Photo By Maxwell Lucas
Maxwell Lucas grew up playing music. He studied piano at school and graduated with a Masters of Music in Composition from Western University. He still lives in London where he composes. His latest project is something he calls musical gifts.
“This project musical gifts arose as a kind of creative outlet for me personally, as well as a way to work with others on musical ideas while providing a service to my community,” explained Lucas.
“I wanted to provide a way for people to give meaningful and personal gifts from a distance during this holiday season and to connect people through music. So since creating music is what I can do, this project took the form of making songs.”
As a composer, Lucas is no stranger to fulfilling commissions. However, this project has a more personal nature. Growing up, Lucas wrote musical pieces as gifts for birthdays or for Christmas.
“One year, I wrote a violin and cello duet for my parents, and my sister and I performed it on Christmas morning. Another time I created a short, Ambient Music Album for a friend’s birthday. I was thinking of the recipient when I created those works. It’s a bit different from the current project, in which I’m in consultation an
d collaboration with the client, we sort of shape a song for someone that I don’t personally know.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbOwSFnX4o/
The process for composing musical gifts involves three one on one zoom consultations.
“In the first one, we talk about the individual for whom the musical gift is for. I might ask, what kinds of music they enjoy or what they’re like as a person. I also ask if the client has any particular ideas for what they would like the song to be like.”
Lucas explained that there are methods that can be used to make the songs more meaningful and personalized. One of the ways this can be done is using the letters of the person’s name to create a musical idea.
“In the second consultation, I show the client the work in progress, at which point they can provide some feedback. From there I take those suggestions and complete the musical gift,” said Lucas.
In the third consultation, Lucas plays the client the finished piece and puts together a custom postcard so the gift can be delivered.
“The client receives a custom postcard that I create. Using imagery from the compositional process it could be from the score or I can do digital collages and things like that. On the back of the postcard is a link where the musical gift can be listened to and downloaded,” he explained.
Lucas says demand for musical gifts has been steady.
“People seem very interested, I’ve had a couple of commissions. It’s this holiday season, so I have a limited number that I can complete before the end of December. Things are filling up and it’s looking like, I’ll definitely be busy.”
Below is an example of a musical gift.
For Lucas, the musical gifts project is about helping people connect through music.
“The musical gifts project is not about creating the perfect gift or perfect song, or even creating a song that everyone would like. It’s truly between you and the person you’re gifting the song too, and about what you want to express to that person through music. I’m just using my skill and experience as a composer to try to help people to do that.”
Lucas intends to continue the project into the new year. Musical gifts can be given for, birthdays, anniversaries, and a multitude of other occasions. One, two-minute song costs $200 and can include any of the following instruments as well as various digital instruments.
Piano, violin, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, recorders, percussion instruments.
All songs are instrumental-only and don’t include lyrics. For more information, you can check out Lucas’s website.
Comments