Work Sample Summary Examples
This is a hidden page that serves as the Work Sample Summary Examples for the 2026 M-AAA Catalyze Grant Application.
Work Sample 1: Staring Up at the Same Sun
Documentary Score
November 2025
View from 0:05 to 1:05
Staring Up at the Same Sun follows several Arkansans as they anticipate and experience the 2024 total solar eclipse at Petit Jean State Park. For this cue, I created a virtual instrument from a field recording of a passing train horn and used its pitch and overtones to build the score’s central theme, that being the mellow, organ-like tone heard at the beginning.
Train horns are ubiquitous in Arkansas, and transforming this familiar sound into a playable instrument allowed me to embed the landscape directly into the music. Without knowing its origin, most listeners assume the timbre is an organ or synthesizer. This approach grounds the score in the textures of the environment, reflects my interest in place-based sound, and demonstrates how everyday sonic elements can become thematic material in narrative film scoring.
Work Sample 2: System Disrupted
Trailer Score - Additional Music
June 2025
Listen from 0:00 to 1:00
This trailer accompanies a documentary by filmmaker and fellow Catalyze artist Faye Hedera about a young journalist living with severe Functional Neurological Disorder symptoms. I collaborated closely with producer Jason Weinheimer, reworked the piano progression, composed a solo violin line to carry the central emotional thread, and developed a bed of shifting, ominous strings to reinforce the subject matter’s tension and vulnerability.
The piece is intentionally spare and aching, designed to move the viewer without overwhelming the narrative. This sample demonstrates my scoring approach: clear melodic writing, restraint, and the ability to shape emotional arc through subtle harmonic movement and orchestral texture.
Work Sample 3: Street Corner Celebrity
Remote Session Work - Arrangement
July, 2025
Listen from 1:35 to 2:35
(This example protects the identity of the recording artist, as release rights belong to them.)
The artist and producer felt the track needed additional instrumental support to strengthen its rhythmic and harmonic foundation. Working as a remote session musician, I added mandolin to reinforce the guitar groove, piano to stabilize the chord progression, and a warm, understated organ to bind the arrangement together.
My session approach prioritizes subtlety and transparency: the additions should feel as though they were performed live with the band, supporting the vocal without calling attention to themselves. This sample demonstrates my ability to enhance an existing arrangement, interpret artistic intention quickly, and deliver complementary parts that elevate a track while remaining unobtrusive.
Work Sample 4: Ozark
Live Composition for Paint to Music Class at Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
September 2025
Listen from 15:50 to 16:50
This piece was created for live interdisciplinary workshops developed with visual artist Hamid Ebrahimifar at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Our process invites participants from complete beginners to professional artists to paint in response to live, evolving music. We use handmade brushes constructed from bamboo and horsehair, emphasizing tactile, intuitive engagement with sound.
For each workshop, I prepare an extensive digital template in Logic Pro, assembling orchestral instruments, synthesizers, and percussion through MIDI. I perform and record live loops in real time, shifting harmony, texture, and tempo to influence how participants move their brushes and interact with their materials.
The selected minute shows how I design dynamic transitions to gently guide artistic response. These workshops have prompted powerful emotional reactions from participants and have expanded my understanding of music as a catalyst for communal creative flow. This work reflects my growing commitment to interdisciplinary, community-facing practice.
Work Sample 5: Children’s House
Commission Song/Community-Based Composition
March, 2025
Listen from 0:05 to 1:05
This piece was commissioned by a local Montessori school for its 50th anniversary. They requested a song their students of ages three to five could sing together as a school anthem. The challenge was to create a piece that was musically engaging yet simple enough for very young children to memorize, sing, and enjoy.
I composed the melody, lyrics, and arrangement, then recorded the children performing the claps and vocals. Working with such young performers required patience, flexibility, and significant adaptation to maintain pitch, timing, and enthusiasm.
Although the piece is intentionally uncomplicated, it demonstrates my willingness to work outside my usual style, engage directly with community members, and meet the needs of nonprofessional performers. The project was well received by the school and has led to ongoing conversations with the Children’s Theatre at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts about future collaborations.