Ethan Toavs

In many film and game scores, composers make musical choices that are designed to immerse the audience into the fictitious world of a piece of media. Some composers may make simple choices, like using the double-harmonic major scale to represent a desert setting. Other composers might go all in, combining musical elements from a wide array of cultural influences to create a truly fresh and distinct musical sound. It is here that lies the essence of what I call, "Musical World

Musical worldbuilding is a process of making musical choices that are informed by the setting of a story. I explore my approach to composing my recent album, "Folk Songs of the Tadpole Aliens," which aims to depict the music of an alien race.

When I am composing and find myself struck with a case of indecision, I like to have a spinning wheel randomly select something from a...