There is a reason the trumpet sits at the center of so many unforgettable film moments. When you hear the opening fanfare of Star Wars, or the heroic calls in Indiana Jones, you are not just hearing a melody. You are hearing impact shaped by performance. This is where many composers misunderstand the role of the trumpet. They try to write lines . John Williams writes moments . Trumpets Are Not Only About Long Melodies If you isolate how trumpet is used in many of John William

The trumpet has long held a distinctive role in cinematic music. It is not just another orchestral color. It is often the voice that defines intention, clarity, and direction in a cue. Whether leading a heroic theme or cutting through dense textures with sharp accents, the trumpet carries a kind of authority that few instruments can match. In action and adventure scoring, this becomes even more apparent. The trumpet is frequently used to signal momentum. Not just loudness, bu

If your strings sound “MIDI”… it’s usually not your harmony. It’s not even your library. It’s how the music is written and programmed. You can have great ideas — and still end up with something that feels flat, mechanical, or fake. The good news? Realistic strings don’t come from one trick. They come from a few very specific decisions. Let’s break them down. 1. Write Idiomatically for Strings (This Changes Everything) One of the biggest mistakes in MIDI writing: stacking chor

One of the most powerful tools in film scoring is also one of the simplest: the ostinato . If you’ve ever felt your pulse quicken during...

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of my students. Their dedication, creativity, and talent...

On October 15, 2024, four of my talented VCU's composition students —Jason Leung, Aniyah Ricks, Austin Sellick, and Myles Black—took a...