May Wang

MEET MAY!

Hello, my name is Yaxuan (She/Her) but people normally call me May. My family moved from China to Canada 5 years ago and I have learned more about Canadian culture ever since.

Though I have gained many new skills over the years, I'd say that I still have lots of things to improve on, such as singing; every music teacher of mine has pointed out that I have an ear for catching and identifying notes, but I can't sing a single song in the correct melody. I have learned many instruments like the ukulele, recorder, and flute, but my primary instrument is the piano, which I have been playing for 10 years.

At the moment, I am greatly invested in film music, since it is interesting to hear how different layers of instrument can create and emphasize a mood.

May's Final Composition
QUEEN ELINOR'S THEME

Queen_Elinor_Theme.mp4

MAIN THEME

This character theme here is written for Queen Elinor from the movie Brave. This leitmotif expresses the Queen's elegance and authority using a slow but sturdy melody, played on the violin, cello, and piano. Together, these instruments create a higher range texture complimented with a lower range accompaniment to reflect her confident yet organized characteristic. As such, the tone of my motif is composed to be serious and powerful with a touch of carefreeness.

Queen_Elinor_Leitmotif.mp4

VARIATION TO THE THEME

This variation to the main theme is scored for the scene when the King finds Queen Elinor, who has turned into a bear; with his hatred towards bears burning inside him, he unknowingly tries to kill his wife but their daughter Miranda stops him just in time to reveal the truth. In order to show the thoughts going through her mind, I added drums and a repeating accompaniment in the background to create a sense of anxiousness to evoke a strong intense feeling.

May's Reflection on the Final Composition

What did you find to be the most enjoyable from this experience?

I found the process of finding the right melody from this experience to be most enjoyable. By listening to other artists' work online (such as Hans Zimmer's film scores for Inception and Dune), re-watching the film my character was in to better understand the character, and researching the musical conventions of that film, the research process allowed me to explore possible ways to express the character's personality through the use of different musical conventions. Moreover, I also enjoyed building layers in the accompaniment and counter-melody because it creates depth in the music.

What did you find to be the most challenging from this experience?

It was the most challenging for me to find the right beat for the drum because I am pretty unfamiliar with percussion. Otherwise, I also find composing my leitmotif relatively hard since I have made some big changes to my leitmotif over the course of this project, and it was difficult for me to delete most of the things and come up with a brand new idea. However, If I had more time, I would have added more dynamics and crescendo/ decrescendo to my leitmotif since the compositions are at the same dynamic level throughout the duration. The act of having more dynamics within the composition will leave a more impactful impression on the audience as it emphasizes the emotions that are being portrayed.

Andrews, Mark, et al. "Brave". Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2012. Accessed 27 May 2022.

Other Highlights from This Year

Solo_May.m4v

APRIL SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE

This is "One Summer Day" by Joe Hisaishi performed on the piano by May Wang.

FEBRUARY SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE

This is "Lover's Oath" by Yu-Peng Chen performed on the piano by May Wang.

May_February.mp4

May_December.mp4

DECEMBER SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE

This is "Chestnut Roasting On An Open Fire" by Nat King Cole performed on the piano and violin by May Wang and Kayla Shafai.

OCTOBER SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE

This is "Andante Sostenuto" by Felix Mendelssohn performed on the piano by May Wang.

May_October.mp4

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