Music is both visceral and mysterious, resulting in an emotional response that we hope makes a connection, a connection between artist and listener, story and viewer, brand and customer. To me, making “music that matters” is about that connection. Mining that emotional element that makes your arm hairs stand up. Music That Matters is about authenticity, and for me authenticity is achieved only with craftsmanship, doing your homework and yes, talent.
I’ve known I was a musician since I was 10 years old. And so I’ve been listening, learning and practicing since I was 10 years old. I love all music that is well crafted. As a composer, people are always asking me what is my favorite record or band, and I am stumped. It’s like asking me to stare into a vast forest and pick out my favorite tree. I consume it all, and it’s all there when I sit down to write. It guides everything I compose.
The idea of music that matters includes how the arts in general can have such a strong impact on people, especially young people trying to figure out who they are. My involvement in Neighborhood Studios of Fairfield County, a non-profit arts program in Bridgeport, CT, goes all the way back to it’s founding in 1977 by my mother Pat. “Changing lives through the arts” she used to say, which still guides me personally and professionally.
For me, it all connects. Whether it’s music for a TV commercial, a score for a documentary, or a song for a record, the goal is the same, well-crafted music that has the strongest possible impact and serves the overarching desire to make that important connection.
Dave Hart