Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Morris.
Stephen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
For as long as I can remember, music has been a mainstay in my life. My earliest memories were tinkering with the toy keyboard that my grandmother bought me and sitting in the church choir loft with my mother during choir rehearsal. I come from a musical family, so in a sense, you could say that I didn’t choose music; music chose ME. My musical journey started when I started taking piano lessons at age 11 and playing keyboard, and teaching the choir at church at age 12. From there, I started branching out into different areas of music, from gospel music at church to marching band music at high school and college.
By the time I graduated high school, I knew that I had chosen music as my career path, but I didn’t know specifically what kind of musician I would be. So, I enrolled at the University of Texas at Arlington, where I majored in Music Theory/Composition and received my bachelor’s degree in 2010. I had received this degree, but I didn’t know what I would do with it. But after I graduated, I and a couple of friends formed a jazz trio and played as many gigs as we could. A year later, our jazz trio (the Marcus Rockwell Trio) decided to do our first album project, and we found a studio in Arlington to record. That’s when I met Rod McDonald, a music producer very knowledgeable about the music industry, who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of music production and business.
After many years of playing the piano at church, performing with the jazz trio, and doing music production with Rod, I finally found where to focus my musical talent.
Fast forward to today, I’m focused on a new avenue where I can express all the musical knowledge I had accumulated over the years: film scoring. I’ve been preparing and studying to become a film composer, writing music for film and TV. So far, I have scored six short films, and I’m currently working on my seventh.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In some ways, it has been easy. In other ways, it hasn’t. I’ve been surrounded, for most of my life, with friends and family who have been enthusiastic in their support for me and my musical journey. There have been various challenges that come with me being mildly autistic. But thanks to music, I’ve been able to turn my autism from a potential liability into an asset.
But the biggest obstacle has been my mind, dealing with imposter syndrome. This is something that every artistic or creative person has to deal with and overcome, one way or another. There’s that nagging question of “Am I good enough?” or “Do I have what it takes?” or “Who am I to have this dream or that dream?” My way of overcoming that is mindfulness, where I slow myself down enough to observe these negative thoughts so I can transcend them.
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?
As I’ve mentioned before, I play gospel/jazz/R&B keyboard, I do music production and arranging, I teach gospel choirs, and I write music for films. My main specialty, my main musical passion, is writing music for films. I’m proud to be a Black film composer in a musical field where you don’t see many film composers of color. Those who know me call me “Dat Dude” because I know how to create compelling and sophisticated music of the highest quality. In one moment, I can create an R&B or a smooth jazz track, and then in the next moment, I can write a fantastic film cue for a symphony orchestra. My greatest asset is my ability to work well with others and my versatility.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Books: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
The Reel World (Scoring For Pictures, Television, and Video Games) by Jeff Rona
The Gospel of Non-Duality by Marshall Davis
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
All the full orchestral film scores published by Omni Music Publishing
Podcasts:
The Tao of Christ with Marshall Davis
Art of the Score
Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stephenmorriscomposer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenmorriscomposer/
Image Credits
Earle Cabansag
Flavia Paulino
