music is what feelings sound like

I was walking in the tunnel at the 42nd street station the other day, blasting my iPod, listening to the "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" theme. Only it was this jazzy version. Catchy, right?

John Williams has been rocking my world since I was 8. I appreciate all genres of music but have always had a strong interest in film composition. That's where John comes in. Here's a brief history of my affair with this man's music scores.

- In 1993, I purchased the soundtrack to Jurassic Park. I was 8 and it was the first CD I ever bought. That same year I started playing the flute. For our Spring concert we played the theme to Jurassic Park. It was at that moment I decided I would become a professional flautist and play in one of John Williams' orchestras.

- E.T. was a movie that always scared the hell out of me as a kid. I would have to fast forward through the majority of the flick until we got to Elliot and E.T.'s farewell. "Saying Goodbye" is one of the most beautiful and powerful pieces of the score. It brought me to tears at 9 years old. The build up at the end of the piece was too much for my young heart. You try listening to it without getting teary eyed.

- In 8th grade, I purchased a "John Williams' Collection" flute book. The book included the themes from Raider's of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Superman and many more. I used to lock myself in my room and play for hours with the windows open in hopes that a talent agent would be passing by our house at the exact moment I was playing the flute solos in The Imperial March.

- Speaking of Star Wars... I cried tears of joy when Duel of the Fates was on MTV's Total Request Live in 1999.

While I admire many film/tv composers (Danny Elfman, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein), John Williams is the one who will forever hold that special place in my heart. It was the score to Jurassic Park that inspired me to become a musician in the first place. Out of all the activities I could have chosen to participate in, I immediately knew that band was it for me. I continued to play everyday until I graduated high school. I originally was going to go to college for instrumental performance. For some reason I decided not to. Maybe fear? I don't regret it. I regret keeping my flute on a shelf for the past couple of years. I recently brought my flute back with me to New York after visiting my parents. I am proud to announce that I skill kick ass and jumped on that chromatic scale like it was riding a bike.

I miss performing in orchestra's and hope that I get to have that experience again some day. In the meantime, I plan on playing my flute more often and if you see me walking down the street or working out with my iPod, I am most likely listening to the music score of a major motion picture.