Lund Music Studio

As a product of the ’80s, I find myself fascinated by video games.  I still spend a lot (too much?) of my free time gaming, and I defend video games as an art form to anybody who puts them down.  For almost as long, I’ve been fascinated by the music that makes the “soundtrack” to these interactive experiences.

I still remember running my video games through a cassette recorder so that I could listen to the music when I wasn’t playing… in a very real way, it’s an “interactive soundtrack” because you can remember doing things as the music was playing.  I would get a huge kick out of listening to music from Mario is Missing! or Mega Man 3 in the car.

Video game music has come a long way since the days of Pong.  Now, video game music is indistinguishable from film music, and I consider both to be the modern-day popular venue for the orchestral and choral instrumentations of classical music.

Games that are heavy into story-telling feature some truly excellent work — I think the WarCraft series music is enjoyable for any fan of orchestral music, and I’ve even gotten goosebumps from some of the pieces in the latest Mario game!

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of singing with the Houston Symphony Choir in a Video Games Live! concert.  VGL is a touring show that pays tribute to video game music, giving it the sound of an orchestra (along with some killer electric guitar and drum kit) and the energy of a rock concert.  It was an incredible experience for a singer who mostly works with classical masterworks, and one I hope to repeat when the VGL crew comes through Houston next summer.

More information about Video Games Live!

Last week, OverClocked ReMix, a website that specializes in presenting arrangements both electrical and acoustic of video game tunes, released a “project album” called Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption.

This marked another contribution I have been thrilled to make to the genre of game music.  Along with about a dozen other men, I contributed to the Fabul Men’s Choir by recording my voice singing choral parts.  Composer Andrew Luers then took these sounds and layered them together to create a choral sound for his track “Fighting for Tomorrow”, a great and enjoyable piece.

The album itself is truly impressive — a monumental undertaking, comprising over fifty arrangements in various styles of music from the game Final Fantasy IV (originally released for the Super Nintendo in 1991).

More information about this album
OCRemix, the parent project website of this work

Sadly enough, the arts are losing their place in more and more schools lately. My question is, how can we be so glib about letting this happen? It must be that parents, students, and teachers do not realize the full value that classes like music, dance and art can provide. If we recall the “Multiple Intelligences” chart, there is an entire section of “Intelligence” devoted to music. An entire part of our brain is wired to think musically, and will not get the exercise it needs if we pull music from schools. And yet we are not fighting, at least not hard enough, to keep music around in schools.

I would stipulate that music classes are even more important now, in today’s age of information technology. In an age where everything is computer and media driven, children tend to lose the need to be imaginative and creative. They tend to stay in front of TVs computers and video games, and do not exercise the parts of the brain involved in higher thinking skills. Involving a child in the arts cultivates something in them that they may no longer get at home. (Note: I am not saying that all video games are bad, as there are some educational games, and even those that are not can be alright, but largely, sitting in front of a television or game does not provide adequate stimulation.)

Involvement in the arts can do so much for a person that I cannot even adequately elaborate on it, but rather, I have listed below all of the additional benefits of arts education.

-> Increases imagination
-> Improves memory and retention
-> Provides learning through analogy
-> Builds discipline
-> Helps focus on long term goals
-> Develops problem solving skills
-> Increases attention to detail
-> Builds self-confidence
-> Causes students to strive for excellence
-> Cultivates responsibility
-> Develops good work-ethic
-> Helps students apply previously learned information to new scenarios
-> Develops both academic and expressive skills
-> Creates a passion for learning
-> Provides the opportunity to risk-take
-> Develops intuition and insight

Finally, arts competitions and festivals can be so rewarding for children, provide a goal to work toward, and prove to be a rewarding experience for the child no matter the outcome. For even in competition, there is no failure. Children are rewarded and complemented for making the effort not matter whether they have “won” or not. Also, they have gained new skills from their competitive experience, and a teacher would do well to remind them of this.

So we see that music and the other arts provide a vast pool of skills, and should not be neglected. If you are blessed with children, then the next time it is suggested in your child’s school that arts programs be done away with, I urge you to fight this with vigor, and remember some of the benefits that your child would be missing out on.

There is an upcoming event in Kingwood that you will not want to miss!  Carl Orff’s famous cantata Carmina Burana will be performed on April 25th by the Kingwood Chorale, along with the Lonestar College Chamber Singers and the Kingwood Park High School choir.

Dr. Todd Miller, the artistic director of the Kingwood Chorale, has been rehearsing the Chorale and Chamber Singers for months in preparation for this concert, along with James Park, who has been leading his singers at Kingwood Park through the piece.

All singers came together for their first rehearsal a week ago yesterday, and the result was amazing.  Dr. Miller has mentioned that it is quite likely this will be a choral performance the scope of which North Houston has never seen.  Simply witnessing first-hand the raw power and dynamic contrast possible from such a group is worth admission price alone, but these groups in particular are quite talented.

If you are free this Saturday, come check out Carmina Burana.  Tickets are available at the door, or at Kroger and H.E.B. in Kingwood.