Music of the Spheres (with Kara Arena)

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This week Daniel and Monty sit down with actor, singer/songwriter, and Rude Grooms Master of Music, Kara Arena. Kara has composed music for every Rude Grooms production, as well as the music for this very podcast. Listen to her talk about her journey as an artist, how her creative process works, and then go and follow her on Instagram HERE.

Topics include:

Kara’s artistic origin story.Fearless, mystical writingLearning to play an instrument for a showThe difficulty of consistent practiceHow the comfort of the theatre and performance can relieve the pressure of learning an instrumentThe difference between the artist and their artistic personaPlaying your own music for the first timeLearning not to take judgement personallyThe inherent compelling nature of fictional villainsThe fun of playing roles that go counter to “type”Looking internally at your own experience as a catalyst for character developmentSeparating your own sound from your influencesHow to write music for a showFinding the vibe of a showThe power of oooooh’s and aaahh’s in musicHow simplicity in songwriting leads to adaptabilityWhat most people get wrong about Romeo and JulietWhy Juliet is out of Romeo’s leagueAllowing your creations to take on lives of their ownImprovisation within structureWhy you don’t need lessons to be a musicianKara’s first music video!How the meaning of a song evolves as you spend more time with itThe differences in writing for Greek theatre vs. Shakespeare

Music is by Kara Arena, Master of Music for Rude Grooms. Share your thoughts and questions with us @thiswoodeno on Twitter and Instagram, email audio responses to [email protected], visit us on the web at thiswoodeno.com, like us at facebook.com/thiswoodenopod/, or support us on Patreon (patreon.com/rudegrooms) to join the conversation during livestream broadcasts of every episode.

This week’s shoutouts, recommendations, & further reading include:

Rickie Lee JonesSpring AwakeningJoni MitchellSufjan StevensArcade FireThe Beatles“Heart Song” by Kara Arena on YouTubeGilbert TheaterPortland Stage Company

This Wooden O is a production of Rude Grooms. Learn more at rudegrooms.com or follow us @rudegrooms on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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