Berklee Grad. Cert. Completion

This week I submitted the final assessment for the last unit of my Grad. Certificate! 

Titled Stylistic Approaches to Film Scoring, it focused on how composers can respectfully and authentically approach composing music that represents or insinuates cultures or locations. As Hollywood has a chequered past (to say the least) of representing ‘other’ cultures, this can be a thorny issue, often with no clear answers. 

The first weeks were devoted to unpacking ideas of cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation by focusing on how certain cultures have been represented in film and TV in the past. In the latter half of the semester, we were focusing on researching a culture of our choosing, and composing a short cue that evoked that culture, in an authentic and respectful manner. 

It was an engaging and interesting unit, and certainly not what I imagined when enrolling in the course last year. While my experience was  unfortunately diminished by the lecturer of this unit, overall the materials were thought provoking and well laid out, and the assessments challenging. 

Now that this part of my studies is over, I will be focusing on networking and continuing to build my portfolio. At some point I do intend to complete the Master in Film Scoring, but for now I want to get stuck in, and start creating.