I begin every music technology class and every music technology related class with the same saying, "The best thing about music technology is that anyone can be a composer." And then I add, "The worst thing about music technology is that anyone can be a composer." The current technology allows access for everyone to be creative in making and organizing music, which is a great, great thing. The issue, however, is that music creation is not something to be taken lightly, rather something that we should hold in high regard. Those who create music from nothing should be truly great artists. With this in mind, my focus in music technology classes has always been on the creation of music at a high quality—that is, music that is sound in construction, innovation, and creativity. The technology is the tool, not the end result.

Like many music electives, my classrooms are populated with a range of students that runs from those who are highly musically literate to those who are highly musically curious. One of the great equalizers for this variance has been the use of technology. The birth of Newton North's Film Scoring course came from a growth in enrollment and general interest in the music technology classes at the school and a desire to serve the needs of these students. As a result, I looked to design a Music Technology 2 class. Having a personal interest in film scoring, I created this course to allow for students to continue in their composition/technology studies in a focused and creatively charged discipline. Again, the technology in this class is merely a venue for creation, not an end in itself.

One of the great things that film scoring provides is the elimination of the "blank canvas." Since one has to compose to picture, a great number of creative ideas are presented to the composer via the media. The student needs to sift through the possibilities to see what may work. For many students, the reduction in compositional possibilities can be liberating. The great challenge, however, is the ability to tap into one's overall resources (musical knowledge, compositional skills, and the manipulation of the technology) to help realize the ideas. I have found that students in the Film Scoring class typically stretch themselves musically far more than in the exploratory Music Technology classes. I believe that this is largely due to the need to make their musical ideas more targeted than in a free compositional setting.

North's music lab consists of 16 stations that includes an iMac, an M-Audio USB connected keyboard, GarageBand, Logic Express or Logic Pro, and Sibelius 6. It is recommended for students to have taken the Music Technology course as a pre- requisite, but it is not absolutely required. Film Scoring meets for two classes per week over the course of the year. Students in Film Scoring study in the following three areas: 1. History of Film Music; 2. Discerning the Intent of the Scene (i.e. setting, time period, pacing, characters, mood, and emotion;) and 3. Realizing the Music. These three areas act not as units, rather, they provide continued study that runs throughout the year. The discussions that ensue in trying to discern the intent of a scene have provided for some of the richest classroom dialogue I have encountered in my career as an educator. We are constantly trying to answer: "What is really happening here?" "Who or what owns the music?" and "At what level does the music need to drive the scene?"

The classroom feels very much like an art studio where I provide to the students content or an area for discussion at the beginning of the class, and then composition time. This mix changes from class to class depending on what is needed. As the students write, I move about the room and check in with each student. As a pair, we listen together and discuss the pros and cons of certain music choices. I am always looking for the intentionality of their choices. It is important for students to be writing what they really want to hear and not be limited by what they think is their ability. The beauty of a program like Logic is that students can compose an idea, save it (mute it), and then try another idea. They can then go back and forth with their ideas to see what works best. Every four to five classes I have the students pair and share. They listen to a peer's work, celebrate it, and then make any suggestions. Again, the best learning that I have encountered comes from this dialogue.

Projects in the course include the scoring of scenes from silent pictures, rescoring of contemporary works and trailers, commercial writing, and composing for student films. This year I plan to incorporate at least one project that requires students to compose for live instruments (orchestra, string ensemble, or chamber ensemble). Students save their work to a designated server and in the process build a portfolio of sequential and contrasting pieces.

The Film Scoring class at North is now in its third year. I have found it to be both accessible and engaging for students at nearly all ability levels. It truly has presented an avenue for some of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking music discussion I have witnessed.