with apologies for having to project today so I am blab Mike's gone down and I don't have a replacement that has a windshield well actually it's quite still today I want to thank you for your responses to my vlog which is linked above hand below about ghost writing it's created a fascinating debate so much so I think I'm going to do a follow-up video about it because I think it's raised some important points and I think possibly me framing the world of ghost writing within the context of Good Fellas was maybe not a good one a kind of negative image yet actually is a generally if it will respects each other a kind of good way of breaking into the industry but there is actually one degree to the left on the scheme the spectrum of composure enos that I can also give some advice on everything to the left thereafter I'm no good at wouldn't take my advice on orchestrating or arranging for example so I thought I'd climb to the top of crow hill today with you gather my thoughts about how to become a composers assistant and what makes a good composers assistant so if you're human me on this walk I'll get my thoughts together another one of you also asked whether that was the better route as opposed to going the more boner for Arnold's route unit becoming a recording artist in your own right to see that hawk up there hovering in the air rising above an air vortex and waiting for a little bunny to snack there's a reason this Hill it's called crow hill and not Hawk Hill and that is because it takes some serious chops to hang up in the air and then kill rabbits it's relatively easy to be a legend in your own living room but what Olaf was achieved well he's a hawk on crow hill triple-a media composes allowed by successful recording artists starstruck because those guys and girls have achieved the impossible what it takes to sit in your studio for months and months and months and hone sounds and music melodies and harmonies that touch people the world over is not asking the impossible but then the work to promote and market that to the planet as a whole to break through the the dead wood and the chapter the noise of just hundreds of thousands of people making music to become a beacon on that kind of landscape of crap is so difficult the promotional tools that the live tools that the meet and greets you only need to look at Ola furs Instagram account and ask yourself are you man are you woman enough so in answer to your question media composition blending into the background being a little ghost hiding from the limelight throughout your kind of formative years versus touring the world and being a rock star which is the better route which is the easier welcome to the shadows my friend so I think I've established the first thing to think about when becoming a composers assistant is whether you're actually up for the task so as I've said you know if you really feel becoming a recording artist is your future by all means have a go but I think you have to be honest with your own ability there is a degree of utility to what we do as media composers which is good news it means that really you can be off I don't know this is hard to say without completely dissing my profession but I believe there are more successful composers in applied music who are say maybe more mediocre in their talents than there are recording artists this means that with a modicum of musicality and a lot of kind of ambition and hard work you can if you work really hard you can get there it isn't just about you know being some kind of unicorn style talent right it's a bit windy up here let's say coffee certain let's find a kind of still a spot and we'll kind of work through this if I may be so bold I believe people who are starting out as composers assistants I've seen so many of them start with this kind of cocky you know I could do that but they then learn very quickly and it's always the same expression it happens within days the composition is about I would say at maximum about five percent of what we do as our job and always within two or three days of working as a composer's assistant there's this kind of rabbit in the headlights stare of oh my god I had no idea to be fair I think you know unless you're some kind of savant as a composer you're probably only at best halfway there maybe you've still got to work on your MIDI chops learn about orchestration that kind of stuff so be mindful that when you're entering into the world of composition for media as a composers a system that really you may at best only know two percent of what the job really entails maybe if you've been to university three maybe four percent but I question how much they can prepare you so that's the first thing a willingness to learn is key and as I've mentioned before being humble is not the right word there's a word I can't think of it but you know being able to blend into the background keeping your trap shot at the right points being diplomatic is another key point so those are the kind of psychological criteria then we must talk about actual skills because the composer is going to want you to dive in and help out as quickly as possible won't want to train you from scratch so I would say when I was breaking into it it was all about this new art of technical preparation you know we were just coming out of the tape here and it was all about you know what am I going to do with these 70 tracks of fake orchestral instruments well we're going to lay them into Pro Tools at that point no composers knew how to use Pro Tools so it was absolutely paramount that you had to learn Pro Tools this still remains to be the case however you're not going to get a job just because you know how to use Pro Tools because all of those composer's assistants and now the composers and they know how to use Pro Tools so what can you bring to the table that they may not have learning how to use contact as in sample into it you know trim edit create sample instruments is a really cool additional talent that you can offer composers the other thing is obviously being a good a digital audio workstation I would say you know whilst it's handy to know Ableton it's either logic or Cubase Cubase if you're going into kind of hand Zimmer's sphere of influence out in la is paramount Cubase on PC but I would say just by doing straw polls at seminars the I attend that logic by far outnumbers I'd say it's probably about ninety percent to ten percent Cubase being able to orchestrate being able to use Sibelius being able to conduct these are all kind of extras that you can bring to the table and I envy you you know being a instrumentalists being a really good guitarist that kind of stuff can be absolutely fantastic for a composer so how do you get the job with the composer's assistant well it's quite simple really you just have to ask and you know so many of my assistants were simply people who approached me and said do you need an assistant Oliver who's the last assistant that I had before I dialed back my media composition work he just approached me at a seminar and said do you need an assistant and the reason I said yes is for two reasons one because I could see he was enthusiastic we work in these small confined spaces with each other for many many more hours than we spend with our families and our loved ones so being agreeable is crucial I don't know if I may have told him this but the first time I used an Orchestrator you know it's very difficult for me to work out the type of character I wanted to work with if anyone knew anything about orchestration that was one thing more than orchestration so I met this chap and he just had this bellicose laugh that completely took over his whole body and it really appealed to me it's like well one thing's for certain you know we'll get on and we'll have a laugh that guy's name was Ben Val fish his personality as well as his you know amazing genius musical brain has got him to where he's got to now so likeability then when it comes to being a composer's assistant I only have few points is really because for every job that I did what I needed assistance on would differ you know one job it was all about the technical preparation yeah another job I did it was all about the orchestration sometimes it was all about kind of creating interesting sample libraries you know there's a job I did where I wanted to play everything kind of live in my Studios it was about you know putting up mics all of that kinda stuff so there's always going to be kind of different steers for a composer's assistant so I guess you know willingness to be varied in in what you do I think is probably a good idea you know I I've had assistants who weren't that into sampling but I think that's a pity because sampling for me is a really romantic it's very painstaking process but the end results are so amazing but I have some assistants who were not so good at putting microphones up and getting the leads right where some assistants you know who came from Abbey Road and were awesome in that respect if you were a likeable enough person a composer will have the time to take you through and show you the ropes be a composers assistant was a job that I did badly because I didn't know my place still in that kind of insufferable Miss ionic glow that I was the chosen one these people were just in my way normal clang is like not backing up drives not being respectful to other people's equipment and breaking it I did some track learning once where it was working through the night and the only way we could kind of work out to stay awake was to make strong coffees and then we decided to make strong Irish coffees so we basically got rat asked and whilst we did a good job we didn't do a perfect job so a composer was working up in London when he was mixing his score had to return to Hampshire to pick up a hot pot that we forgot to include using illicit sample contents my first job is in the system or rather as a drum programmer just suddenly went maybe that motor and track maybe so had to pay for myself to replace it with a live drummer but to her is to be human and as I say there will be calamities the biggest mistake I think of all my mistakes is to not admit them really the key thing with being a composer system is establishing a bond of trust I think the biggest harm I did to my career was by not knowing my place the demanding rights I didn't deserve demanding credits I wasn't going to get feeling that my contribution somehow was bigger than it was I really do think it's a form of self-sabotage and there's this psychoanalyst a thing called Freud Ben he came up this idea of the inner saboteur the best way of getting back at your parents is to your own life up so there's something in us in those kind of formative years if we don't know our place our subconscious kind of puts us back in our box for us by making us act in a way that is gonna stifle our opportunities and as a consequence I think my career took a very different path from what it could have I would say do everything with a real meticulous nature you know really really double–triple-check stuff if you're listening to stems as you're printing them don't play music or turn it down or mute it or dim it or latter over the whole point the whole reason why the composer's are lying on you is you know to spot those digital spikes those little clicks to check what you attract late against what was in the demos to check everything is in place to check things are in sync double triple check everything be meticulous in your approach your composer is relying on you to not be the kind of scrambled egg head that he or she will be at the tail end of a production so being absolutely meticulous is great making a cuppa four or five six seven eight nine times a day we can't get enough of this stuff and it just is a way of bonding with the person you're working with showing that you have empathy for what they are going for and maybe they need a nice cup of tea or saying you listen why don't you have a lie down I feel I need to see what you're up to do you want me to program some ostinatos to fit in between the top line and the bass line I don't know if this is much help actually I don't know if there's much more I can say really back up and back up the back up and if the composers and backed up tell him or her they need to back up I guess my final point really is meek that's the word I was looking for being meek I guess my final thing is you know there will be times where you know you think of it like working in a kitchen and hopefully you're not working for Gordon Ramsay you're working for someone like Angela Hartnett but there will be times where frustrations will drop over boil over rather and you may get shouted at or some work that you have done will be abandoned for God's sake don't send your composure to Coventry don't make them walk on eggshells you know I think rise above it breathe in let the emotion of what you're experiencing drain away enjoy what it is to be a great assistant you know being a great assistant is not being the best focused rater or the best track layer or being the best programmer it's being the best assistant and I think just being the best at a job is a great thing to aim for and to achieve you know to be able to say you know I've got amazing MIDI chops and I helped him out and I put some my mini chops with his music but I was a assistant is to have failed on the job you have been asked to do so just empathize with the composer be meek be enthusiastic be willing to learn because they wanted to teach if you make a mistake work out why you made that mistake and how are you you're not not going to make it again be more thorough than the composer ever can be their example to you is how you know you can really deliver the minimum viable product with the time they have you're not about delivering Minimum Viable products you use the time that you have to be as meticulous as thorough as you possibly can and you know if you do end up working for an asshole and see that as a wonderful opportunity believe you me whilst there are a few composers are arseholes there are directors who complete tit heads anyway I hope this has been of assistance as I said before when I'm going to return to the question of ghost writing because it seems to be thorny and I love a thorny issue you haven't subscribed yet please do the comments down below if you're new to this vlog where it's really a this is me just like kicking off conversation so I would love to hear your comments below about your experiences as a composer's assistant and how it helps you kind of achieve that maid status that I talked about in my previous video if you haven't hit the bell yet that will notify you next time I put up a video and if you like what I do I'd really appreciate a thumbs up see you next time

44 Replies to “How To Be A COMPOSER'S ASSISTANT”

  1. Daniel Nielsen says:

    This video resonates with my experiences. I reached out to a local AAA video game composer who I admire greatly. I simply wrote to him on Facebook and asked if I could be his assistant. He responded that he unfortunately didn’t have any need or time for an assistant in the moment. A couple of months later he wrote me back “Hey, now I actually need an assistant. Are you up for it?”

    The skill set I have learned has , as you state in video Christian, very little to do with composing music. They include creating kontakt libraries with round robin, sampling, batch processing, audio processing, clear noise cancelling, sound design and correct file naming when handling hundreds of files.
    All skills that I’m really glad that I now know, but would not have considered to be in the job description before hand. I am also very very careful not to step on anyone’s toes and do help in with some of the composing unless I’m specifically asked to.

  2. Dan Baczkowski says:

    Would you say that much of this advice applies to becoming an orchestrator specifically? I'm coming from more of a classical composition background and I think I'd be able to carve out a niche in that specific area, so any insights into that part of the world specifically would be amazing.
    Thanks for taking the time to make such brilliant content Christian

  3. Jake Dickson says:

    13:40 Such an important point, becoming detached from WORK and ditching that 30 seconds which just isn't working, and being comfortable with the process, separates the amateurs from the professionals. A good professional knows he can create something better and has no qualms with setting aside a failing piece and working towards something better.

  4. AudioZooEnt says:

    Hi Christian… cant express how much I appreciate these insights as a composer who has just finished their degree and embarking on their first commissioned works… the advice is spot on. Many thanks!

  5. Sam Griffiths says:

    Very insightful! Thank you @christian

  6. Angelo Boltini says:

    Hi Christian! Totally different question, but didn't know where else to put it. What does your session look like when scoring, say, a complete half hour or so episode of something? I recently had so little time to score a short documentary that I put the whole film in one logic project and just used the same sounds throughout… And it worked surprisingly well!

  7. Alex Evans says:

    I find this interesting, being a composers assistant seems really interesting to me. My problem being that where I am there is literally no composers around, I've made a great effort to try and find some. The very few that I have made contact with never get any work themselves or they do many other jobs to support themselves and don't get time to mentor anybody or have them as an assistant. Something I have been trying to do is actually get in contact with Olafur Arnalds. I really would been interested in having him as a teacher and being an assistant for him if I were able to go to europe in the near future. 
    (Hey Christian if you read this is there a way you could put me in contact with him?)

  8. Charles Gaskell says:

    At 3:21 and following, who is moving your camera backwards? Have you got Oscar well trained?  (love the headless shot immediately before it as well…)

  9. Jonathan Brooker says:

    Well done Christian. Always good to see you struggling with the hills and the words. Reminds me there are others out there that are also human and meek and struggling with the day to day.
    Fab insights. Loving these vlogs 🎶👍🎄

  10. Kirke Godfrey says:

    Be really interested in your thoughts on WorkLoads… with regard to both expectations of assistants, and also Re HOD's

  11. Miguel Johnson says:

    Thanks for this video Christian! I find your blogs very informative and helpful for insight into the industry. I'm not sure if I want to be a film composer, but currently I've been releasing my own albums and have just started to get some recognition for my work and I'm starting to get work for video game music composing. Do you have any advice on approaching AAA video game makers?

  12. Lee Blaske says:

    It's interesting how things function differently in different places. I can totally imagine and understand situations where the amount of work and scheduling is so demanding that you'd want to have a person or persons right there in the room, or the next room, within shouting distance. But it really does seem to me the a huge amount of assistance being done out there now is via remote connections. Composers have lists of people they turn to for specific tasks (arranging, copying, laying down instrumental tracks, vocals, horn sections, string sections, etc., etc., etc.). You summon assistance similarly to the way you'd call an Uber or Lyft car. And, rather than have one assistant there who has a mixture of skills of varying degrees (and some holes where the skills don't exist at all), you can connect online with the exact person who can do a killer job at a specific task (booking an hour or two of their time, or perhaps days of their time). For instance, there are fantastic drummers out there with kits already set-up, mic'ed and dialed in. Send them your files with a temp drum track, and they'll cut the real thing for you. This exists for practically any instrument and specialty.

    So, as an alternative to trying to find a composer who needs an assistant, another career option is to set up and market that remote service that's your specialty. (And, it's something you can do anywhere in the world.)

  13. my vids says:

    Great stuff, Christian. i don't know if you realise but this kind of life experience applies across so many disciplines and could easily stand as a lesson in general attitude and approach to getting going.

  14. Brian Christopherson says:

    Great video! This should be required viewing by ALL composer's assistants on their first day on the job. They don't step in to the studio until they've watched this and have taken notes.

  15. Marc-André Boucher says:

    Thank you very much. Soon I'll be out of school and this would help greatly indeed.

  16. Scott Glasgow Music says:

    My 5yrs as assistant never lead to personal work but it was extremely educational

  17. Mayur Hegde says:

    Thank You

  18. Paddy Fletcher says:

    It was a Spitfire event (that I almost didn't go to!) that was the catalyst to me being introduced to the composers I work for now. Have learnt buckets in a relatively short time already. Moral of the story…go to everything!

  19. simon whiteside says:

    These last 2 Vlogs have been very good and you have mentioned many things i have encountered as an assistant/Ghost and using assistants. You are getting to some really central issues.

  20. Yuri Gore says:

    How do you find ways to ask them. I'm from. Australia and composers never tour here for any reason.

  21. Fernando Cabrera Music Composer says:

    I guess the only question I have after this video is… Christian, do you need an assistant?

  22. Alchemetica says:

    Is the nomenclature appropriate – I wonder? Given Christian's definition of a composer's assistant, it seems it is part personal assistant and part technician. Even when called to place some dots they are to be "in the style of" the composer – I would contend that is technical not creative. Perhaps something along the lines of "composition technician" or variants would be a more appropriate job position title and the employee's expectations.

  23. Aaron Mix says:

    Loved this video, I would love even more if you could do some follow up videos about some skills we could develop to boost that percentage up a little

  24. Madison Denbrock says:

    Love this conversation!

  25. Anteus V. says:

    As a composers assistant, should one expect to earn livable wages? I was hired as an assistant after university by a previous professor who is a successful orchestrator/moderately successful indie film composer. I feel that I’ve met and exceeded the assistant duties which you’ve outlined in this and previous vlogs, but work has been quite inconsistent and sporadic for the past 1.5 years of doing this. For instance, I would assist with an indie film and see it through to completion, and then not have any work for the next ~2 months before being asked to assist with another project. I am happy to climb the ladder slowly but surely whilst struggling financially, for many years if necessary, if it means accumulating the experience and qualifications necessary to one day reach my goal of being a head of department. I’m wondering if other assistants to composers are having similar experiences though, or if maybe it’s time to seek out a different/more successful composer to assist.

  26. Ricky Corona says:

    Christian, ever think of doing an ultimate documentary for future media composers? SCORE: A Film Music Documentary already covered the history of film scores and the greatest composers around. But what about a documentary for the little people? Perhaps it could be similar to your vlogs as far as the tips, while also making it a collaborative/community effort?

    Food for thought?

  27. Jean Chile says:

    Christian’s advice has only been wrong once. When he said “…and don’t listen to film music”.

    Honestly Christian, I don’t think I want to live in a world where I can’t listen to Ramin Djawadi’s work on Westworld at least three times a week. Go listen to Dr. Ford from season one and then I DARE you never to listen to it again!😁

  28. Elliot Joseph says:

    I must've found myself in a very rare situation where I was OFFERED the job as a composer's assistant. This wasn't because I was brilliant in any way, It was because I made a genuine effort to become friends and really share an interest in what the composer and I liked, which in this case was Max Richter. At the start of next year, I'll be flying out to live in another country to learn from this composer. Even if he isn't very big. Hell, I doubt anyone here would know his name but to me, he got me to where I am today, quite literally. Getting experience with another composer is truly an experience I can't miss out on, hence why I'm taking a leap to move thousands of miles away to work with one. Christian put it best when he said "Just ask", and I keep telling my friends to just make chit-chat with composers they like, when they can. Mainly the smaller ones as I've found they're more accessible.

  29. Musical Wizardry - Marco Iannello says:

    This film was absolutely fantastic, Christian, cheers for putting it up! I have been trying to get a position as a composer's assistant for a while, now, and I have fond out that most composers will stick with people they know, and that makes absolute sense, for the very reasons you list in the film. I can understand that getting a new, unknown person in is terrifying, because, at the end of the day, they do not know who I am.
    The last composer whom I asked to be an assistant actually thinks I do not need to be an assistant at all, which certainly is flattering, but I have this enormous will to learn about how to become a great Head of Department, first, and, of course, how to improve my tech skills, as well.
    Another thing that makes it a bit more difficult to land a composer's assistant job, here in the UK, is that the majority of British composers utilise Logic, whereas I am a Cubase on Windows user (I shall be getting ProTools, as soon as the new version will be certified for the latest Windows update). A Mac is out of the question for me as I cannot afford one, at the moment, I am afraid.
    Right now, I just keep going being a "bedroom recording artist", churning out tune after tune and the occasional album, and being very rubbish at marketing myself.

  30. Ben Ash says:

    You could take Christian's words on people like Olafur, have a closeup on Oscar's heroic pose at 2:29, add music from any "inspiring speech" video here on YouTube and I'd be motivated to do anything.
    But this is fantastic. I am currently enrolled in a program where they are including classes in synthesis and sampling, and where one instructor's advice towards getting work was to get out there and network like crazy but not to "just hand out business cards left and right. Make friends, keep showing up to events, and wait." Delayed gratification. So good to hear that advice echoed on this channel, Christian.
    Now hopefully I can just get the balls up to ask to be an assistant.

  31. tabletop581 says:

    Would you rather work for a Delia Smith or a Gordon Ramsey ?

  32. Samuel Alcock says:

    do you need an assistant?

  33. Simon Poole says:

    I think one caveat to add to this, is which of the two options is more viable from where you are geographically. The option of composers assistant just doesn't exist outside a select few cities where the industry flourishes. My experience as a composers assistant from my time in LA has left me with a handful of skills for which there are almost no outlets for in Toronto. On top of that i've noticed that local recording artists with no film credits and a passing interest in film scoring seem to be getting picked over seasoned, or at the very least, amateur composers time and again.
    From whereI stand the "rockstar" path seems far more likely to allow you to fall into film scoring.

  34. Bosco Flux says:

    Awesome been waiting for this. Even tho I don't have the skills yet coming from a hip hop background I started sampling from vinyl will help me some how in the future. You have inspired me with sampling and sound design. This video was grade A. I needed this.

  35. Airwave Music says:

    Been doing both… touring and ghosting. Most people don’t know what it takes to get somewhere in the industry. I can consider myself lucky at present time with gigs all around the world and doing some tracks in the background that end up being used by my favorite gaming blogs. But yes, it’s hard, whatever you choose.

  36. Marcus Bagala says:

    I think in both this case and the ghost writing case the thing that I’ve learned in my journey, that I think is missing in your analysis Christian, is that the personality and goals of the composer you’re working for really needs to line up with yours and if it doesn’t then you’re just going to end up languishing in a gig you don’t like or fired.

    I think it’s really important, if your goal is for assistant to be just a stop on the journey, that the composer you’re working for knows that goal, is cool with and supports your ultimate trajectory. I’ve watched many friends get stuck in a position with a composer who’s, for better or for worse, looking for support that’s gonna stick around for the long hall get really stymied because there wasn’t transparency there when they started.

    And that’s not even mentioning just curmudgeonly folks who just wouldn’t push a gig down the line because they’re not generous like that.

    On the flip, you work for someone who’s goals match up with yours, you jive with and then your bust your ass to be the best fucking assistant you can and good things can happen for everyone. Transparency, respect and agreement on goals is key to any good business relationships.

    Or, you can have my case, where the assistantship was great, I learned an amazing amount of useful, life affirming shit but ultimately our goals were different, so ways were parted after around two years.

    I never got anything directly from that work, but having those credits on my IMDb page helped me land some career defining (at the stage that I’m at) gigs and life is good. Lots of different paths I suppose.

  37. Jeremy Torres says:

    This is the route I’m pursuing. Your advice is very helpful. Thank you Christian.

  38. Murray Turner says:

    Thanks for this Christian. Very informative.
    Coming from a hobbyist background with nothing to offer but enthusiasm and a drive to learn, is it possible to get in with someone locally like yourself as that step into the industry? Sometimes I feel like it's really just up to me to crack on and pray one day that I'll be lucky enough to catch a break. However, I worry that when that time comes I'll be bloody clueless as I've never had first had experience of how it all works, just like you mention in the video.
    Basically, does anyone really have the time to take someone under their wing and show them the ropes or am I being a bit unrealistic?

  39. Bad News Chris says:

    2:30 Oscar is admiring the horizon hehe remains me to Simba on the lion king

  40. Matthew Jones says:

    Well said. I mentioned Olafur briefly in my comment from your last VLOG, meaning that these are the people I look up to and admire. Would you say that a good assistant would be one that is happy in the shadows? One that feels more comfortable aiding others reach their goals? I agree with what you said about assistants only knowing 2-4% of what is required, now I want to know what the other 96-98% would be!

  41. Liam MacLean Composition says:

    So I understand the importance of knowing your DAW of choice really well, understanding Kontakt, sampling, mics, playing an instrument well, etc. But I was wondering how important it is to have a good portfolio? Would yourself (or indeed any other composers here) actually pay attention to that or does studio knowledge/ability completely overshadow any talent you may have as a composer? Basically what I’m saying is, am I wasting my time creating a good portfolio when I should really be focusing on other things? Forgetting of course that in the process of creating a portfolio I’ve actually learnt a lot about logic, kontakt, exs24, midi, and a bunch of others things.

  42. dwightddddd says:

    Well said, Christian.
    Great video.

  43. Alan Butterworth says:

    Bloody hell Christian….'getting back at our parents…..blah…blah….blah……'You've not done bad mate. At the end of the day I'm not sure how good any of this advice is. I think most people working in the industry would agree that the modicum of luck features hugely in the success stakes. I certainly wouldn't advocate anybody working with someone who's a dickhead…'s not worth it. I don't think any of us know what the implication of technology is these days and how it's going to impact on opportunity going forward ten years. I'm also unsure of 'what we should be learning' these days…..and that goes across the board, not just music. Should we be learning 'stuff' or should we be developing our 'problem solving' skills. If the rate of change of society that we've seen in the last twenty years is anything to go by, by the time we're on our death-beds the world may be almost unrecognisable to the one we grew up in.

    I personally think we should set ourselves goals, realistic ones and I agree with your idea that we should strive to be the best that we can be given our talents and opportunities. I've always wanted to be a better sight-reader on the piano, so that's what I'm going to focus on for the next year( early New Year's resolution). That is within my power of association to be able to achieve (from novice to intermediate).  

    There are of course practical restraints in all of this. Putting food on the table, having a table in the first place, all require money. I can see though, within the next ten to fifteen years, the introduction of a living wage which will usurp all the benefits scheme as fiat currency is totally replaced by electronic currency. This shift from 'forced labour' (working a job because you have to) to ''equitable labour' (working a job because you want to better your opportunities and overall lifestyle), will possibly give more people to do what they really want in life…….a trade-off between giving up the most valuable resource anyone of us has to offer (time) in return for material things you may want. The choice between having time to work on your symphony or painting…..or working a job to enable credits to buy a better car.

    That to me would be a logical extension of where we have come from as a country and a society right from the Middle Ages to where we are presently.

    In writing this response to the thoughts you've set out in your film, I think on reflection your thoughts are based too much on what has gone before. I think we need to try and look ahead to what 'entertainment, education, edutainment' are going to look like in five years time. As terrestrial TV declines and with it the 'schedule' surely niche markets will open up and if we as composers /musicians are directly involved in that market (rather than as a side-kick providing just the music) our opportunities may increase. This is the dilemma I think between what we should be 'teaching and learning' and the 'problem solving' I outlined above.

    Interesting times…..

  44. definty says:

    Anyone want an assistant? Who's professionally a software engineer and a passionate mixing engineer? I found out long ago my calling wasn't my hobby, music production/mixing. Still, my calling is programming and I'm slowly teaching myself to code VSTs and I'm halfway into developing my first commercial plugin 🙂 Just because hat I was studying and doing didn't straight relate to music I found a way to adapt it so it was related. I'm sure you can do this for a lot of jobs it jsut takes a bit of imagination.

Leave a Comment
