♪♪ Welcome to ALL ARTS presentation of the 2022 "Artist in Residence" program.

I'm James King.

In this film, by filmmaker Steven Tabakin, you'll follow musician Matthew Whitaker, a jazz artist who's been blind since birth, as he explores what it means to gain independence as an artist and young man transitioning into adulthood.

The film takes a closer look at Matthew's interest in film scoring and the mentees who help him on his path of artistic self-discovery.

As a nod to this journey, Matthew himself has done the score for the film you're about to see.

We hope you enjoy.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Matthew: For a long time, I've wanted to be a music director and also compose music for film.

This year, I was given a chance to do a residency, to work on some new roles and to make a film about it.

So I'm doing those things.

Starting with doing this documentary that you're watching right now.

♪♪ How you doing?

Child: Wait.

What is it?

Yo, is this like film school for something?

No, this is a documentary that we are doing and you now are a part of it.

[ Laughs ] No.

So this is a documentary of... me.

-You.

Yeah!

I play piano.

I play organ, drums.

Oh.

And you live around here?

Yeah, I... Oh, I live right there.

That's cool.

Nice!

♪♪ Speaker: Hey... -Yeah.

...you guys want to be in the documentary?

Yeah!

Oh, I didn't even get a haircut today.

Whatever.

No, no way!

This'll be way easy.

Okay, watch this.

So, go to Spotify.

♪♪ See a camera button?

Yeah, I got it.

So now, all you do is just -- Hold on.

Let me just double-check.

Yeah, just scan this.

Oh, my God.

My hands are shaking.

It's okay.

Can you see it?

-Yeah, I got it.

-Sweet!

-Thank you so much.

And that's the latest album.

Feel free to also check out the rest of the page.

You can see all my other music as well.

-Alright.

-Okay.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

Thanks so much, guys.

Really appreciate it.

Really appreciate it.

Really appreciate it.

-Alright.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome!

-Have a good day.

♪♪ How about that?

♪♪ I have been blind since birth.

At three months old, the oxygen that was keeping me alive damaged my eyes.

♪♪ The doctors gave me less than a 50% chance of survival.

♪♪ There was also eye surgeries, like about 11 of them.

A bunch of therapy.

♪♪ The doctors said that, you know, I wouldn't be able to walk or crawl or speak at all, you know.

And then -- ♪♪ You know, so I've been through a lot.

♪♪ When I was three, my grandfather gave me my first keyboard.

When I was five, I started taking classical piano lessons.

I started playing drums at six.

♪♪ For a long time, I didn't speak.

♪♪ Music gave me a way to connect in the world.

♪♪ I'm so grateful that I'm still here and still doing my thing.

♪♪ Let's see.

Let's go to the -- [ Electronic voice stuttered, sped up ] [ Laughs ] [ Continues speaking rapidly ] Is that okay?

-Yeah.

Okay, here we go.

[ Snapping fingers ] 1, 2.

♪ Unh, unh, unh, unh ♪ ♪♪ Most people know me as a jazz musician.

When somebody like me says, "I want to do film scoring," I think the majority of people think, "Oh, he can't do it because he is blind."

I say, let me do it, anyway.

[ Laughs ] Thank you so much.

[ Shouts indistinctly ] Thank you very much!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Here we go.

♪♪ ♪♪ Sweet.

Well, y'all good with that one.

[ Plays "Shave and a Haircut" ] [ Laughter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Chelsea tour.

Meeting on the 7th.

[ Continues sped up ] ♪♪ ♪♪ You need a haircut, boy.

♪♪ You got water in my -- ♪♪ We've always taught him... ♪♪ ...to find a way to make it happen, to find a way to do it.

If it doesn't work for him, he'll get on the Internet, he'll search, or he'll try to figure out, "Okay, how is this sighted person doing it?"

There's just some things that he won't be able to do.

But the majority of things, Matthew finds a way to do it.

♪♪ We've met blind mechanics and doctors and teachers, so, it just gave us hope that, with the right tools, support, and education, he would be able to be productive and be an independent adult, which is the goal.

You know, we're concerned, as parents, but to him, it's about, you know, just that love that he's always had.

You know, he was born with that love of music.

We always talk to Matthew about, "Well, Matthew, what are you going to do if, one day, you just can't play?

It's still in you, but what can you do if you just can't play?"

So I think that's why you hear him talking about, "I want to film score.

I want to produce.

I want to do those other things," because, even if he couldn't play anymore, he can still do those things and it's still associated with music.

♪♪ Hey, guys, what's up?

Happy Friday.

We're currently on our way to New York, to The Shed.

We're going to be working on my residency.

[ Horns honk ] ♪♪ This Artist in Residency, I'm really excited about this.

Although it is about bringing you out the box because I love exploring outside my comfort zone.

It's going to be a great learning experience for me.

♪♪ ♪♪ Congratulations on being part of the ALL ARTS residency.

Thank you!

I'm super excited!

Yes.

So what are the things that you're looking forward to doing in this residency?

I want to just expand on my composing, you know.

Also, you know, writing for vocal, I guess, you know, since I'm minister of music at my church, I've done arrangements for our group.

So you grew up in church?

Yeah, I've been -- Yeah, yeah.

Baptist.

-Me too.

-Go ahead!

[ Slaps thigh ] -Baptist.

-Go ahead!

[ Laughs ] [ Band playing funk ] ♪ Aye ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Hey ♪ For me, I'm playing organ and keyboards and controlling stuff and directing the choir.

I usually give hand signals while I'm playing.

Mm-hmm.

Kind of easier to just use my head on my hand while still playing a cord.

[ Choir sings ] And I'm controlling my phone, which has different stuff that we program on there.

♪♪ You're doing so many things at the same time.

Communicating with the choir, you're also paying attention to what the pastor wants and needs.

You're also paying attention to your band and those are great tools for helping you to kind of be open and available to new things because it's like you're used to doing ten thousand things at once.

♪ He's gonna do it ♪ ♪ Yeah-eah-eah, he's gonna ♪ ♪ He's gonna do it ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ He's gonna do it ♪ Go.

♪ Everybody say, but I know ♪ ♪ But I know ♪ ♪ He'll be right on time ♪ ♪ Everybody say, but I know ♪ ♪ But I know ♪ ♪ He'll be right ♪ ♪ On time ♪ I'm going to put forth a challenge.

-Oh, boy.

-Here's the challenge.

Oh, yeah, you're up for it.

-Oh, boy.

I want you to find a musical theater song -Hm... -and I want you to arrange it, either through the lens of gospel music or through jazz.

-Hm... -And, if you if you make that arrangement, then I will bring in some of my singers for you to teach them it and for them to sing it.

♪♪ Are you up to the challenge?

♪♪ So I hear you're the new artist in residence of ALL ARTS here.

Yes.

Yes, I'm the -- ALL A-- [ Laughter ] -You the big dog.

-Yes.

-You the big dog.

-Yes.

What do you hope and plan or would like to accomplish in this time?

I would love to get into some -- some composing for orchestral-type stuff.

I want to expand on that.

Okay, so, now, you're the musical director at your church?

-Yeah.

How would that be different from being the musical director of your bands?

They're both similar, in a way, just like with the band, I'm kind of doing the same thing.

So show me how you -- Now, we're at church on Sunday.

Make-believe the congregation, everybody's there.

There's that moment before the preacher actually walks up to to the pulpit.

What are you playing?

Just music that that fills the atmosphere, you know?

♪♪ You know, different, like calm, you know.

It's more laid-back.

Or if it's, you know, like heavy.

♪♪ -[ Laughs ] -You know, stuff like that.

-You got to save that for the sermon, right?

-Right.

[ Laughter ] No, no.

Yeah, yeah.

You got to really flow with like how the spirit is going.

-Right.

And, now that I'm thinking about it more, it's really like kind of improv-ish.

-Yes.

-You know?

-Yes.

-Anybody got joy today?

[ Cheering and applause ] Come on, don't fool me.

Anybody got joy today?

[ Cheering and applause ] Anybody glad to be on God's wake-up list this morning?

Anybody glad to just be alive, in your right mind, with a reasonable portion of health?

For the Lord is good.

-Yeah!

His mercy is everlasting.

So, knowing that, you know, how you do that and the arranging and, really, the orchestrating that you're already doing at church and that you're already doing with your band, how do you see yourself moving to doing that for film?

-Mm.

-Or what would the limitations be or the hurdles that you think you might have?

-Good question.

For me, since I'm blind, that's a limitation for me.

Just like I can't see.

I don't know what's going on in there, so.

So, here I am.

So, now, I'm the big director of the movie, right?

And so now this is the scene.

We have the mother.

There's a big storm coming up outside and the kid just ran outside to go get a toy.

-Mm.

-And now the mother is calling for the kid.

The storm's getting bigger and crazier.

I need like 15 seconds of music.

So the music would just -- Don't say any more.

I want you to play it.

-[ Laughs ] -Alright, so hold up.

So now, in my worst mother voice -- No, it's fine.

Matthew!

Matthew, where you at?!

You start.

Matthew!

[ Playing suspenseful tune ] Matthew!

♪♪ You know, I don't know.

[ Laughs ] No, but that's what I'm saying.

That's just it.

-It starts out like -- -Exactly.

And then someone will say, "Okay, that's too big, at first.

I want you to make it smaller and let it build up to that."

So here we go again.

Take 2.

Matthew!

Matthew, where you at?

Matthew!

Matthew.

Matthew!

[ Playing serene suspenseful tune ] Matthew!

-There, you know?

-Exactly, exactly.

-Yeah.

-And so you're just setting that mode and that mood.

Right.

I just think of like what I've been hearing other composers do, which is just like I watch a bunch of YouTubers.

Can I give you a little pearl of wisdom -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

-a teacher gave me back in high school?

-Yeah.

-You do you.

-Mm.

-You just did you.

You're not trying to copy anybody else or mimic anybody.

-No, yeah.

I mean, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, yeah.

You're a monster.

Where's the camera?

-I love it.

-This is a monster here.

Matthew: Everyone on this team really pushed me musically, you know, to step outside my comfort zone and, throughout the entire day, you know, I just had that in my head.

♪♪ You're interested in doing film music.

Yeah, I want to venture in there.

What makes you want to do that?

I just love the whole idea of like, you know, especially when it comes to sounds.

Like I love... ♪♪ ...experimenting.

I guess like the thing that I'm nervous about is just like, you know, what is the person directing going to say, you know?

If they know what they're doing... -[ Chuckle ] -they'll have a sense, first of all, a developed sense of what they want the score to do for the picture.

If I say it's a scene of a terrible, gruesome war and it's violent and -- [ Playing portentous tune ] [ Gunfire ] ♪♪ Okay, but say we have the same scene and the director tells you, "But we don't want -- -You don't want gruesome in the music.

[ Chuckle ] -What we want is the emotional pain, the quietness of the horror of this or the grief of this or the tragedy of it.

♪♪ [ Gunfire ] ♪♪ [ Rapid gunfire ] [ Explosion ] [ Rapid gunfire ] [ Explosion ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Rapid gunfire ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Rapid gunfire ] ♪♪ -I don't know.

-That's wonderful.

There are some gorgeous things in there.

You know what I think would be a good experience for you?

To hear your musical ideas coming from a live orchestra.

You know, I wanted to propose something to you.

Yeah.

If you had something that you would like to hear with a real orchestra and if you were able to, you know, show me the music and tell me how you wanted, what kinds of instruments you wanted to play it or if you did a sketch using your samples, I would be happy to score it and put it in front of an orchestra.

♪♪ Susan: Music supervision is guiding a score.

Basically, helping the director find what the right score is for the film.

Why I think you'll be so strong doing score is because what the score really should be telling is not what you're seeing.

The best scores are the scores that are telling the internal narrative, the things that we don't see.

I'm going to pull up this very small, little clip and I'm going to talk to you about it, about this little girl.

We see a sky with a moon and clouds.

[ Playing bright tune ] ♪♪ What's happening?

The little girl, she's pulling out a big ball of light in a dollhouse.

And she's like holding a moon in her hand.

-And she's narrating?

-And she's narrating.

She's looking at her little ball of light.

She's like holding a moon in her hand.

♪♪ And then, she has a little birthday balloon.

♪♪ [ Playing "Happy Birthday to You" ] ♪♪ [ Laughs ] I don't know.

[ Laughs ] Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're good.

You are.

Oh, my goodness.

I can't wait to take that and use it and actually sync it into the picture.

It was so beautiful.

I think we got it on tape, so we can splice it and dice it and do whatever we have to do.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Drumming ] [ Hip hop plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Michael: Hello.

Hello.

[ Laughter ] Michael had a great idea of me doing some arranging where I take a Broadway song and make it jazzy, with a bit of gospel here and there.

[ Funk plays ] ♪♪ The song I chose was "Tomorrow," from the Broadway show "Annie."

♪♪ I chose this song because, you know, I wanted to like, you know, pick something that everyone knew.

Also, like just try to see what I can do with it like to make it my own.

I think it's really great.

It really is what we talked about.

The only two notes that I have is the beginning and the ending.

You go really super traditional on the beginning and the ending and I think that your arrangement has earned the ability to do something a little bit more adventurous at the end.

I got 12 singers, including myself, and we're going to, once we get it solidified, we're going to learn it and sing it.

Okay.

Back to vacation.

Take care, y'all.

John: Hey, Matthew, how are you, man?

Hey!

♪♪ Have you done any more work on that orchestral piece?

I did it a few days ago.

[ Chuckle ] I was able to work using sounds that I have on my computer.

Getting a real orchestra will be amazing.

Listen, man, you created a really propulsive, dynamic piece that, if that were adapted for us -- now, that would need a large symphony.

I think, to pull that off, you'd need, at least, 85 to 100 people to pull that off in the way that you're imagining.

You've got the outline of something really, really wonderful.

It does sound like movie music, right?

Everyone's saying that.

Ha!

Everyone is saying that.

Wow.

♪♪ Yeah, hey.

It's going to be an experience you'll remember.

♪♪ So, Matthew, this is what I -- so this is what we'll do.

We're going to talk about how to present ideas to a director because it's really good never to just present one idea.

And we're going to keep it very simple because the girl is very young, so the instruments can't be bigger than her.

You explore and think about a 12-year-old, young girl waiting for her mom.

It's her birthday.

Something's changing.

She can feel change is about to come.

She doesn't know if it's good change or bad change.

She can just feel that the wind of change is going to come.

♪♪ Yo, can you hear me okay?

I hear you great.

How are you doing, man?

Good to see you.

Good to see you, too.

I'm doing great.

I would just say I make sure you know what the goal is and then, have you executed it, and that's the trick at all times because what your idea is is one thing.

What the director's idea might be something else.

All of these people that are involved could have a different idea on where they want to go, so your thing is to try to figure out what everybody wants and then how do you put your thing in there.

♪♪ Strings in one and woodwinds get one stripe, brass in another stripe, and percussion in another stripe, so that it's all playing on the tracks.

So, if you want, while you're listening, if it's easier for you to just type like in the chat, that's fine, but I'll keep my headphones on, so, any notes you have, I'll just write down.

♪♪ Matthew: They're playing now, guys.

They're playing now.

♪♪ Do you mind if I help out a bit?

-Please.

-Yeah.

So that's the note right there.

So it fades in at three and fades out at seven.

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Let me talk to Derek.

-No, he can't hear you.

-Is there some way -- -If you tell me, I can, yeah.

-Tell him.

It's not a D. [ Voices overlapping ] -[ Scat singing ] Matthew, what's the note?

Wait, hold on.

There are so many people talking.

So we have -- So we have the harmonic up here.

I'm not sure if you can hear that.

-A, yeah.

-Yeah, we've taken care of it.

-Shall we move on to bar 16?

-Yeah.

Let's move, guys.

♪♪ ♪♪ Did you have any comments on that?

If I'm not mistaken, I did hear the snares, the snare part of it wrong.

Matthew, we're at 19 minutes past 9:00.

-Totally understand.

-So.

Let's try and move.

♪♪ The snare drum was much better at 26, 27.

Yeah, that was perfect.

I know it's their first time reading it, but make sure everyone's locked in.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Playing funk ] ♪ Unh, unh, unh ♪ ♪ Aye ♪ ♪ Unh, unh, unh ♪ ♪ Aye!

♪ ♪ Unh, unh, unh, unh ♪ ♪ Unh, unh, unh ♪ ♪ Unh, unh ♪ ♪ Aye!

♪ ♪♪ ♪ Unh, unh ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ What's up?

[ Laughs ] Yo!

The sound sounds great already, huh?

-♪ Just thinking about ♪ -The sound sounds great.

♪ Tomorrow ♪ Michael: Well, I was shocked that he chose, when I challenged him to find a song, and he said, "I want to do 'Tomorrow,'" I was like, "'Tomorrow'?!

-[ Laughs ] -From 'Annie'?"

♪ That's gray ♪ ♪ And lonely ♪ ♪ I just stick out my chin ♪ ♪ And grin ♪ ♪ And say ♪ And then, he sent me the track and I was like, "Ohhhhh.

-[ Laughs ] -Okay, I see where we're going."

♪ Come what may ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ -[ Scat singing ] ♪ The sun'll come out ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ -[ Scat singing ] ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ You're always a day ♪ ♪ A day away ♪ -Whoo!

-Thank you!

Thank you!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

[ Applause ] Sing, y'all!

[ Laughter ] Sing!

-Whoo!

-Sing.

Y'all better sing!

[ Laughter ] Y'all sounded amazing!

[ Laughter ] Oooooh!

Your arrangement.

Yeah, this arrangement.

It's so beautiful.

♪ Hang on 'til to-- ♪ [ Clapping ] ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you tomorrow ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ Love you ♪ ♪ Love you tomorrow ♪ -Ah!

-♪ You're always ♪ ♪ A day ♪ ♪ A... ♪ Nice!

♪ ...way ♪ Michael: Yeah.

Did you hear it that time?

-Yes.

-♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you tomorrow ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ Love you tomorrow ♪ It's a -- ♪ Love you ♪ -♪ Love you ♪ -Aah!

[ Clap ] You was going higher.

-[ Laughs ] -♪ Love you ♪ I'm talking about -- ♪ Just thinkin' about tomorrow ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out, just thinkin' about ♪ And then, you can build through there.

♪ Tomorrow ♪ Right?

That's where we build.

But -- ♪ Just think ♪ It should drop a bar.

It shouldn't be so barky.

Matthew: Cool.

♪ Just thinkin' about tomorrow ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out, just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ Accent the row, so stuff like, you know -- ♪ Just thinking about tomorrow ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I just stick out my chin and say ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out again tomorrow ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out, just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ Women: ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out, just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ -♪ The sun'll come out ♪ ♪ Just thinkin' about ♪ -♪ The sun'll come out ♪ -♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out ♪ ♪ Just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ All: ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Just thinkin' about tomorrow ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out, just thinkin' about ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I just stick out my chin and say ♪ ♪ The sun'll come out again tomorrow, oh ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ I love you tomorrow ♪ ♪ Hang on 'til to-- ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you tomorrow ♪ ♪ To...morrow ♪ ♪ Love you tomorrow ♪ -♪ You're always ♪ ♪ A day ♪ ♪ A... ♪ ♪ ...way ♪ [ Applause ] Whoo!

Matthew: Yes!

-Whoo!

-Love you.

-Whoo!

[ Applause ] Go ahead!

Go ahead!

♪ Aye, aye, aye ♪ ♪♪ Go!

♪♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪ Whaah!

♪ ♪♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ Tomorrow ♪ ♪♪ Whoo!

[ Cheering and applause ] Yeah!

♪♪ Yes!

Group hug.

Come on in.

Come on in.

Come on in.

Group hug.

[ Applause ] It's only up from here, you know?

So I'm really excited about what the future has and, you know?

And, yeah, I love it.

I love you guys.

♪♪ You know that.

You know that's pretty.

♪♪