What is a “Happiness Report“, you ask? Well, I had a particularly happy day today, and I also decided that I wanted to have the latest article on my website for now be a happy one. I do have a few articles coming up which I will be posting in the next couple days, but I felt like doing this now, so here we go! Here are some trivial but nonetheless very happy things that have happened in my life over the past couple weeks.
Why am I mad at Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius?
This article is admittedly a little late. I should have written it when the collaboration first came out earlier this month. Today I’m going to talk about FFBE’s event with the one and only Ariana Grande.
Interview with Emmanuel Lagumbay
Impressed by the grandiose, and gloriously epic orchestrations and compositions of Emmanuel Lagumbay, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak with the talented, ambitious composer. He shared his thoughts about the comical story behind his very first composition, drawing inspiration from MMOs, and working with The Summoner’s Orchestra.
Pokémon Black – Sound Design & Music: An In-Depth Analysis
Out of all of the Pokémon games, Gen V (specifically Black version) was and is my favorite. Although Gen II (specifically Gold version) has a very special place in my heart, being the first Pokémon game I ever played back in 2nd grade, Gen V’s storyline and substantial involvement of gym leaders and rivals as actual, dimensional characters blew me away. If that wasn’t enough to make the game so memorable, it also featured the most adorable and incredibly clever choices in sound design, and also the best music (not by much though) (lookin’ at you, Gen II).
Authority & Approachability
Fall semester is coming to an end, and for the most part I’m excited. I have taught a lot of concepts to all of my music theory students, and I’d say that a good 90% of them are going to pass to the next class. For the ones who aren’t going to pass, it’s mostly because they haven’t been coming to class, or were a little too young for that class’s subject material to begin with.
Interview with Wesley Gillebaard
With a splendid collection of wonderfully titled and beautifully arranged pieces, Wesley Gillebaard‘s portfolio on soundcloud is indeed some delicious ear candy! I had an incredibly thought-provoking conversation with the composer/developer, where he shared his ideas about many fascinating topics, including hearing a melody in his dreams, excessively repetitive music, fashion subcultures and their corresponding soundtracks, and using art as a means to give back to the world.
Interview with Billye Sands
Billye Sands‘s exquisite ear for music and exceptional eye for photography completely drew me in, with her delectable assortment of VGM tracks, and a pleasantly peculiar playlist of original songs. The kind-hearted composer and I had a great discussion, from Georgia to California, where she shared her thoughts about cartoons as inspiration, spontaneous and free-spirited composition, vertical orchestration, and the importance of taking your time for the little things.
Interview with Julie Buchanan
Fascinated by a captivating array of electronic and acoustic tracks, I immediately fell in love with Julie Buchanan‘s music. The innovative, friendly, and eloquent composer took some time to have a conversation with me, where she shared her thoughts about last-minute audition music, inspiration from stories and narrative, the importance of implementation, and creating her own instruments.
Interview with Marschawn Howard
First compelled by the name “Super Hero Composer”, then listening to music that lived up to the title, I had to ask Marschawn Howard for an interview. He graciously accepted, and we ended up having a great conversation, from North Carolina to California, including topics like writing catchy, memorable music, second-guessing yourself, and the story behind his bold title.
“How do you know so many things!?”
One of the very best parts about teaching young children is their youthful curiosity and wonder, with concepts and topics that are all but innate to me at this point.
With my Music Theory Level 1 class this weekend, I was reviewing whole tones, semitones, flats, sharps, naturals, and going around the room asking students to give us the answers for the workbook problems.
When it comes to flats and sharps, one of the most challenging things to remember is that B# is NOT the same as Cb, just as E# is NOT the same as Fb. Since E & F, and B & C are the only pairs of white keys without a black key between them, E# = F, Fb = E, B# = C, and Cb = B. I went over this concept again with my students, and we continued with our workbook pages.
Whimsically Theoretical 