# Summer Plans in LA



## Rick McGuire (Apr 2, 2018)

Wasn't really sure what to title this thread (as it is also my first in these forums). However, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I'm sort of in an awkward/interesting situation. My wife just got accepted to intern with NASA in Pasadena for the summer (we're thrilled), but that leaves me to find something to do while we're in the LA area for a few months. 

A little about me, I played percussion for about a decade before making the switch to composing about a year and a half ago. I was at university studying percussion for a semester before transferring to the local community college. I haven't taken music courses since that semester at university (I've been focusing on my GE's), but I have been taking lessons with a few professionals for composition and orchestration for about a year. I also took AP Music Theory in high school and even got a 5 on the AP exam. I'm about intermediate when it comes to Sibelius (I've used it for years); Logic I'm still learning along with Kontakt. I've applied to USC, NYU, and CCNY, just waiting to hear back from them before transferring somewhere for my undergrad. 

I say all of this because if I applied to intern somewhere I don't think I'd be much help to the person I'd be interning for (music-wise at least). What's more is my educational resume wouldn't really even make sense to someone offering an internship. So as you can see I'm somewhat in a bind as to how I could be productive and perhaps even get some contacts in LA before the Fall semester starts. Does anyone have any advice? I was thinking about taking a course or two at the UCLA extension (though I couldn't find a summer schedule on their website, perhaps they just haven't updated things yet).

Hopefully, that makes sense...


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## jmauz (Apr 2, 2018)

Hey Rick! Very exciting news about your wife's internship with NASA. Will she be at JPL? 

I live in Pasadena and I'd be happy to meet you and offer any advice/knowledge I can provide. Shoot me a PM. 

Cheers!


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## Rick McGuire (Apr 2, 2018)

jmauz said:


> Hey Rick! Very exciting news about your wife's internship with NASA. Will she be at JPL?
> 
> I live in Pasadena and I'd be happy to meet you and offer any advice/knowledge I can provide. Shoot me a PM.
> 
> Cheers!


Yeah, she'll be at JPL. I'll send you a pm


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## gsilbers (Apr 2, 2018)

Rick McGuire said:


> Wasn't really sure what to title this thread (as it is also my first in these forums). However, I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I'm sort of in an awkward/interesting situation. My wife just got accepted to intern with NASA in Pasadena for the summer (we're thrilled), but that leaves me to find something to do while we're in the LA area for a few months.
> 
> A little about me, I played percussion for about a decade before making the switch to composing about a year and a half ago. I was at university studying percussion for a semester before transferring to the local community college. I haven't taken music courses since that semester at university (I've been focusing on my GE's), but I have been taking lessons with a few professionals for composition and orchestration for about a year. I also took AP Music Theory in high school and even got a 5 on the AP exam. I'm about intermediate when it comes to Sibelius (I've used it for years); Logic I'm still learning along with Kontakt. I've applied to USC, NYU, and CCNY, just waiting to hear back from them before transferring somewhere for my undergrad.
> 
> ...



i would re-think the pasadena to ucla thing. just check google traffic at different hours of the courses. 
traffic in LA is one of those things that you couldnt even fathom how ridicoulous it is that one has to plan their life around it. same as rent costs. 

you might be better off finding an internship at a composers studio around burbank/studio city area. 
it helps if you only have a limited time and only will help on minor stuff for a composer. that way you get to seehow they work etc. a long term solution is a little more scary for composers who can afford an intern. 

there is also a lot more option of course.


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## chillbot (Apr 3, 2018)

gsilbers said:


> i would re-think the pasadena to ucla thing. just check google traffic at different hours of the courses.


Have to agree with G-MO on this. Oh and incidentally, I live right next to JPL.

Just for fun I took pics of the traffic map at noon, 3pm, and 6pm today. At noon it's "only" 43 minutes. That's a long way round-trip sitting in LA traffic.

At 3pm it's 1h 6m and you think, we'll that's an outlier because there was an accident. Nope, there is always an accident. Or five.

At 5:45pm (now) it's 1h 13m. And rush hour doesn't end until about 8pm usually. Later on weekends.

Sure there are a few city streets... I used to cut through the canyon roads from Burbank to UCLA but that was 20 years ago and it wasn't much better even back then. The biggest issue is there are virtually no freeways that run at a diagonal from the NE to the SW or vice versa. That's why Pasadena and Santa Monica might as well be Los Angeles and San Francisco.

By this point you're probably wondering why I'm babbling so much about traffic. Well as G-MO said... it's really a way of life here. You plan virtually your whole life around traffic. It's a huge topic of conversations among friends or among strangers in the grocery store. We listen to 1070am radio ("traffic and weather, together on the five") just to hear the traffic reports, even if we're not driving. So we know where not to go, or who's going to be late to what, or just to laugh at our friends that are stuck in traffic.

Typical LA conversation:

"Hey we went down to Long Beach las..."

[interrupting] "Oh yeah? Which route did you take?"


Noon:






3:00pm:






5:45pm:


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## Rick McGuire (Apr 3, 2018)

Yeah the UCLA thing just wouldn't work out lol (you can tell how well I know the LA area haha). I reached out to a few composers in Pasadena today, sent my resume and cover letter, all that good stuff. If nothing pans out I'm not sure what I'd end up doing. Probably just finding a temporary job and keep writing


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## synthpunk (Apr 3, 2018)

Try and spend a good day at Amoeba Records on Sunset in Hollywood. Not only do they have a great selection of music and vinyl buy also great memorabilia and you're likely to run into someone famous either from film or music while you're there. It's the greatest living record store in the world in my opinion and may not be around much longer if the area is redeveloped as rumored. They also host live shows. VERY busy on Saturdays.

https://www.amoeba.com/our-stores/


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## Lex (Apr 4, 2018)

chillbot said:


> Typical LA conversation:
> 
> "Hey we went down to Long Beach las..."
> 
> ...


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## Desire Inspires (Apr 4, 2018)

So you aren’t going to get a job and work? How are you guys going to pay bills?


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## Rick McGuire (Apr 4, 2018)

Desire Inspires said:


> So you aren’t going to get a job and work? How are you guys going to pay bills?


No? I just said that I’m going to probably get a temporary job and still write on the side. My wife’s internship with NASA is also paid really well


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## synthpunk (Apr 4, 2018)

There is always Uber 



Rick McGuire said:


> No? I just said that I’m going to probably get a temporary job and still write on the side. My wife’s internship with NASA is also paid really well


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## Desire Inspires (Apr 4, 2018)

Rick McGuire said:


> No? I just said that I’m going to probably get a temporary job and still write on the side. My wife’s internship with NASA is also paid really well



That’s gangsta!

Yeah, just write a ton of music and mingle with composers. You have a DAW, so you are all set. Crank out that music. Maybe hang with some younger people who also DJ and do music on a computer too.

I wouldn’t worry about an internship. They don’t pay anything, so why work for free. They might not even teach you anything about music, just doing metadata or cleaning up after other working people. Don’t get used like many of the other young people out here.


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## Rick McGuire (Apr 4, 2018)

Desire Inspires said:


> That’s gangsta!
> 
> Yeah, just write a ton of music and mingle with composers. You have a DAW, so you are all set. Crank out that music. Maybe hang with some younger people who also DJ and do music on a computer too.
> 
> I wouldn’t worry about an internship. They don’t pay anything, so why work for free. They might not even teach you anything about music, just doing metadata or cleaning up after other working people. Don’t get used like many of the other young people out here.



Yeah I think I'll just write a ton, like you said. I really appreciate everyone's advice!


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## musicalweather (Apr 6, 2018)

All good advice here, but I have to quibble a bit about the UCLA commute. I live in Pasadena and have taken many UCLA extension courses, several of them in Westwood. (BTW, not _all_ courses are there. Some are in Hollywood, which can still be a lengthy commute. Others have been in North Hollywood, which is quite easy from Pasadena.) You have to allot quite a bit of time for driving. I once took a course that started at 6 or 7 p.m. on a weekday in Westwood, so I scheduled an hour and a half for driving there, and it usually took me just under that to get there. The drive home later in the evening was much faster. So it's a matter of what you'll tolerate. But it can be done. The instructors at UCLA extension have great expertise and are plugged into the film scoring scene in L.A. Plus, you can get your work recorded by live musicians!

As far as meeting composers (including those who might hire you as an intern), here are some organizations to check out -- many of them will have events in the summer:

Academy of Scoring Arts
Society of Composers and Lyricists
GANG (Game Audio Network Guild)
Film Independent / LA Film Festival (starts in June, I believe)
Women in Film (yes, dudes can come to the events  )

Hope this helps.


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## givemenoughrope (Apr 6, 2018)

synthpunk said:


> Try and spend a good day at Amoeba Records on Sunset in Hollywood. Not only do they have a great selection of music and vinyl buy also great memorabilia and you're likely to run into someone famous either from film or music while you're there. It's the greatest living record store in the world in my opinion and may not be around much longer if the area is redeveloped as rumored. They also host live shows. VERY busy on Saturdays.
> 
> https://www.amoeba.com/our-stores/



Then walk over to the Arclight and catch a flick. And THEN, walk down to Atch Kotch at Fountain and Vine and get the best bowl of (not quite traditional) ramen in the area.


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