RECORDING MENTOR

 





































































COMPLETE APPRENTICE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES & PROGRESS

JOE T.

Dear Mr. Trout,

Having received notice a few weeks back that my job position and the department I work in was going to be "phased out" I find myself taking stock of myself. I was offered another position in the company along with a raise in my salary, but is this what I set out to be or envisioned myself becoming 10 years ago? No. So what were my goals and what can I do now in order to attain them?

Both of my parents are musically inclined, especially my mother who decided to have a family of 10 rather than be a concert pianist; 'decided' is probably the wrong word. My fondest memories are of playing with the pedals or watching the hammers and dampers fly through Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 while Mom vigorously massaged the keys, reliving her college days. Though I played saxophone from 4th grade until 9th grade, I really was more interested in baseball, karate, soccer, and basically having a good time. It wasn't until my 10th grade year that my interest in music began to grow exponentially.

It started with my coming home from school and rifling through my parent's record collection and more specifically with a recording of Beethoven's Symphony #6. This music spoke volumes and painted vivid images in my adolescent mind. I had to learn how this musical magician performed his tricks. Around the same time I began a job at the local library as a Page. My work involved shelving books and keeping the shelves in order. I quickly gravitated to the 780's in Dewey's system and found plenty of kindling for my fledgling fire.

As luck would have it, my High School's music department was given some extra money in its budget and they decided to invest it in equipment to begin an electronic music elective. The combination of this new class and the music theory and aural skills I was already developing created a chain reaction where I could rapidly apply in the studio what I learned in class. Soon I found myself

begging the head of the department to let me stay late in the studio and we very quickly came to an agreement. He couldn't leave me a key, but would lock me in so that I could leave and the door would remain locked behind me.

Graduation neared and I was looking into music schools for composition. My parents persuaded me to be more practical and pursue music education. Having switched to bassoon in my junior year, I was now proficient enough to play a successful audition for the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY. The theory courses and instrument courses were absorbing, but I wasn't particularly drawn to teaching as a profession. Besides this, the weather, long distance trips home, and my general homesickness limited my enrollment to two semesters.

I waffled for a year and a half doing sandblasting and painting with a friend, managing a mini-mart at night and taking classes at a local college towards a B.A. Finally, I decided I needed to return to music. I practiced and decided to audition at the State University of New York at Stony Brook's music program on classical guitar and did so successfully. I loved orchestral music though and new that the only way to be involved with the University's orchestra was to play my bassoon. So after 4 years at Stony Brook I ended up with a B.A. in music with a concentration in bassoon.

While finishing up my degree I found a job as a music copyist for Music Theatre International and jumped on the opportunity to do work in my field. I needed the benefits, which is another long story, and I would be dealing with software similar to the programs I learned in High School. I ended up learning a lot about music typesetting, engraving, lay-out, transpositions and ranges of instruments. I wouldn't trade this exposure for anything. I was lucky enough to work under a real professional who had the patience to pass on his hard earned knowledge and constructive opinions. But now our department is being dissolved and I ask

myself, "What now?" I already knew the answer. I enjoy composing, recording, and the musical creations behind shows like the Simpsons and feature length films alike.

I decided to gain some experience on my own in this area and so a couple of weeks back I bought a used VTR and upgraded my MIDI interface so that it supported SMPTE. While surfing the web for more information and tutorials I happened upon the Apprentice-Mentor Association web site. I read through the pages and immediately filled out the on-line application form and said a few prayers. O.K. so it was more than a few. This was exactly what I was looking for. My experience at my present job was a testament to what I could learn from a professional in a hands on environment. The fact that it was a fraction of the cost of going back to school and that I would be learning on equipment that the industry uses made the decision a 'no-brainer.'

It is strange, but it feels like I'm picking up where I left off in High School. I remember leaving the electronic music class wondering about SMPTE and now I'm pursuing it into the wee hours of the morning like a little kid again. I have always kept abreast of emerging music technologies and would drool over every magazine advertisement. It is like a kind of parallel life that now I have the opportunity to merge with. And with your help I hope to do so.

Thank you for affording me the opportunity to tell you about myself and what I hope to do. I am not a great interviewee and have had severe foot-in-mouth syndrome on occasion. This is a somewhat safer method for me and I hope I conveyed the enthusiasm and desire I feel to begin my apprenticeship. Thank you again and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely Yours,
Joe T.