Conversations with Peter Howard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Howard

Hi Peter, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, and my musical journey started when I was a young kid growing up there. Sometimes during trips to my grandparents’ house in the Hill Country, I would sit down at their old piano and begin plucking away at familiar melodies, like “Happy Birthday” by ear.

I certainly didn’t realize at the time how much of a pivot point in the trajectory of my life my time with that old piano would come to be, but the sense of exploration I felt when I found a melody between those keys was absolutely magical, and it inspired me to start taking piano lessons when I was nine. I picked up the guitar a few years later, and by the time I went to Interlochen Arts Academy at 17, I wrote songs and I played a myriad of instruments; making music was unquestionably a core part of my identity.

After a year at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, I landed in Nashville, Tennessee for seven years, from 2015 through 2022. I acquired a B.A. in songwriting and an M.S. in audio engineering at Belmont University, and I subsequently worked in the music industry there, settling into the local live audio scene as an engineer. During this period of my life, I recorded tons of songs and pieces of music at my home studio, and my interest in songwriting began to bleed into a burgeoning interest in composing for film.

I don’t know how many scene rescores I did before moving (finding film scenes on the internet and scoring one’s own music over them), but by the time I landed in LA in early 2023, I was flush with portfolio material to get me going. I’ve certainly improved at my craft by leaps and bounds since going all-in on composing in the middle of last year, but I was able to use what I had made in Nashville to slowly claw my way onto the ladder here by aggressively networking and hustling for projects.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not really, no. For starters, the film industry has been in a terrible – even catastrophic – place for well over a year, and getting work of any sort has been an uphill battle. This crisis in the industry is also happening at a time when LA’s cost of living is squeezing Angelenos harder than ever. The situation really has become a fight for survival for most until the industry lands on the other side of the massive paradigm shift it’s currently undergoing.

Likewise, coming into composing in one’s mid-20’s can be daunting, because there are quite a few very talented composers who have been networking here and working on their craft since they were much, much younger than I was when I started. It’s no surprise to hear that Los Angeles is a competitive city, but I will say, it really is important to zoom out every once in a while and admire just the sheer amount of talent in this town. I have met some absurdly talented people here, and while that high bar can make opportunities to push further into the film industry more difficult for a relative newcomer, it’s also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from my peers.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a composer for scored media – primarily films. I founded and own a company, Aldensounds Productions, LLC, which helps me facilitate the writing, production and packaging of score materials to the directors and producers who hire me.

After signing my name on the dotted line, the jobs I take on typically involve a few things. Assuming I’m working on a film, the first step would be to “spot” it – I meet with the director and we discuss where music is actually warranted. Next, I write the music – this is a kind of mystical process that’s tough to articulate, but it involves finding the emotional essence of what I’m watching and musically highlighting the relevant emotions as they happen. Next, I arrange the music – I find the right sonics for the piece of music, whether that means using orchestral instruments, human voices, drum machine, etc. – it’s almost an extension of the writing process. Lastly, I edit and tweak these tracks to professional fidelity and send in the deliverables. Depending on the film’s budget, this process can look different, but that’s the general gist of things!

My biggest accomplishment thus far is scoring my first feature film – Terry Spears’ “Broken City”, which I did at the tail end of last year. I cranked out about 50 minutes of music for that film in a few weeks, and they are still some of my favorite cues I’ve ever written (a “cue” is any individual piece of music that’s written to support a visual medium, like the opening theme of “Star Wars” or the desert chase scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”).

I think if anything fundamentally differentiates me from many other composers in town, it would be my emphasis on and grasp of melody. I’ve always felt that a melody can speak a deeper and more primal language than prose can, and when harmonies and rhythms come together in specific ways, magic can happen. Any feeling, whether it be the longing for a parent long-deceased, the elation of a first kiss, or the anxiety of a job interview, can be expressed through melody in a way that whispers to our deepest, most vulnerable selves. Figuring out what those particular melodies are in films I work on is my greatest strength, and it’s also my favorite part of scoring.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I think there’s a certain electricity in the air here – one that I haven’t felt anywhere else. Los Angeles incubates this frantic, discombobulated creative energy around every corner, and you can really feel that chaotic, inspired “dreamer” energy across the city. It’s this sense that despite all of LA’s many faults, a creative, determined person can ascend to the highest peaks there are to climb here – that the difficulties involved in pursuing creative careers are worth it here, because this is still the best city on Earth for those who seek to make a life out of the arts.

As for my least favorite aspect of LA? I really do loathe the lack of public transportation options here, and how long it can take to get to one’s destination in a car. There’s an isolating effect that comes from the city’s sprawl, and I think a lot of the city is incredibly lonely as a result of that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aldensounds.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aldenph1996/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/peter-howard-music/sets/cue-examples-abridged