Composer Quest: A Songwriting and Music Composition Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Indie Film Composing with Brooke deRosa Nov 06, 2013

Show notes

DJ, opera singer, and film composer Brooke deRosa is making a name for herself around LA. She recently sang operatic vocals on Ghostface Killah’s new album 12 Reasons to Die and performed on Jimmy Fallon with the group. In this episode of Composer Quest, Brooke gives us some practical advice she’s learned from scoring over 15 films and TV shows in the past five years. She also shares tips on composing for vocalists.

Quest 6: Fortune Cookie Songwriting Nov 06, 2013

Show notes

Have you ever drawn a fortune from a fortune cookie and thought, this would make an awesome song? No? Well neither had I, until just recently. So I decided to make that our challenge for the sixth Composer Quest quest. I’m hoping this one will inspire you to meet up with other songwriters and composers to get your creative gears really turning.

Halloween Composing with Sideshow Sound Theatre Oct 30, 2013

Show notes

Your regular Composer Quest host has been replaced by a Demonic Overlord. Enjoy this talk with William Dodson and Wendell Jones, who compose Halloween music as the duo Sideshow Sound Theatre. Stay until the end to hear a brand new song by the Demonic Overlord himself, about one of his favorite pastimes.

Writing Lyrics Like a Criminal with Brian Laidlaw Oct 23, 2013

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Poet Brian Laidlaw has been teaching songwriting at McNally Smith College of Music, in which he challenges students with assignments like writing from the perspective of a murderer. In this episode of Composer Quest, Brian shares some of the best lyric-writing tips you’ll ever hear on the podcast. We also talk about his Internet Cat Video Festival performance, which aired on Animal Planet. As a special treat, Brian premieres a powerful new song called “One Tree Falling.”

Dutch Dance Music with Ducked Ape Oct 16, 2013

Show notes

DJ/producer duo Sjoerd Huissoon and Tim van Doorne are on a quest to get one huge dance hit with their project Ducked Ape. In this episode of Composer Quest, I interview Sjoerd and his manager Budi Voogt about what it takes to break into the dance scene in the Netherlands. We also talk about what Budi looks for in new artists to sign on his label, Heroic Recordings.

The Psychology of Creativity with Wilma Koutstaal Oct 09, 2013

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Cognitive neuroscientist Wilma Koutstaal studies and teaches about creativity at the University of Minnesota. In this episode of Composer Quest, she shares words of wisdom with all of us who want to be more creative. We talk about how to to get unstuck from writer’s block, how to move between abstract and detailed thinking, and how to avoid procrastination.

Social Sound Experiments with Marc Weidenbaum Oct 02, 2013

Show notes

Every week, disquiet.com music journalist Marc Weidenbaum feeds his community of hungry sound artists a creative new challenge. In this project, called Disquiet Junto, Marc challenges composers to produce tracks based on an ice cube, or an Instagram photo, or the sound of space plasma hitting the Voyager I. Marc joins me for this episode of Composer Quest to share some of the coolest and most influential sound art pieces. Marc also explains why he believes music as we know it will be totally absent from films in a matter of decades.

Quest 5: Arrange a Carol for the Amadeus Chamber Symphony Sep 30, 2013

Show notes

I’m excited to announce a brand new Composer Quest competition! The Amadeus Chamber Symphony is in need of Christmas carol arrangements for their holiday performances with the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University choirs. The performances are attended by over 1,500 people, so it will be great exposure for the chosen composers. Eight arrangements will be performed, recorded, and featured on my podcast.

Composing for Youth Jazz Ensembles with Dean Sorenson Sep 25, 2013

Show notes

Student jazz players have likely come across the name Dean Sorenson – his jazz curriculum books have been published by Kjos music and played in schools across the globe. In my Composer Quest interview with Dean, I ask him about how he makes music fun and playable for younger jazz players. We also talk about the differences between improvising and composing.

“I’ve Written a Song. Now What Do I Do?” Sep 23, 2013

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In this special episode of Composer Quest, multi-platinum songwriter Kevin Bowe tells us everything he’s learned about getting your music published and placed on TV. He also explains how to get the biggest piece of the music royalty pie you can. He’s a really entertaining and knowledgeable guy, so I’m happy to bring you this hour+ of great music business advice.