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Having a blast today learning the mechanics of writing and producing a country song. Sure, it’s full of tropes, but it’s also an emotional form of music that’s great for storytelling. Simple is not the same as easy. 🤓😃
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Seems like there’s one genre where MIDI will never match the real instrument — strumming for country music! So I’m pickin’ up ma guitar again and signin’ on for courses, writin’ for the road (to my musical) and listening to artists I’ve never heard of. True American cultural immersion yessiree!😃
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No doubt, writing a song takes creativity. Left brain stuff. But it’s also an exercise in problem-solving. Maximizing clarity, emotion, and the pleasure of well-chosen words… all under constraints of length, meter, stress, and rhyme. As much of a puzzle to crack as a crossword- only more fun! 😃
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Who’d think that working on musicals could provide 5-star training in project management? Coordinating with a remote teammate even in the face of disagreements, keeping track of deadlines and how tasks depend on each other, identifying uncertainties, and choosing between delegating and doing! :D
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When you want to get good at something, you learn from the masters. Seems obvious, right? I’d done it for fiction writing, for screenwriting. But despite spending exactly a year on this musical (as of yesterday), only watched 3 musicals. That’s gotta change. Reading Sondheim’s ‘Major Decisions’ book
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Whoops! Too much experimentation with musical modes can lead to slip-ups. I accidentally introduced the dreaded tritone interval into a new melody. Good thing my co-writer @warner called it out. And now I found a work-around. Early feedback is a must, y’all (in music and in life!)
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Snowflakes Musical: Editing is a literary massacre of the mediocre. On prodding from my trusty co-writer and our amazing new director, we went from first draft of the (almost) full script of 106 pages down to almost half. Sure, it’s annoying. But humbling. So rewarding! Concision = gift to audience.
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6 years after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and still so much frustration I hear among everyone I speak to in San Juan. Sure, the pandemic derailed recovery efforts. But clearly the problem is a combination of climate change AND mindset change, especially among policymakers.
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Phew, newfound respect for anyone in the world of storytelling (writers of novels, musicals, screenplays, etc.), especially in teams. I’ve learnt so much about collaboration and project management while debating and deciding the big and tiny details with @warner on our ‘Snowflakes in Socal’ project
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My American friends would tell me that I should be used to musicals, since Bollywood is full of song and dance. I countered that those songs don’t further the plot. But ‘Lagaan’- the rare exception won- an Oscar nom. Watch persuasion tactics in music: www.youtube.com/watch
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Trust the 1990s Classic Notting Hill to disguise a MasterClass in exposition that doesn’t seem forced. We learn a ton about every character, connect with them, and all of this without feeling lectured. I hope to emulate it soon: www.youtube.com/watch
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Now I know what Rowling and Tolkien must have felt like. Your lead character starts appearing dull in comparison to the secondary ones (Harry Potter and Frodo, yes, I’m talking to you). Maybe a minority opinion - but I’m curious to hear if anyone here found them deeply interesting. #creative
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When you write a musical about climate change and extreme weather events, you don’t expect to get caught in so many of them: 1) Snowstorms in California, March 2023 2) Hurricane in Florida, August 2023 Upside: No critic can say we aren’t using drawing on ‘lived experience’. ;)
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Today @warner and I spoke to an actual director of musicals. So, a show that was once just a random idea is now solid enough for an industry professional to want to get involved. Very flattering! But I’m confident if we keep putting in the work and learn from the best, anything is possible :)
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Watched some snippets of ‘Be More Chill’ that featured now Oscar-nominated Stephanie Hsu. This and Mean Girls both featured teens dancing in corridors. Would a high-school musical still work without that element?
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Had fun today finding the highest & lowest notes of our musical’s songs to help with auditions. Got to test my own current range in the process: G2-F#5 (about 3 octaves). What’s yours? www.onlinemictest.com/tuners/pi…
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It’s always such a delight to receive audition videos based on a script you wrote. Seeing your character embodied and alive… ah, the feels! It also provides clarity on what’s working and what isn’t. I’m so deeply grateful that my work allows me the time to still be #creative on the side.
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Found fantastic NY Times compilation of Climate Crisis effects across 193 countries. In the US, especially in the Mid-West (where our musical starts), heatwaves are the most lethal severe weather event: www.nytimes.com/interacti…
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Ugh, writing an AI character is hard! How do these things think? Are they capable of deception to appear human? Couldn’t resist dipping into Alex Garland’s ‘Ex Machina’ (2015). While it’s not the direction I’ll pick for AI in my musical, hats off to Garland and actress Alicia Vikander! #creative
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Great to get live feedback on my musical’s ‘villain reveal’ song from my Lyft driver, who told me it reminded him of the Progressive Rock band, ‘Polyphia’. As a newcomer to the world of rock, it’s frankly flattering to be compared to these #creative innovators: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poly…
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Composing a song that uses multiple musical modes? Try Hookpad: hookpad.hooktheory.com Helped me pick the best key: the one that’s easiest to play on a guitar without a capo- B Dorian aka F# Minor. Dorian mode brought out melancholy of Tears for Fears’ ‘Mad World’ 🎸🎼 #creative
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@Warner & I advocating youth digital-wellness at SBCC development conf
“From Digital Divide to Digital Wellness” - by me Abhishek Pandit & Laurence Warner
(10:16- 11:40 - Check out Laurence exploring the first landmark steps towards protecting children an minors on social media platforms and its ramifications for the developing world) Thanks Laurie Markle from UNICEF’s Internet of Good Things for mentoring & recording our talk about protecting youth from unethical tech.
We were part of the Using Smartphones Smartly session on 6th Dec 2022, alongside the wonderful team behind My Better World 📺.
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❄️ Musical-Writing Day 11: Dug deep into philosophical questions around Artificial Intelligence and what it truly means to be human. Also lightened the mood by using a robot voice to make outrageous statements in our opening scene: lingojam.com/RobotVoic…
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❄️ Musical-Writing Day 10: How would you describe your project in terms of existing movies and shows? So far, ours sounds like ‘Ingrid Goes West’ meets ‘High School Musical’ meets the Black Mirror’s ‘Be Right Back’ meets ‘Erin Brokovich’. Where will this collage of ideas lead us?
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❄️ Musical-Writing Day 9: While debating US locations @warner & I chanced upon the ‘Missouri Waltz’, the state song. Heard in JLaw starrer ‘Winter’s Bone’ (2010), it’s a lullaby that fits our motherhood theme & plays before football matches. 🎼 Aptly, the Chiefs won SuperBowl!🏈
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