Students compose music to win iPod

When Dan Semaya '04 first experimented with Apple Computer's new GarageBand software last January, it resonated with him so much that he decided to promote the contest, GarageBandFEST '04.

Semaya, the University's campus representative for Apple Computer and president and founder of the Princeton Student Macintosh Users' Group, came up with the idea to award students for displaying originality and creativity while using the GarageBand program. He was particularly inspired by the success of the iMovies contest at Emory University which drew many student-directed films produced with Apple's iMovies program.

GarageBand, a part of Apple's recently-released iLife software bundle, was appealing "because anybody with or without actual musical ability could create music," Semaya said.

Semaya spent several months planning the GarageBandFEST contest before launching it on March 22. Seventeen students submitted original songs they had produced with GarageBand, and University students, faculty and staff cast 487 online votes. The winners were announced on April 30.

Semaya asked music professor Dan Trueman GS to be the judge for one category of GarageBandFEST after taking his course on digital music. According to Trueman, one of the advantages offered by programs like GarageBand is that it "lets you hear several parts at once . . . layer by layer."

To select the winner and runners-up of the judged category, Trueman listened to every song at least twice.

"When I got down to the last eight or so, I listened several times, over the couse of a few days," he said. "In the end . . . I decided to go with the tune that I wanted to listen to again and again."

Before the contest could take place, however, one of the first steps was to secure prizes from Apple to award outstanding contestants.

"Getting the iPods was really tough," Semaya said, referring to the popular digital music players that the judge's winner and popular vote winner each received. Runners-up won Apple Hats and iTunes Gift Certificates.

To get the iPods, Semaya persuaded the University to purchase a large number of iLife packages directly from Apple for a reduced price.

The discounted iLife bundles were then made available to students as an incentive to participate in GarageBandFEST.

These incentives were a big motivating factor for Andrew Romano '04, who submitted his original song, "Valentine's Day," to GarageBandFEST.

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Romano, whose song won the popular vote from online listeners, started writing songs in sixth grade and was part of a band in high school.

Last Feb. 14, out of cash and in need of a gift, he decided to tap into those musical roots to write a song as a present for his girlfriend.

Trueman described Romano's "Valentine's Day" as "just plain sweet."

The second grand prize was awarded to Charlie Hewson '04 for his song, "Light of Decay."

"I really liked the sense of atmosphere in Charlie Hewson's tune, with the quiet chattering in the background," Trueman said.

Hewson had written his song for a playwriting class, and thought it would be a good idea to "put more texture under it." The opportunity to do so came with GarageBand.

"I had come across a couple of music programs before," Hewson said. "But I had no patience with those."

Whether or not GarageBandFEST returns next year, Trueman hopes students will continue to search for their inner musicians, regardless of material incentives or competition.

"I think the GarageBandFEST was a nice way to inspire people to create and share . . . and it would be nice to continue that, in a noncompetitive framework, somehow," he said.

Students can listen to all submissions online at http://psmug.princeton.edu/garagebandfest.