"Why Film Scores Matter" is a four-session class on film scoring in an age dominated by AI and extensive music libraries. Led by Dustin Yoder, students will venture through genres, cultures, philosophical points-of-views and the existential question of whether original, tailored film scores are even needed to tell a rich and compelling narrative. By analyzing iconic films and their scores, interacting with live musicians, and engaging with various instruments and mediums of sound, this class invites students not just to learn about the process of writing music, but to engage in questioning and discussing the purpose and role of a score and the composer when making creative works.

This class is for anyone in the creative pipeline–directors, writers, editors, film and music enthusiasts, musicians and film composers–practicing or aspiring.

About Dustin Yoder
Dustin Yoder is a violinist, composer, and film director based in Central Arkansas. A former concertmaster and soloist, he studied violin performance at the University of Central Arkansas before transitioning into film. Since then, he has composed scores for numerous short films, including projects by Paula Blanco (“Dust,” “Be Here Now”) and Jason Pitts (“Alone,” “Masquerade”), and has helped students in the ACS film labs explore the art and purpose of film scoring. He currently teaches private violin and cello lessons in the Little Rock area.