
Student Spotlight: Rachel McFarlane The Canadian composer talks about being drawn to the storytelling power of scoring for film and video games, working with sound libraries, and boosting visibility for composers of color.
By
Editorial Staff
March 14, 2025
What's it like to study at Berklee? Our Student Spotlight series asks current students all about their Berklee experience-what they're learning in class, what kinds of projects they're involved in onstage or behind the scenes, how they recharge, and of course, what they're listening to. In this installment, get to know violinist and composer Rachel McFarlane, an eighth-semester dual major in film and media scoring and games and interactive media scoring (GAIMS) from Canada.
Follow Rachel on Instagram, LinkedIn, and her website.
Rachel McFarlane
Image by Teddy Kent
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here?I started writing for live ensembles when I was 16. After gaining some recognition in Canada, I realized I wanted to pursue composition after high school instead of my initial path, violin performance. I graduated in May 2020, and if there was one thing COVID gave me (and many others), it was time. I used that time to research schools around the world to figure out where I wanted to go.
That summer, I took two Berklee five-week programs online: the High School Composition Intensive and Film, TV, and Game Scoring Program in LA (though in reality, the latter took place in my living room). While the first program focused more on live concert music, I really connected with the film scoring course because it showed me just how much music can enhance storytelling. I learned so much about film technology, music, and emotional landscapes in such a short time that Berklee quickly became my top choice.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you?Audio Foundations for Interactive Media with Gina Zdanowicz was an absolute blast. As a composer, most of my classes focus on music, but this course showed me how much energy goes into sound design for video games. We explored how to add our own foley and sound effects using [software programs] FMOD and Unity, and even got the chance to create audio assets for game developers at USC. It was a really cool experience getting to see how music and sound design come together in interactive media.
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee that youve been especially excited about?It's not just one project, but I've really enjoyed collaborating with sample libraries like Orchestral Tools on social media. Their Berlin Orchestra Library that they developed with Berklee is a part of our school bundle, but beyond that, I've had the privilege of creating mockups for film and video game scenes using their other libraries. It's been an awesome experience, and I highly recommend their tools for anyone working in composition or sound design!
How do you typically recharge or find new ideas outside of class?Fitness is a big one for me! it's a great way to reset after long stretches of work, and I tend to get the best ideas when I compose right after a workout. I also try my best to just enjoy video games without overanalyzing the horizontal sequencing or RTPCs [Real-Time Parameter Controls] (hahaha).
When you think towards your own future, who inspires you most?The people who inspire me most are musicians of color who have continued pursuing music while questioning whether it was a realistic career path for them. I'm on track to be the first Black student to graduate with the GAIMS major and the GAIMS/film double major, which is really exciting! I try to use my social media platforms to educate and be a source of visibility for my community, so others know that people like me exist in these spaces, and that we've always been here.
My first Black violin teacher was Tanya Charles, and before her, I had never seen anyone who looked like me in classical music. She, along with incredible composers like Chanda Dancy, Amanda Jones, EmmoLei Sankofa, and Kathryn Bostic, have been a huge inspiration. Having the privilege to meet and learn from artists like them reassures me that I'm on the right path.
Whats one piece of advice youd give to your high school self?I would tell them that at this point in your career, you've had the privilege of meeting so many musicians and composers that you look up to, and even they don't have it all figured out. So don't stress about trying to control everything! Uncertainty and curiosity are key parts of the creative process so learn to embrace the unknown.
Rachel McFarlanes Top Five Film and Game ScoresWe asked Rachel to give us five of her favorite media scores. Heres what she said:
1. Reborn, Colin Stetson, from the film Hereditary
2. All About Reggie, Kris Bowers, from the TV show Dear White People
3. Felixs Suite, Anthony Willis, from the film Saltburn
4. Mud and Blood, Johan S derqvist and Patrik Andr n, from the game Battlefield 1
5. Frostfall, Jeremy Soule, from the game Skyrim
Related Categories
News
Student Spotlight
Most Popular
Toto in the recording studio from Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.
Photograph by Jim Hagopian/HBO
The Best Music Documentaries on Every Streaming Platform Explore groundbreaking music documentaries streaming across Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and more. From intimate artist portraits to legendary concert films, discover the stories behind your favorite artists and iconic moments.
Latest
Matanzas Sound Map on display at Tate Modern in 2025.
Tate / Reece Straw
Neil Leonard's Matanzas Sound Map Brings Immersive Sonic Cartography to Tate Modern's East Tank Blending field recordings, video projections, and glass sculptures, the installation immerses visitors in the sonic landscapes of Matanzas, Cuba.
B
North America Stories
18/07/2025
Blanche Barton, Peter Gilmore, Scott Cummings, Sundance Institute Director of Programming Kim Yutani, and Peggy Nadramia throwing horns. (Stephen Lovekin/Shutte...
18/07/2025
By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
18/07/2025
BOSTON Sports network NESN today relaunched the NESN 360 app with a redesigned user experience and upgrades....
18/07/2025
Berklee Singers Wow the Competition on Netflixs Building the Band Netflixs new music competition show features two Berklee artists looking to make their pop b...
18/07/2025
As the House of Representatives voted early Friday morning to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, advocates warned that the elimination of $1 bil...
18/07/2025
DENVER Imagine Communications has announced that it is deepening its commitment to the North American sports and live events market with investments in its prod...
18/07/2025
LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix once again reported strong financial growth, with revenue increasing 16% year-over-year to $11.079 billion in Q2 2025 as net income s...
18/07/2025
Live from the 153rd Open Championship: SMT Enhances Video Board Experience; Enab...
18/07/2025
ShotTracker's Davyeon Ross on Revolutionizing Basketball On the Court and ...
18/07/2025
Home Pitch: How the Danish League Brought Its Live Match Production In-House Matchday Production produced 800+ matches across Denmark in its first year By Geor...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: EMG Debuts Spidercam for Golf, Expands Su...
18/07/2025
Usyk vs Dubois II: Bringing the fight to life with state of the art cameras and ...
18/07/2025
Usyk vs Dubois II: DAZN's head of boxing Chris Glanville talks helicopters, ...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: NBC Expands Unilateral Effort; Shared Stu...
18/07/2025
Warner Bros. Discovery's Anne Graham on Training New Professionals to Ensure...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: How R&A Spidercam Became a Reality for Go...
18/07/2025
ESPN Bulks Up Onsite Studios, Cameras, Player Mics for WNBA All-Star Weekend Besides the game, four studio shows will be produced onsite By Jason Dachman, Edit...
17/07/2025
Blanche Barton, Peter Gilmore, Scott Cummings, Sundance Institute Director of Programming Kim Yutani, and Peggy Nadramia throwing horns. (Stephen Lovekin/Shutte...
17/07/2025
An advanced large solid rocket motor hot fire test conducted at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, site....
17/07/2025
L3Harris payloads and components have been on board every U.S. GPS satellite-more than 70 missions since the 1970s. Our technology is at the core of GPS availab...
17/07/2025
L3Harris' pack of launched effects is comprised of multi-role vehicles that ...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 17, 2025 - Gracenote, the content data business unit of Nielsen, has announced the appointment of Ryan Moore to the new role of Chief Business O...
17/07/2025
READING, Pa. Network technology startup Miri Technologies has added David Cohen as vice president, business development. He'll be tasked with expanding the ...
17/07/2025
Berklee Wins CASE Award for Standout Digital Campaign The Alumni Affairs team's Variations Signature Series earned recognition for offering an authentic p...
17/07/2025
Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate voted to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR in a bill that also included cuts for foreign aid. In a 51-48 vote, the act...
17/07/2025
GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilions across IBC2025 (12 15 September, RAI Amsterdam) feature a remarkable 34 companies, each providing unique, innovativ...
17/07/2025
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today introduced its Content Provenance and Authenticity (CPA) in Media Study Group (S...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK Despite widespread concerns about a soft advertising market, NBCUniversal said it closed its 2025-26 upfront negotiation cycle with a record ad sales v...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK Television advertising remains an effective means to market and influence younger baby boomer and Generation X consumers approaching retirement age, ac...
17/07/2025
ALLENTOWN, Pa. & JERSEY CITY, N.J. Service Electric Cable TV and OpenVault have announced that the operator is deploying the OpenVault Proactive Network Manage...
17/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following up on his first major policy speech just two ago, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is promising to buck the usual summ...
17/07/2025
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2025 Emmy Awards Twenty-seven Berklee alumni received nominations across categories in sound mixing, sound editing, and compositi...
17/07/2025
Back to All News
What We Watched the First Half of 2025
Entertainment
17 July 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Today, we're sharing our latest Eng...
17/07/2025
Cast your vote in 2 categories for Ivory 3 American Concert DIvory 3 American Concert D is in the 2025 MIDI Innovation Awards and we are honored to be nominated...
17/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: OpenDrives' Sean Lee, Michael Wilsker, and Jason Matousek on E...
17/07/2025
Oracle's Geoff Tognetti on Staying Ahead of the AI Curve Through Further Ado...
17/07/2025
NBA's Summer League Is a Hot Bed of AI, Immersive Innovation Testing Audio mixing, intelligent camera framing are among AI-driven efforts By Ken Kerschbaum...
17/07/2025
SVG's TranSPORT Conference Returns to NYC on Oct. 21; Register Today! By SVG Staff
Thursday, July 17, 2025 - 8:29 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
St...
17/07/2025
Gravity Media chosen as group name for merged OB business By George Bevir
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - 11:30
Print This Story
Gravity Media executive chairm...
17/07/2025
SES Closes Deal to Acquire Intelsat, Creating New Giant in Satellite Connectivit...
17/07/2025
How MLB Pulled Off That Unforgettable Hank Aaron Tribute at the All-Star Game Vintage content, state-of-the-art projection/processing combine in marvelous mile...
17/07/2025
Back to All News
Thai Legendary Bandit Explodes to Life in Netflixs Gold Rush ...
17/07/2025
Listen up citizens, the law is back and patrolling the cloud. Nacon's RoboCop Rogue City - Unfinished Business launches today in the cloud, bringing justice...
16/07/2025
It's Emmy nominations day, and Sundance Institute storytellers are basking i...
16/07/2025
Warsaw - Poland, June 24, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest May All Screens Video Landscape...
16/07/2025
Bluey Tops Nielsen's Overall Streaming List with More Than 25 Billion Minutes Streamed from January through June 2025
Big June Vaults Squid Game into Top O...
16/07/2025
TV SIM, the SBT affiliate serving Esp rito Santo state in Brazil, has launched a transmitter upgrade initiative with the installation of a Rohde & Schwarz R&S T...
16/07/2025
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, is turning its vision to the future of automation with its demonstrations ...
16/07/2025
Ikegami announces a new addition to its UNICAM-XE product range with the introduction of the UHK-X700RF wireless portable camera: The new version has the same f...
16/07/2025
Today, Amazon Web Services added TwelveLabs as a new model provider to Amazon Bedrock, delivering what could be the most significant breakthrough in enterprise ...