top of page
Basketball Hoop

A Radical Act: Remix Competition

2024, Sponsored by Renee Montgomery Enterprises, Sound In Space, and Storyform

In partnership with the WNBA, NBA, Atlanta Dream, Roku, Renee Montgomery Foundation, Storyform, and Future Roots Radio, the theme of this competition centered around the messaging and soundtrack of Renee Montgomery's documentary, A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery, which follows Renee Montgomery’s inspiring journey as a WNBA player who takes the radical step to opt out of the league, become a social justice activist, and eventually a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Dream. The documentary explores her background, basketball success, and the activism that defines her. We all have stories—moments where we've taken radical steps, big or small. What is the soundtrack to your radical act?

ES_Branded Logos_ES_VIOLogo.png
Renee-Montgomery-Official-Website-Logo.png
storyform-logo.jpg
Jump to section:

Results

Top Winner

1st Place Winner

Hope M.

Grade 11

Teacher: A. Wozniak

Lane Tech College Prep HS

Chicago, IL

"I learned about the importance of putting max effort into everything, whether it's small or big things. I wasn't expecting to win but I liked trying and putting effort into a song that could've just been a small school project I'd forget about. Through the process of writing my reflection and conveying a message through my song, I reminded myself of the importance of life and taking every opportunity it offers. I saw this competition as an opportunity to try something and I'm glad I took it."

Runner Ups

Aaden D.

Grade 09

Teacher: N. Corkhill

St. John Bosco HS

Bellflower, CA

"My remix is based upon a feeling of confidence and empowerment to make the listener feel like nothing can stop them. I used horns that had an epic sound and a guitar that really get the blood pumping. The lyrics I used are from Aysanabee, and they make a point of having a place in history, or more specifically, the Indigenous people. I used them to radiate a message of making a stake in history with a radical act. I want the listener to feel motivated to make a positive change that will mark their place in history. This song can also impact the community and empower them to band together and make a profound change."

Dylan J.

Grade 08

Teacher: S. Muller

Fort Greene Preparatory Academy

Brooklyn, NY

“The message of my song is that freedom has many different meanings. The meaning of freedom for me is that you can do anything that you want to do.  My view is reinforced by the lyrics of freedom is a voice as  it emphasizes free speech, and freedom to do your own choices and other meanings of freedom. the style that I chose for this song is from where I live in, NYC. I wanted it to have NYC vibes and hope it will inspire my community to stand up for each other. Vocals by Dylan Jocky”

Nathan J.

Grade 12

Teacher: A. Wozniak

Lane Tech College Prep HS

Chicago, IL

"I made this song based on a radical act I made and one that changed my life and perspective. I grew up really conflicted about my identity since I was in a neighborhood that was one culture but my family was another. I didn't know who I was and felt in touch with both cultures, but not truly a part of either. This changes at the end of my freshman year at high school. On a whim I decided to join one of the I-Days clubs at my school. These clubs are cultural clubs that represent different countries around the world through dancing. I was someone who never enjoyed dancing before and didn't think I'd last, but after the first year I fell in love with it. It helped me form strong bonds with multiple people and I broke out of my shell. I felt like I was now a part of a community and connected with everyone in it. This led to me wanting to get more in touch with the hispanic community. I started to get more in touch with the Hispanic community and the one I live in and wanted to help and get to know more people in those communities. I credit this to the dance team I joined for helping me discover who I was and what I was a part of."

Maks P.

Grade 10

Teacher: B. Remess

Lane Tech College Prep HS

Chicago, IL

"It's about how we only have one world, and how most people don't try to change things until its too late."

Requirements

Music

  • Song length must be between 30 seconds and 2 minutes

  • Song must have at least five (5) unique music tracks (sounds)

  • Song must include stems from one or more of the tracks from A Radical Act (Aaron Drake)

  • Song must be a remix:

    • Include other artists on EarSketch

    • Change tempo, pitch, and/or order of beats

    • Add effects, loop beats, create sub-beats

 

Code​

  • Final code must run without errors and play in the digital audio workstation (DAW)

  • Code must include fitMedia to insert sound clips

  • Code must include comments to describe code and document the message in the song

  • Recommended: Code should include at least one level of complexity: loops, conditional statements, makeBeat(), custom functions

​

Message

  • Submission must include a short reflection explaining the message of your song and how it describes your radical act​

Resources

Past_Competitions_EarSketch_A-Radical-Act-Flyer_Final.jpg
How to get started

  1. ​Watch the trailer for the film A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery at https://bit.ly/RMYouTubepromo

  2. Get started using the following resources to learn about the EarSketch platform and start writing code!

    1. EarSketch Tutorials -- YouTube playlist of helpful videos to get you started

    2. Radical Remix EarSketch Lesson Plan -- Resource for teachers to guide students

    3. Student Workbook -- Resource for students to organize their thoughts and plan their song and code

  3. Create your "radical" script and tell your story using the EarSketch platform at earsketch.gatech.edu

    1. Search for Artist, Aaron Drake, in the Sound Library

    2. Click on Aaron Drake's button to filter and show only his sounds

    3. Listen to beats labeled, "Radical" (click the green play button next to each sound you want to listen to)

    4. Insert your first sound using the fitMedia() API function

    5. Continue building your soundtrack by adding more sounds, adding effects, and remixing your sounds

Artist

Artist_Aaron_Drake.jpg

Aaron Drake

Aaron Drake is a classically trained pianist who has performed throughout the Western US and Canada. Drake studied composition at San Francisco State University, completing his degree at the Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, Germany.​

 

Aaron returned to the States and studied at CalArts with James Tenney (microtonal music), Morton Subotnick (computer and electronic music), Michael Pisaro (experimental music), and David Rosenboom (logarithmic systems). His studies at CalArts helped shape an approach to film music that is driven by process and concept and were fundamental in developing early ideas about film music and led to his first film collaborations.​​​

Image by Oleksii S

​Underlying meaning and concepts are what drive Aaron's compositions. The themes of his scores are multi-layered and often draw on abstract, meta-narratives derived from musical concepts, instrumentation, and theory. Aaron believes a good score should reveal itself over time, offering something new and unexpected with each listen. His work demonstrates a fascination with techniques such as aural mnemonics, EVP, and sonic masking, as well as historical and social trends that influence how we experience music.

​​

His first film, “The Shadow Effect,” won a Bronze Medal at the Park City Music Festival. Since then he’s scored multiple features and documentaries, music for Emmy Award-winning TV shows, and numerous advertisements, all while continuing to write experimental music for live performance, dance, and sound installation. He is a skilled orchestrator and possesses a strong understanding of how to effectively use various instruments and sound design elements to achieve the desired impact.

bottom of page