A new class in Michigan State University’s College of Music hopes to foster the next generation of successful composers for films and television.
“Music for the Motion Picture” will debut this fall, taught by doctoral candidate Samuel Joshua, a musical entrepreneur who’s written scores for four Michigan-based feature films. Four other schools recruited him to pursue a doctorate of musical arts, but only MSU encouraged him to design and teach the course.
“Part of making a living as a musician is having the ability to diversify,” Joshua said. “Starting a music business is another way composers can have an outlet for their music, and I hope to teach my students the skills they need to pursue this as a career. If they know what they’re doing, they could be in the job market for the hundreds of films being produced that need music.”
The curriculum will focus on technology and software, film music literature and business practices, he said. Students will critique each other’s work and throughout the semester they’ll Skype with successful composers to learn what it takes to make it big. In addition, students will study scores from films such as “Star Wars,” “Batman” and “Up.”
Without technical ability and an understanding of software programs, even the most talented composers may not be able to write a film score, Joshua said. Plus, sometimes it’s humbling to learn that film score composition isn’t about what composers want to write, but instead about what the film needs. Often, music adds a new element of emotion – if the composer does a good job.
Students in “Music for the Motion Picture” will collaborate with those participating in film classes taught by Jeff Wray, associate professor of film studies and creative writing in the College of Arts and Letters. Students’ final projects will be films written by Wray’s students with scores written by Joshua’s students.
“The idea of working with the students in Samuel’s class is to bring budding composers and musicians into the film production process as valued collaborators,” Wray said. “Collaboration between and among such creative people is always fruitful and usually leads to a much better project. In working with Samuel’s class, both sets of our students will be doing in the classroom exactly what they will be doing in the professional world a few years from now.”
Joshua said the program aligns well with “Running Start,” MSU’s multi-disciplinary program that equips students for life as a working musician.
“Clearly, the film industry is rapidly expanding, and technology is more readily available for independent directors and producers,” Joshua said. “Composing for film and TV is a growing, competitive field. It’s a way composers can get their name out there.”