.) Fortunately, anyone can learn from their past mistakes and change their behavior.

Here’s what forced me to learn…

In January 2006, I gave up on my music career. I was broke and frustrated. My career seemed to be going nowhere.

In hindsight, I can see how I was the only one to blame for my failure. But it took a drastic change in my life to see it.

So what was it?

I became an entrepreneur.

I went into the business world and learned about accounting, marketing, sales, etc. I worked as an accounting manager… then as a marketing director for small manufacturing company. Then, I started my own business as a marketing consultant and copywriter, which I still do to a limited extent today.

There is nothing like starting your own business to force you to face yourself and your own shortcomings.

As an entrepreneur, I had to learn what it took just to stay afloat and keep the rent paid. There were times when I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, afraid I would wind up homeless.

But I stuck with it.

I eventually learned how to let go and trust that things would work out if I just did my part.

As I’ve explained before, this blog is a chronicle of my journey toward becoming a successful concert composer. I am not yet earning a full-time living from composing. So from a strictly monetary standpoint, I cannot yet claim to be “successful”. I’ve only just begun to get clear about my goal and serious about reaching it.

I’m writing this blog out of service. One day, I will lecture on how to become established and successful as a composer… and this blog will serve as a chronicle for how I got there.

My training as an entrepreneur… my trust in God… my burning desire to simply write great music. All will aid me in my journey.

And I can’t wait to be teaching others how to follow their dream and be successful at it, too. I feel that is as much a part of my mission as writing music.

In my next post, I’ll talk about how composing is pretty much like any other business…

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