Conversation with Matthew J. Ward

Please tell us about the project you co-produced, Encore.

Encore is a documentary about music education in general, but it really focuses on specific programs here in the city of Philadelphia. I grew up with music education throughout my life and I attribute a lot of my success, who I am, and the way I think to having this access to music education. With the way the Philadelphia public school system is going, students are not getting access to arts education, when really it’s just as important if not more than every other subject in school. So with our documentary we wanted to highlight some of the programs that are dedicated to fixing this lack of arts education and making a real difference in young peoples lives. As well as let the students speak for themselves and really showcase how it has positively affected them. My co-producers and I hope that the documentary can garner support for music education and its importance and maybe influence some change. I think music education and education in general is the key to fixing a lot of our social issues and that was the driving force behind making this documentary. 

What were the most challenging and most rewarding parts of working on this project?

I think the most challenging parts were finding these music education programs, planning the shoots, and then in the end with the editing process. For me the first half of the editing/postproduction process was really difficult, I felt like I was continuously hitting a brick wall but then when we had our first breakthrough in the edit process I got a wave of refreshing creative energy and was even more excited than ever to finish telling this story and share it. One thing that was very challenging but also the most rewarding was working with the children. I loved meeting every single one of them and they were all so talented and bright in their own ways but working with kids in front of a camera in an interview can be very challenging. But once a kid opened up in front of us it was like magic. It was so amazing to hear from these kids and hear them say things that were so incredibly smart it was heart warming and mind blowing at times. Those were my favorite moments and favorite interviews of the production process. 

The project was recently nominated for two important awards. Congratulations! Can you tell us about this?

I am very excited about the nominations! it is also a very rewarding feeling and we put a lot of hard work and passion into this project so to have prestigious nominations feels amazing. The first nomination is for a regional Emmy; The Mid atlantic chapter of the college Emmy’s. This is very exciting because we are nominated alongside many other student productions from MSP and it feels good to be nominated amongst all of the talent from Klein and our surrounding schools. The second Nomination is a CBI (College Broadcasters Incorporated) which is a national nomination that I am very excited about. It is nominated for Best Documentary / Public Affairs video. I’ll actually be flying out to Seattle for the awards ceremony and convention being held by the CBI. 

When do you graduate, and what’s next for you?

I graduate in May of 2019 and to be honest I’m not exactly sure whats next. I may try to work in documentary and solutions based journalism if i can find an opportunity that I’m excited about. Otherwise its off to Los Angeles or New York to work in video production. In LA I’d be pursuing a career as a live television director and in New York the goal would be to work in production at a production company. 

 

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View the full documentary here:

Encore: Music Education for Social Change is a documentary that explores the power of music education to positively impact the lives of teens and high school students in the City of Philadelphia.  Though the School District of Philadelphia struggles to serve the academic and creative needs of its students, organizations like Play on Philly and events like Symphony for a Broken Orchestra are highlighted to reveal the dedication of many to bring music education to the kids in Philadelphia.

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