Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music

First Advisor

Michael Schelle

Second Advisor

Nicholas Johnson

Third Advisor

Miho Sasaki

Abstract

The concept and main theme of Blue Waves and Razor Blades originally began in 2014 when I was a young composer attending Butler University for my master’s degree in composition. The idea of the piece was to use flow and motion based upon my imagining of an ocean wave crashing into the bank, sometimes moving past rocks and barriers causing slight tension. The theme and the beginning structure was created and originally titled Blue Waves. Before I could really focus on this piece, opportunities arose in Los Angeles where I started my current career in the music film industry and the piece was halted. Years later, in the year 2025 another opportunity presented itself to where I could reapproach this piece with more seasoned ideas and technical aptitude. I decided to make Blue Waves more relatable by using attributes from my life that I have experienced since starting the piece so many years before. I believe the best actors are the ones who play themselves. I used aspects from my personal life to see if it helped the piece create more accurate and emotional depictions of my vision. I combined the original idea of an ocean wave with these varied attributes of life. Thus, the piece changed from just Blue Waves and evolved with the addition of Razor Blades to its title. I do not list specific instances of my own life, which are inevitably present in this piece, but general instances of emotion that I believe we all relate to. I wanted to show life’s range of highs and lows, the trials and tribulations, using the original idea of imagery from different characteristics of water. I use quotes for each movement to express this. Maybe it’s my career of being a film composer and my love of programmatic music but I like to paint a picture with my music as I find it helps me capture certain emotions and it puts me in the right mind set to write a piece like this. This technique has often helped me when I am composing because it allows me to follow a general story which then assist me commit to form. I have spent the last 12 years adapting music to accompany a visual story in film. I have had to capture sadness, anger, and joy to help accompany an actor’s performance and help reinforce an emotion to an audience through my music.

My passion of big band music came at an early age when I began playing the saxophone in middle school.  I also participated in many bands through High School (Including jazz bands) and attended Tarleton State University studying saxophone performance. I often performed professionally in many jazz, soul, and blues groups all while having my own travelling band as well. My love for these genres continued to blossom and I wanted to emulate artist that had their own bands such as Maria Schneider, Darcey James Argue, and Gordon Goodwin. Blue Waves and Razor Blades is inspired from compositions from these artists. They expand the instrumentation of the band with use of woodwind and instrumental doubles, drift away from normal form, and use expanded range. Their unique voice is able to be portrayed through this medium and Blue Waves and Razor Blades is my take on these concepts.

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