Posted January 16, 2014 by
Tags: The Liberal Arts My Wheaton Conservatory
Conservatory Interview
With more than 200 music majors and highly qualified faculty, the Wheaton Conservatory of Music has become a notable center in music education. I interviewed Hong Kong native and Music Composition major, Elliot Leung '17 about why he came to Wheaton and what his experience has been so far in the conservatory.
Alex: Why did you decide on coming to the Wheaton Conservatory?
Elliot: It's always been a dream to compose music for video games and movies. I hope I make it there one day. I've been doing a lot of both amateur music and composing work in Hong Kong, writing music for my school and a company called Tony Films Co. I knew Marty O’Donnell, the composer for Halo (one of the video games I play a lot) came to Wheaton and heard about the great composition program. So, I decided to follow his footsteps - attend Wheaton College for composition and later go to USC for the great Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television (SMPTV) degree.
Alex: How has your experience been at Wheaton as an international student?
Elliot: I grew up in an international Christian school in Hong Kong, so the Christian environment is similar. I love the professors here - they make everything interesting. Professors really want you to succeed here, so they'll try their best to make sure you do. Because Wheaton is a smaller school, and I have completed courses such as Digital Music 300, I'm also able to use the studios a lot. I love the many opportunities I get to compose soundtrack music, both in and outside of school. I'm currently scoring a 10-episode series called "Taking the Land Open" for the Athletic department.
Alex: What is your favorite class?
Elliot: As of now, my favorite class has to be music notation, Dr. Gordon makes it so funny. I don't remember a class where I did not laugh. Besides that, it's a small class, (5 people), so we all get to know each other really well.
Alex: What are you majoring in?
Elliot: I always tell people that I am majoring in soundtrack composition, though the degree I'm going to receive through Wheaton is Music Composition. The specialization degree takes an extra year to complete.
Alex: What do you hope to do with your degree?
Elliot: I have been set on getting into the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Program at the University of Southern California since day one and have been studying for this even while I was in Hong Kong. What I learn in class is great and also helps with film/video game scoring, but in addition, I immerse myself into reading, listening, and composing for a lot of side projects.