(Today, I consider myself an intermediate songwriter. However, I was recently praised by a friend of mine: 11 years my senior and the best songwriter I’ve ever met- he told me I was one of the most creative people and best songwriters he knows. “It blows me away,” he said. I can’t tell you how completely out of nowhere and insane this seemed to me, coming from him- it blew me away! It also presented a change in me- I need to start having more confidence in myself. Maybe I am better at this than I give myself credit for, as hard as it is for me to imagine that being true.) As time went on, I became more and more excited about applying what I was learning in theory to both my playing of the bass and piano, and to writing of my own material. I got involved in two bands, one in which I played keys and sang back-up vocals, and the other of which was my own- I wrote the songs and fronted the band from behind the piano.
I enjoy being in the spotlight, but I also enjoy playing supporting roles, so I got to gain experience doing a little of both this way, and it was a significantly enjoyable way to spend my non-academic hours. (My husband was even in one of the bands with me for a while! I got to spend time with him and play music at the same time, that is like killing two birds with one stone.)
Gwen's bio - continued
The last two years at my university, I got involved in the Chapel worship program. This meant one night of practice and one performance each week. I played the bass and sang for that group for one year, and then the next year, in addition to singing and playing, I got hired on as the Composer-in-Residence. This [very-low-paying] job meant that I would write original songs and compositions for use during the service, as well as re-harmonize old hymns for a fresh feel (leaving the melody the same but changing the supporting chords and occasionally the meter). The best part of the job was getting to work with string players on a regular basis.
For that full school-year, once a week I was arranging pop-style songs, lead by a rhythm section and voices, to be accompanied by a small string section (usually two to three violins and a cello). The process of working with these string players of varying skill-, interest-, and commitment-levels, as well as stylistic comfort-zones, was a learning experience in-and-of itself, but thanks to the role I got to play that year I also got to develop skills as a music director, arranger (specifically, working within the boundaries of certain skill-levels, etc), and conductor.
The same year, I had the opportunity to write 45 minutes worth of score to go underneath a dialogue, all of which was listened to by the “audience” (i.e., participants) through headphones as they made their way through an experiential art exhibit. The recording process for this project allowed me to incorporate all the skills I’d been receiving in my education thus far:
- Composing - Arranging - Mastering the use of Finale software to do both of the above - Conducting - Basic recording techniques - Music direction for a project I hate to break the flow of things here, but I feel it would be wise to inform you at this point (since I cannot find a better place to include this information) that, although I put an extreme amount of forethought into what classes I would need to take every quarter of my college career in order to check requirements off my degree-checklist, and despite the fact that I walked at graduation and was lead to believe by twodifferent advisors that I was in fact graduating at the end of spring, 2004, I later discovered I had five [measly] unfulfilled credits of a general education requirement remaining (a sociology class which I had thought I’d filled through a higher-level sociology class- apparently the one I took was too high a level, and “not general enough”) and, therefore, had not completed my degree. As you can imagine, I was furious that I had been mislead by advisors, that I had apparently taken a difficult, high-level sociology class for no reason, and that no one brought this to my attention sooner. In fact, the way I found out at all was that after a year I still hadn’t received my diploma in the mail. In addition to being angry, I was also extremely embarrassed- for over a year I had been presenting myself to the world as a “College Graduate” with a degree in music composition. I was suddenly a fraud.
This whole escapade lead me to reconsider just what good a “degree” is anyway- the piece of paper that announces to the world what I studied- what good is that? I know with every ounce of me that I did graduate in 2004, and that I do have a BA degree in music composition. Five credits of sociology won’t make that any more true. However, since I strive to always finish what I start, I will go back and officially finish within the next year, hopefully this summer if they are offering the class I need. The ordeal also instigated a new line of thought in me about how education works, and what it would mean for me to continue my education at this point. Do I really want to spend more time in a school? Or do I want to learn and gain real-world experience at the same time? It’s no diploma, but it’s probably worth just as much (if not more?) in reality, isn’t it? But I digress-
Gwen's bio continued...
- and now, back to my story :]
As I studied music theory and composition, I also had the chance to study music technology. The time I spent in the recording studio enabled me to begin recording on my own, in my home studio. In 2005, my husband (a once professional recording and live audio engineer, as well as fellow musician/ now VP of a software company) and I recorded a five-song EP on our own. I did the songwriting, lead vocals, and some synth programming, and he did the backing vocals, the rest of the synth programming, electronic beat production, and manned most the recording equipment during the process. We had the CD mixed and mastered professionally, and I loved every step of the process.
This coming Friday, March 2nd, marks the release of my debut album under a new, semi-solo project name, “The Luckless Pedestrian.” This time, I am responsible for everything. I wrote the six songs, played piano, bass, cello, flute, glockenspiel, and sang on them as well as arranged them for other instrumentation (played by some of my friends), and was responsible for recording everything. I also had this one professionally mixed and mastered, and this time had more say in the process because it was solely “my baby.”
Thanks to having exposure to recording projects, I have become really excited about music production, although I must admit for the past three years I have been clueless about the fact that my interests actually fall into that category at all. I have known I have a passion for beautifully placed and wisely used orchestrations on recordings of music of all varieties. (Some of my favourite arrangements are found on recordings by the following artists: Steely Dan, King Radio, The High Llamas, Paul McCartney and Wings, Frank Sinatra, Jamiroquai, Rachel’s, The Electric Light Orchestra- Jeff Lynne, Sufjan Stevens, and David Byrne.)
I have known that I feel truly fulfilled when I am working on the few-and-far-between projects for which I get to arrange. I have known the excitement and joy that comes from spending time getting just the right mic placement for just the right instrumentation to add just the right element(s) to a recording. But I have also known that I am highly under-educated, under-experienced, know far too little about how to make the most of certain instruments, what kinds of frequencies sound right/wrong on a recording, how to interlay orchestral and/or choral parts with the core rhythm section of a band without it getting overbearing or muddy, and I know that I am plagued by a lack of confidence in my own ability.
It’s time to get over that. All of it. It’s time to further my abilities and have a legitimate reason to be confident. Because of what I’d learn from a one-on-one mentorship, I believe I will one day feel truly, rightfully confident in my own abilities as an arranger, and perhaps one day move on to other aspects of music production. The idea to begin a hunt for a mentor began after some serious soul-searching. As I was spending some time being very confused about how I fit into the “big-picture” of the music world, a good friend of mine drilled this mantra into my head: “Ask yourself, ‘What do I really want?’” And I followed the question up with one of my own, “What’s stopping you?” As I spent some time (over a year, really) meditating on this, I realized that what I really, truly want more than anything (don’t laugh-) is to be taken under the wing of a producer, arranger, and expert songwriter. Unfortunately, I began to see a pattern in my life where the answer to the “What’s stopping you?” question was that it often required something from someone else - usually someone to whom I couldn’t even obtain access to try and persuade them to help me reach my goal.
I found it strikingly coincidental (read: a sign from god) to read the nephew or niece/uncle or aunt relationship as the idea behind the mentor/apprentice relationship, because when I had originally written out my dream about mentor, I had specifically used the words “long-lost niece” to describe how I wish I could relate, know, and learn from a mentor. Although I might not be able to just yet get connected to what would be an (my) extraordinary hero, thanks to your program I finally feel like it’s okay for me to have hope to find this kind of connection with someone who is eager to take me under her or his wing. I feel like it is possible to make little steps, one connection at a time, and that one day I will get to play the part in carrying on the legacy of a music legend that I feel destined to play. (Hey- I said no laughing!) I don’t have a clue what part that is! I just know it’s a part of my future, and I’ve felt so desperately, foolishly hopeful that someday I’ll have gotten there from where I am now.
Your program has made me feel like I’m allowed to dream big. I specifically spent time praying that there would be an advocate, somebody out there who would be sincerely excited by my dreams and goals to get involved in arranging for recordings- it felt like a crazy prayer because I am surrounded by people who seem to insist on struggling to do everything by themselves. (I am very tied in and connected to the indie-music scene in Seattle.) It can feel so intensely foolish to expect anyone to want to invest in my project when they could very well be investing in their own.
But GetAMentor has made it clear that their own interest and project IS my goal. This is such a godsend, at least in concept. I hope it works out because as of now it has restored my hope that there is an advocate out there for the little guy (us would-be-apprentices), after all. I feel like this autobiography wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t tell you my current long-term hope for what will come of all this:
I hope to be able to one day bring my skills back to the many independent recording and/or performing artists in my life who are longing for this kind of magical touch on their album or for their live show but who can't find anyone within reach to originate and prepare the parts for them. I want to be able to bring this sound I love to the music I love. I am in an amazing position right now in life that I can’t take for granted- my husband has a great job and I get to sit around and make music all day. I need to make the most of this time of my life.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to both contribute to our household in some way by doing what I love, as well as be able to give back to the community of struggling artists from which I come and which surrounds and embraces me by providing affordable services in production and arrangement that could help make their music go through the roof with excellence (and hopefully success)?? I may never make it to this goal, but I at least want to have the skills to be able to give it my best. And that brings us to where I am today: Writing my musical autobiography in hopes to step up to the next skill-level by way of some good, old-fashioned apprenticing.
Fill out an online application at: http://getamentor.com/apply.html Phone: (323) 512-2321 Email: contactus@getamentor.com Mailing address: 7095 Hollywood Blvd. #325 Hollywood, CA 90028-8903 GetAMentorJournals.com copyright January 2008 A division of GetAMentor.org and The Apprentice-Mentor Association
