Star Wars Composer Williams: A 'Storyteller'

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Few film composers have had as varied and influential a career as John Williams, a man whose work has become synonymous with the beauty and wonder of the motion picture. Responsible for the themes to such classic films as Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Schindler's List,and Jurassic Park, just to name a few, Williams' work has helped shape and define the language of cinema for over 50 years.

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Williams was honored along with teacher Linda Mouradian at Education Through Music – Los Angeles' 7th Annual Benefit Gala, an event held by the organization to raise support for the teaching of music in underprivileged schools. The event included dinner and live performances of Williams' music, along with an auction led by Lost and Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino.

Giacchino, who won an Academy Award in 2010 for his score for the Pixar animated film Up, reflected on Williams' influence over his own career, telling ET, "He was my first music teacher. I don't mean that in a physical sense, but just listening to his music taught me so much, not only about writing music, but about story telling. He's one of the great storytellers of our time."

Prominent horror composer Christopher Young, known for scores on such films as Hellraiser, Spiderman 3, and Sinister, spoke to ET about his personal relationship with music, stating, "Music was unquestionably my best friend as a kid, and once you get it inside of you, it never leaves you. It's like a club that very few people are allowed to enter: those who are aware of music and everything it can do to make them think better thoughts. Having a great tune in your head, there's nothing like it."

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Actor Harry Shum Jr. of Glee was also there to show his support, speaking on the importance of teaching music in the classroom. He told ET, "It's been proven [that] when you put an extracurricular activity in like music, it definitely helps stimulate the brain, which allows you to be excited to work on math or science or anything else outside of that."

For more on the event, along with additional interviews and a performance of John Williams' 'Theme from Schindler's List,' watch the video!

Education Through Music – Los Angeles is an organization that seeks to promote and expand the role of music education in schools and inform and enforce the beneficial qualities such teachings have on overall student academic performance. To find out more about the organization, click here.