I'm a young (20) composer and musician straight from the high, dry, and unpredictable climate of Calgary, AB.

I've been doodling and composing music from the moment I discovered that piano lessons were less boring when you changed the parts in the pieces you were assigned, just to see if the teacher would catch it.

...Well, they did, and they didn't think it was as funny as I did. But it got me going, and I've been writing original music ever since.

I've composed music for a decent array of games, animations, school projects, and a couple of short films, as well as having annoyed the living hell out of the classes in the basement of my high school - they experienced the misfortune of being right next to the choir room, the home of the school's only grand piano. I don't think the teachers down there miss me much either, with all my wrong notes and constant repetitions while I wrote and practised.

I've finished my first year of music composition at the University of Calgary, much to the horror of my parents. While I won't be fulfilling their vision of a son in engineering, medicine, or law, I have at least pacified them by choosing to become a paramedic prior to completing the rest of my music degree.

I use my lovely old Roland A-30 and Reason to create my pieces, and I've begun to experiment with Finale, Cubase, and Kontakt as well.

If I could do any one thing with my music, it would be to research, design, and create music/audio that has the power to physically and otherwise heal people. It's plausible, and I hope to be a part of it, if it really can be used that way.

...now that you've read that entire column, I think you deserve a little reward for the effort it took. You can find it

<-------------------------- over there.

Cheers,

- Ian