AWARDS season is an exciting time of year for the creative industries, and the enjoyment is not limited to filmmakers. 12th February brings one of the most prestigious awards in the record industry: The Grammys. Organised by The Recording Academy to honor excellence in the recording arts and sciences, The Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards – the statues are still shaped like mini gramophones) celebrate artists and technical professionals from all over the world. From Nat King Cole to Lady Gaga, Kraftwerk to Ravi Shanka, some of the greatest recording artists of our time have been winners in various categories. But whilst the prominent awards winners tend to be in categories such as Best Album, Best Pop Performance and Best Newcomer, there are over 70 award categories in the Grammys. Many of these honor the technical professionals behind the famous artists, such as the producers, arrangers, composers and editors. If you are interested in the more technical side of the recording industry, take a look at these career tips that could help you get your own golden gramophone. And of course, don’t forget to thank us in your acceptance speech!
Best Score Soundtrack
To be a winner in the Score Soundtrack category, you would be looking at becoming a Composer. This job involves writing music to play in the background of films, TV and video games, and evoke a mood or emotion to relate to what’s happening onscreen. Some composers will work using samples, while others will work with live musicians, but being able to write for a large number of instruments (sometimes a full orchestra) is important. This year's nominees include Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein for their work on Stranger Things, and music score hero John Williams for his return to the Star Wars franchaise with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Composer of a good soundtrack score can become a household name, but if you are interested in this career, be prepared for some hard work. After learning how to read, play and write music on at least one instrument (usually piano or guitar) you would also need some training in other technical aspects of music. A lot of music composition is done digitally, so learning to use software such as Logic Pro to write and score music is essential. It is important to love films and having a good grasp of filmmaking to be able to work with a director’s instructions. Many Composers use sample libraries, so being able to research is important. There are both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Scoring for Film or Media that will teach you the technical skills and the research skills.
After training, you would be looking at freelance work initially and many Composers work on student and small films to get experience. Being able to work to a deadline is essential, and you may find yourself working long weeks – between 60-120 hours. It is a very competitive industry, but it is also quite specialist, so if you are successful you may well work on many projects for the same director - Hans Zimmer has scored over 150 films to date!
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Unlike a song writer, a Music Arranger will take a song or tune, and then rearrange elements such as the tempo, vocals, harmony and rhythm to make it into a different style. They have to be up to date with current trends in music, and will often be trying to make a simple song a chart-topping success. Other jobs as a Music Arranger can be to change a tune from one genre to another, and they are often part of the process for a cover version, where new artists perform a classic tune. As well as working with recording artist, they may rearrange music for adverts or TV, or for places such as waiting rooms and department stores.
Music Arrangers must be able to play at least one instrument at an advanced level (guitar and piano are most useful.) Knowledge of composition, harmony, arranging, and theory are also often essential, therefore a theoretical or practical music degree would be useful. Learning about composition software, such as Logic Pro, is also valuable, and a postgraduate degree in Composition or Digital Composition would develop these skills. For many Arrangers, working as a musician is a good way to gain the skills for musical arrangement. Many of this year’s Grammy nominations for the ‘Instrumental or A Cappella’ category are actually Christmas tunes, including Good 'Swing' Wencelas. arranged by Sammy Nestico.
Best Album Notes
Album notes (also called ‘liner notes’ or ‘sleeve notes’) are the writing that you get inside the cover of a CD, and a form of Music Journalism. They often come in a small booklet, and act as an introduction to the album, sometimes giving the story of its production, the artists’ history or some context. They are particular to hard-copy albums, although you can sometimes view notes when you buy digital albums as well. The person who writes the album notes can vary. One of this year's nominations, RIchard Martin, uses the sleeve notes to talk about his experience as one of the producers on Waxing The Gospel: Mass Evangelism & The Phonograph, 1890-1990. One of last year's nominations, James P. Leary, is a Folklorist who specialises in the Scandinavian Americas. His notes on Folksongs Of Another America: Field Recordings From The Upper Midwest, 1937-1946, are an essay on the context and history of the songs on the album, including translations.
The main skills for music journalism are to be a good writer; good grammar, clear and informative writing and good research skills are all essential. Music Journalists might, therefore, have a bachelors degree in English, Media or Journalism. Having a good idea of digital journalism is also essential now, as it is important to keep up to date (short courses are often available to brush up on these skills.) It is also important to be well-informed and knowledgeable about the type of music you will be writing about. Do research, listen to music, read about music and talk about music, as this will build up knowledge, as well as help with networking.
Some people get into music journalism by specialising in a particular subject during postgraduate studies – for example, Leary has a PhD in Folklore and American Studies. Working towards a PhD in a specific area of Musicology, for example, can set you up as the go-to writer for your subject. Those who get into music journalism this way tend to do journalism projects as side-work on top of their own academic research or teaching work.
Technical GRAMMY Award
This award falls into the Grammy Special Merit category, and is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the technical aspect of the recording industry. Past winners include Roger Linn, who created the first drum machine to use digital samples, and ‘CD Pioneer’ Phil Ramone, who introduced optical surround sound for films. The recipients of this award have had varied roles, but it often involves some kind of engineering.
A Recording Engineer shapes the sound of an album through the choice of equipment and sound manipulation techniques. They will be experts in all kinds of recording technology, from analog tape to digital recording programs like Ableton or ProTools. An Industrial Engineer or Electrical Engineer would be working on the tools and technology that the music industry uses (e.g. microphones, foot pedals etc.) and looking to make them better or more efficient. Training can vary greatly, but it is a good idea to learn in a practical way. A trade school like the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood or the Berklee College of Music in Boston would be able to teach you skills for record engineering. A relevant bachelors degree in Engineering could help you work towards creating new music technology.
After training, many Recording Engineers start as a runner or intern for a studio, and work their way up by volunteering their time and learning on the job. The Recording Academy itself offers a number of volunteer and intern roles where you may find yourself working for a Grammy Awards show. Electrical or Industrial Engineers would get into music based on their ability to spot and solve music technology problems, such as the video tape recorder previous Grammy winner Ray Dolby helped invent.
