Introduction to Recording Technology
Mondays 10:30 – 11:45 AM, July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24
Instructor:  Gregory Rossetti, Ph.D.
Cost:  $225
 
This course will cover all aspects of recording technology from cables, connectors, audio equipment, microphones, live sound, and more!  If the recording arts interest you this is the place to start!
 
 
Building a Home Studio 
Wednesdays 10:30-11:45 AM, July 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26   
Instructor:  Gregory Rossetti, Ph.D.
Cost:  $225
 
Want to create your own music without leaving your home? Learn the basics of building your own recording studio, from setting up an audio interface to working with virtual instruments in your digital audio workstation (DAW). Students will create a project and have the option to post it to SoundCloud!
 
 
 
The Amazing World of Video Game Music
For Middle School and High School, Ages 12 – 18
 
All activities take place on Zoom
 
The History of Video Game Music
Mondays & Wednesdays: 1:00-2:15pm, July 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
Instructor:  Gregory Rossetti, Ph.D.
Cost:  $225
 
Video games are a staple of our society and their music is part of what makes them so popular. This course will explore the history of the sound in video games, from the bleeps-and-blops of Pong consoles to the interactive and dynamic scores of today. This class will prepare students for studying and composing their own game music.  Some knowledge of basic music terminology is a plus!
 
 
Ludomusicology (Theory & Composition in Video Game Music)
Mondays & Wednesdays, 1:00-2:15pm, August 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
Instructor:  Gregory Rossetti, Ph.D.
Cost:  $225
 
Without music, video games would not be as enjoyable. The music tells the player something about where their character is. Is this town friendly? Is this a boss battle? Did I just find a new zone? By analyzing popular game music, this course will explore the musical patterns in video game music. We will also explore how game music helps build worlds and enhance the gaming experience through music, but also how game music differs from classical, jazz, rock, hip-hop, etc. Then, we will work with game design software and learn how to implement music into games.  A basic understanding of music theory is required. 
 
About the instructor:
Gregory Rossetti holds a Ph.D. in music composition from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, with a dissertation on how specific musical tropes build worlds in early console role-playing video games.  He is a producer and teacher of music, and composes music for stage as well as multimedia, including websites, films, and video games.  His concert music has been commissioned or performed by several new music ensembles and touring artists including Englewinds, Dave Wozniak, Nouveau Classical Project, and Newband.  Gregory has toured with the progressive rock band Suspyre, with whom he also produced four commercially-released albums.  His current multimedia projects include working as the sole composer and sound designer for Aether Story, an online role-playing video game that is currently in development by Phanxgames.  As an academic, Gregory has presented his research in ludomusicology at GameSoundCon 2018 in Los Angeles. He continues to explore music in video games, specifically focusing on how tropes used in different themes among a game communicate the state of affairs with the player.  In addition to running a recording studio and teaching private students, Gregory has been an adjunct professor at multiple schools since 2012, teaching courses in the history of rap and rock music, music theory, music technology, and composition.
 
 
REGISTER TODAY!
 
 
US Mail Address: 
Extension Division, Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ. 07043
 
Questions please email:  musicprep@montclair.edu

It's been nearly a year since I've had a new work premiered, but Monoliths for saxophone ensemble was performed today. Great job to the Rutgers Saxophone Ensemble! If the recording is decent, I'll sync it up to the score and put it on YouTube.

Current projects:

• My dissertation: I'm working on a tone poem for the first 15 minutes (or so) of the music for RpgLegend. I'm scoring it for a triple-winds orchestra, but I may change my mind and make it a chamber piece, but that may be really difficult considering all the thick textures I want.
  
• A piece for flute and guitar that isn't Spanish influenced. 
  
• A concert band piece appropriate for high school band, that I can possibly pitch to my alma mater. 

​This semester, I've been teaching an Introduction to Music Theory class at Rutgers with over 100 students. So, with the final project just being handed in and the final exam coming up soon, I'll be spending most of my time grading rather than being creative. In the meantime, check out the progress being made on a game where I'm the composer.

I'm going to use this blog as a journal to log my current status with compositions and other projects, and I'll also share interesting videos and articles. Eventually, I'll post some of my own research. 

I'm currently finishing up a solo piece for classical guitar. I've been playing guitar for decades, but never composed a solo piece for it in the classical style. I need to break up a few steady streams of sixteenths that get boring, then I'll record it and see what else needs adjusting.

Next up is a piece for a saxophone ensemble. Dr. Paul Cohen (check out the video below) was kind enough to share some scores with me to study. Alto saxophone was my first instrument, and again, I rarely write for it, so I'm excited to get started.