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Just Add Music (with Minna)
Hi! Welcome to Just Add Music, a podcast for the music curious, aspiring music makers and anyone in need of a creative companion on a lonely day.
My name is Minna. I'm a professional composer living in the Bay Area. 15 years ago I started an orchestra called The Magik*Magik Orchestra and have composed music for hundreds of bands, filmmakers, artists on creative projects of all kinds.
The one thing I wish someone had told me when I was younger was that you don't need to be a star to make a good living doing what you love. It took me 30 years to finally trust my intuitive musical voice. I hope that by listening to this podcast, I can help speed up that process for you and help remove unnecessary roadblocks to your own creative intuitions.
If you have ever been curious to explore making music for fun or as a career but wondered what the day to day was like, I invite you to take a listen. The format is casual and unscripted. Just a lunch between two friends talking music, craft and business.
Welcome!
Credits:
Minna Choi - host, composer, music/audio editor
Nicole Wong - producer, story editor
Episodes
17 episodes
17. Just Add...Memories of Mariah (Overture Series)
At last, the final episode of the Overture Series is here!It's been 3 months since that first call and finally I get to hear the final reveal on tour, loud and proud! Welcome to the Season Finale of Just Add Music Season ...
16. Just Add...The Layer Cake (Overture Series)
The big day is here! Time to go to the studio and finally record the final versions of these two short pieces. It's August 2023 and we are in Oakland at 25th Street Studios with a 13 piece string section, a trumpet player, a french horn playe...
15. Just Add...Notation (Overture Series)
Don't have the CALM app yet? Fear not! My love letter to Notation episode is here to help you rest that weary body and heavy eyelids. Cozy up with your favorite blanket and hear me wax poetic about my love for the art of notation...
14. Just Add..Music Shout Outs (Overture Series)
Today we move onto writing the overture for Death Cab for Cutie. My relationship with DCFC goes back to 2011 when I wrote my first string arrangements for their Codes and Keys album. Shortly thereafter, we toured an orchestral collab set in 2...
13. Just Add...Dad's Vacation (Overture Series)
We've all felt it, but no one (to my knowledge) has ever named it. You know that feeling when you send your first draft of a fresh new idea, your baby, your precious to someone for their feedback? But you haven't heard anything back yet? ...
12. Just Add...Better Second Drafts (Overture Series)
It's been about a week since I fiddled around with the first draft of the Postal Service Overture. During that week of waiting, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of fixing I was going to have to do. The memory of the draft in my head turned ...
11. Just Add...Bad First Drafts (Overture Series)
Welcome to the 2nd Season of Just Add Music!For this series, we are delving into the behind the scenes of the composing process by tracking the lifecycle of 2 short music commissions from start to finish. The pieces in question? Two 1-m...
10. Just Add...The First Brainstorm (Overture Series)
Welcome to the 2nd Season of Just Add Music!For this series, we are delving into the behind the scenes of the composing process by tracking the lifecycle of 2 short music commissions from start to finish. The pieces in question? Two 1-m...
9. Just Add...The Assignment (Overture Series)
Welcome to the 2nd Season of Just Add Music! For this series, we are delving into the behind the scenes of the composing process by tracking the lifecycle of 2 short music commissions from start to finish. The pieces in question? Two 1-...
8. Just Add...Real Chords (Bonus Episode and 2023 Sign Off)
After listening back to the Charlie Brown Episode I recorded 5 months ago, both my producer and I thought it left things a bit unresolved. I've always taken a bit of pride in my ability to play most things by ear, but here and ther...
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7. Just Add...Sad Little Christmas Trees (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I'd love to say I saved this episode for last to match with the Christmas holidays but in fact I saved this episode for last because I was feeling very unconfident about my ability to play jazz or even talk...
6. Just Add...Yenta (The Fiddler on the Roof)
Oh Yenta, Yenta, Yenta. This episode is dedicated to my dear friend Agii, who has always been there for me in good times and bad. Your podcast inspired me to make my own and our daily chats are life giving. The spirit of Fiddler on the Roof rem...
5. Just Add...High Cs (Amadeus)
Welcome to the 4th VHS tape of our series: Amadeus!This is the first of the tapes that isn't really a kids movie. There are depictions of suicide attempts, blood, sex, etc. But, there are also many more depictions of sublime music, so m...
4. Just Add...Broomsticks (Fantasia)
It's hard to overstate how impactful this film was to me as a young watcher and listener. Before I understood the Korean or English words being spoken at me as a baby, I was able to understand the musical gestures I was seeing and ...
3. Just Add...Solfège (The Sound of Music)
Can't afford music lessons for your kid in this economy? Just buy the Sound of Music and play on repeat. Maria was my first music teacher and she taught me so much about how music is constructed, complete with puppet shows and rolling hills. It...
2. Just Add...Mermaids (The Little Mermaid)
The first episode of the VHS Tapes Series.Join me as I explore the VHS Tapes of my childhood that were my first music teachers. First up: The Little Mermaid!This was recorded in early May 2023 before the new version came out. I ...