Sound Design Workshop

LHS Bands Prepare for Universal Studios Sound Design Workshop

Elowyn Wells Website Editor

Big trips aren’t new to the band program, however, it will be the first time Lindbergh High School will perform at Universal Studios. Band members have been beaming with excitement for the past weeks as news spreads about the up-and-coming band trip to Orlando, Florida over Spring Break.

Back in 2015, the LHS bands took a trip to Walt Disney World to attend a workshop where they performed an underscore for Disney’s The Lion King. Band members sat under the big screen and played their instruments along with the animations from the popular movie. Band directors have similar intentions this year with hopes to take the band to Universal Studios.

“We were like the band behind the movie playing the movie soundtrack; it was really cool. So when we were looking at the Orlando opportunities and Universal Studios came up, they have a similar one and there’s a little bit of difference; it sounded really cool. I’ve heard from other directors that they like this one even more than the Disney experience, so we’re really excited to do it,” said David Wyss, the director of bands, marching band director, symphonic band director, and jazz ensemble director.

As the focus of the big trip, the wUniversal Studios workshop will provide students with the ability to perform popular underscores from some of the studio’s biggest blockbusters.

“I have the music, and it’s for Despicable Me. And we’re gonna start working with it in February, and we’ll try to be as prepared as possible as we lead up to the Spring Break trip,” said Wyss.

Not only will the band be performing the underscore, but they also have the opportunity to add in their own sound effects from instruments and objects provided by the Universal Studio’s program directors.

“We would get the music sounding as good as we can and then they’ll ask students to add in sound effects, and they’ll have the stuff to use,” explained Wyss. “And then the other thing that they’ll do with us is actually show how they go in and mix the music and the foley (sound effects) and mix it all down. So we’re gonna be a part of the whole production experience as it was all put together…I think that they’ll give us one copy of that with our band playing the music behind it. I think that’s the final result of what our workshop will be.” Not only will this experience be for the bands, but the directors have also organized an opportunity for the guard students to participate in this trip, too.

“The color guard and winter guard students are gonna be doing a dance workshop –working with a professional dance person while we’re doing the sound workshop,” said Wyss.

As the trip approaches, band students are becoming more and more excited and curious about the aspects of the role that music plays in the film industry.

“On an intrapersonal level, learning about the techniques and nuances behind underscores sounds fascinating. I love learning about how different aspects of a film come together to tell a story,” said Cooper Terrill (11).

This experience also aims to provide students with the opportunity to grow in their skills as a musician and gain insight into the world of music.

“I always love getting to work with new people because everyone has a little bit of a different perspective or take on music,” said Jane Guillot-Beinke (11).

Not only will this experience help students become better musicians, but it also provides the opportunity for the bands to become closer as they share this unique experience creating music together.

“I wanted to do something that was welcoming to the entire band,” said Wyss. “So this workshop is something that fits the build for that.”

Daniel Crutcher (10) practices the Despicable Me underscore in preperation for the Universal Studios Sound Design Workshop. 5 Feature 2.25.22