Learning Through Collaboration
Thornton Student Ambassadors Madeline Clara Cheng, Alyssa Holland and Oliviana Marie share highlights from their collaborations as USC Thornton students.
MADELINE CLARA CHENG | BM COMPOSITION | BUSINESS LAW AND MUSIC INDUSTRY MINORS
My name is Madeline Clara Cheng, and I’m a junior majoring in Composition with minors in Business Law and Music Industry. As a student at USC Thornton, one of the most valuable parts of my education has been the brilliant student population here. Getting to work with peers who are endlessly creative, ambitious and open-minded is an experience I will never take for granted.
Every time I engage in collaboration at USC, I know I will be pushed creatively like never before. From co-producing a concert with my composition cohort to working with dancers to create a new choreographic piece with original music, I love getting to collaborate with other artists who have incredibly different creative practices and influences. Composition can be a rather isolating art form at times, so I always jump at the chance to collaborate. Because my collaborators are often so different from me, many of my favorite projects have been ones that force me to take risks and create completely outside of my comfort zone, which is very artistically fulfilling.
One of the most thrilling ongoing collaborations in which I am currently involved is the Climate Action Performing Arts Think Tank, which features a motley crew of interdisciplinary creatives at USC, including Roski artists, Kaufman dancers, and of course, Thornton musicians. Led by Professor Jennifer Lott, whom I met through my aforementioned choreographic project with the Kaufman School of Dance, this collective engages in a series of focused discussions and workshops on climate change, culminating in the production of an upcoming performance-based work in Spring 2025. Upon meeting this particular group of creatives and researchers, I knew I would be entering a truly special, inspiring, and reinvigorating space where everyone is genuinely excited to be there and can bring their unique skill sets and perspectives to the table.
Arts Climate Action Think Tank on the dock in front of a boat bound for Santa Catalina Island. Front Row, from left to right: Chris Chun, Dani Leon, Ash Stevens, Mia Snape. Back Row, from left to right: Emily Liu, Professor Jennifer Lott, Ellery Donlon, Madeline Cheng, Skyler Pak, Jaden Lehman. (Image Courtesy of Madeline Cheng)
Throughout the Fall 2024 semester, we have been meeting and dreaming up our collaborative project for the spring. The highlight of the experience so far has been our three-day excursion to the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island, where we learned about ongoing coastal research on environmental and sustainability issues at the Wrigley Institute and AltaSea. Getting hands-on education with snorkeling, lab work, hiking and creating art in the beautiful outdoors ensures that our work is actually connected to the people and the issues we are trying to help, and I look forward to drawing from these experiences to bring our vision to life.
It is such a privilege to be a part of a school where there is a great wealth of opportunities to collaborate with other artists. Though the student population may feel large, the art world is a lot smaller than one might think. Taking the initiative to meet other art professors and students, whether it is by joining their classes or supporting them at their shows, is one of the best ways to get involved in innovative new projects. USC is nothing if not a collaborative community where people feel encouraged to try new ideas without fear of retribution or judgment. Collaborating is an all-around fantastic learning and self-discovery opportunity and one of the most rewarding experiences one can have at USC—I highly encourage every Thornton student to pursue it throughout their time here. You just may emerge from it with a lifelong artistic partner or even a new sense of direction for your creative practice.
Arts Climate Action Think Tank posing around a Catalina Island Conservancy sign. From left to right: Emily Liu, Madeline Cheng, Ellery Donlon, Jaden Lehman, Chris Chun, Wilha Duncan, Ash Stevens, Mia Snape, Professor Jennifer Lott. (Image courtesy of Madeline Cheng)
Madeline peering into a microscope at plankton samples from the Gulf of Santa Catalina as part of an educational research workshop. (Image courtesy of Madeline Cheng)
ALYSSA HOLLAND | BS MUSIC INDUSTRY
My name is Alyssa Holland, and I am a senior, Music Industry major at USC Thornton. As a transfer student, I can confidently say that the Thornton School of Music promotes an amazing collaborative environment for all of their students that is incomparable and invaluable. Whether in class or out of class, Thornton students are all eager to engage and work together with their peers. There have already been many collaborative environments that I have experienced in TSOM; however, there is one experience that sticks out to me the most that I would love to spend some time highlighting.
Within the Music Industry program, there is a requirement to take a class called Live Music Production and Promotion. This class requires students to throw and promote a concert by the end of the semester for their final grade in the class. In doing so, you form a group of around five people or less to make it all happen. This forces students to put their heads together and figure out the ins and outs of collaborating on work-related projects. Any music industry major is made aware of this class requirement right off the bat as it’s one of the many classes students get very excited to take.
This project was an amazing opportunity to provide myself and my peers with hands-on experience within the field. I had so much fun figuring out all of the details with my classmates that are now some of my really good friends.
On November 15, 2024, my group and I put on and promoted the event, Rockout Knockout. This event took place at the Tirebiter Brewery located on 2502 S Figueroa St in Los Angeles, California. Rockout Knockout was a battle of the bands style concert in which six bands competed for more playing time, a cash prize and a bundle of Sweetwater merch. These six bands were hand selected by various members of our team to culminate a high-energy rock scene at our event, and I believe we accomplished just that. Each round was designed to limit changeover times and curate a similar vibe matchup. Each band brought a unique performance experience to the show and my group was very impressed with the talent we booked and the result we produced.
Through this collaboration, I learned the importance of clear communication and delegation of tasks. Each team member brought unique skills to the table, and by leveraging our individual strengths, we were able to create a seamless event. I also gained practical knowledge about event promotion, artist relations and the intricacies of live music production.
This project has significantly enhanced my experience at USC Thornton by providing a real-world application of the concepts we learn in class. It has allowed me to build a network within the local music scene and gain confidence in my abilities as a future music industry professional. The hands-on experience of organizing Rockout Knockout has been invaluable in shaping my understanding of the music industry and has reinforced my passion for this field. Additionally, this collaboration allowed me to gain new friendships and solidified my confidence in the decision I made transferring to the Thornton School of Music.
The Thornton School of Music is filled with a collaborative spirit that I would advise each and every future student to immerse themselves in. These collaborations are so important to not only enhance your educational experience but to enhance your network for the professional music industry post-graduation. Your peers are the people you will be working with, so spend time getting to know them, and don’t be afraid to branch out to other majors within TSOM! In the end, the connections you make and the skills you develop through collaboration will be just as valuable as the knowledge you gain in the classroom.
Alyssa (far right) and her class project group from MUIN 425: Live Event Production and Promotion at Tirebiter Brewery. Also included in this image is the rest of the Rockout Knockout production team (from left to right): Marcus Gutierrez, Jordan Rosen, Sydney Wood, and Shiloh Gonsky. (Image courtesy of Alyssa Holland)
OLIVIANA MARIE | BM COMPOSITION | MUSIC PRODUCTION MINOR
Hi everyone! My name is Oliviana Marie and I’m a composer, conductor, lyricist, librettist, trumpeter and pianist, as well as a singer, dancer and actress, currently studying composition at USC’s Thornton School of Music. As an L.A. native, I have always dreamed of attending USC and it’s been incredible to be part of so many wonderful collaborative experiences during my time here.
My sophomore year, I was able to participate in the Kaufman School of Dance and Thornton School of Music’s Choreographers & Composers Showcase, one of the several collaborative experiences that is built into our curriculum. In C&C, a composition student is paired with two to three dance majors to create a piece together. As someone who has grown up dancing my entire life, I was incredibly excited to blend my knowledge of both dance and music in this project. My collaborators, Leon Powell and Esi Samuels, were open to try anything and everything, and in our piece, “Variety is the Spice of Life,” we explored several different musical genres, including blues, jazz, Afro-Cuban and Ragtime. When Leon and Esi found out that I loved to dance, they were so excited and said that I had to dance in the piece with them. I agreed, on one condition, that they would play the piano in the performance too! Although they had never played the instrument before, they worked hard to learn how to play ‘Chopsticks,’ and I worked hard to learn the choreography that they came up with for me. We challenged each other, grew together and created a fantastic piece which I will never forget!
Image Description: From left to right: Leon Powell, Oliviana Marie and Esi Samuels perform in the Composers and Choreographers Showcase, dancing to an original composition by Oliviana Marie. (Image courtesy of Oliviana Marie)
I grew up at the United University Church on the USC campus, so when I found out that the church was being transformed into the new home for the USC School of Dramatic Arts, I dreamed of being involved with the opening production, Chavez Ravine. Unlike C&C, where that collaborative project was guaranteed, this came about by looking for opportunities in unexpected places. I am a certified musical theatre geek, so ever since arriving at USC, I have tried to become as involved with SDA as I can, and I’ve managed to work on a different musical every semester. My first semester of junior year, I had the opportunity to compose, music direct and perform in the SDA Community Production of Oliver Mayer’s Conjunto, directed by Jean Carlo Yunen. One of the talented actors in that production, Sammie Zenoz, was assistant directing Chavez Ravine and recommended me to director Edgar Landa to compose additional music and play in the band. We formed the Landa Banda with talented SDA students Gabriel Finn, Cameron Knauf, Sentin Lo, Mia Sun and Aria Upton, and I had an incredible time playing trumpet, piano, acting and composing for the show.
Image Description: The Landa Banda performs in USC SDA’s Chavez Ravine. From left to right: Cameron Knauf, Aria Upton, Oliviana Marie, Gabriel Finn. (Image courtesy of Oliviana Marie)
Just how my knowledge of dance informed my compositional techniques for the Choreographers & Composers Showcase, my experience with theatre helped me during the process of writing music for Chavez Ravine. I was able to collaborate with the actors to talk about their motives for each scene and how they approached their dialogue, in order to find the right music to underscore each moment. I also had the opportunity to chat with the technical directors and crew to create the right music and songs to segue between scenes. I feel blessed to have collaborated with so many creative individuals during my time at USC, and my advice to future Thornton students who want to collaborate would be to say yes to as many opportunities as you can, because you’ll always learn something new!