
Student Spotlight: Alexis Bragga The screen scoring major talks about being the president of the Berklee Film Scoring Network, building up her technical skills, and being inspired by Coldplay.
By
Editorial Staff
November 21, 2022
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. This week, get to know Alexis Bragga, a fifth-semester drum principal from Ludlow, Massachusetts, majoring in screen scoring.
Alexis Bragga
Tell us about your path to Berklee. What made you decide to come here? I fell in love with Berklee when I first toured the campus. The diversity in music and opportunities to explore new paths in the industry was just what I needed. I originally wanted to do music production and engineering when I got accepted. It wasnt until the pandemic that I discovered I was interested in writing for film, and within a few weeks of starting my first semester, I knew it was gonna be my future, and I was in the right place for it.
Whats been your favorite class so far, and what has it taught you? My favorite class so far has been my Scoring Technology 1, which is taught by Claes Nystrom. I have been wanting to learn Cubase since I got to Berklee, and this class helps me with starting to build up my technical skills in the DAW while also getting to compose my own music in the assignments.
Whats a project youve worked on since coming to Berklee that youve been especially excited about? This is not necessarily a project, but since coming to Berklee I have become president of the Berklee Film Scoring Network. This student club has been a lot of fun to be a part of, and I have loved working with everyone on the board to try and create the best meetings possible and keep students engaged and interested. We have been bringing in well-known composers for interviews, hosting rescore competitions, and providing helpful meetings and presentations for future careers in film scoring. As for projects, I am very excited to start having my own recording sessions and being able to record my own music live for the first time in future semesters.
How do you typically recharge or find new ideas outside of class? Blending East and West
Listen to songs that inspired Toby Chu as he composed a score for Pixars Bao that used Eastern instrumentation in a Western setting.
I typically recharge by going for a walk and listening to music or giving myself a break from working for a few hours. To get new ideas, I like to try and find new scores to add to my film score playlist. When I find new songs with different instrumentation, it inspires me to try to take some characteristics from them and put them in my own scores. I also love to go watch music live. Watching performers gives me a lot of motivation to create my own music.
When you think towards your own future, who inspires you most? Chris Martin (of Coldplay) is one of my biggest inspirations in music. Although he is not a film composer, I admire him a lot for his love and passion for making music. If you have ever had the opportunity to see him perform, there is a different energy in the room and you find yourself leaving with the biggest smile on your face. He always has a positive outlook and loves to connect people together through music and I hope to do that with my music one day as well.
Whats one piece of advice youd give to your high school self? Don't worry so much about the future.
Alexiss Current Favorite Songs We asked Alexis to share some of her favorite music. Heres her list of five songs that, as she says, are in no particular order and will probably change by next week.
1. Nervous, John Legend I [haven't stopped] listening to it since it has been released. John Legend has such an amazing voice.
2. Fix You (Live in Buenos Aires), Coldplay This is one of my favorite Coldplay songs, and I love the energy that the live version brings compared to the studio track.
3. Strawberry Swing (Live in Madrid), Coldplay This is a very underrated song of theirs, and I always find myself listening to this on the walk to school or work.
4. Ori, Lost In The Storm, Gareth Coker This is a recent composition from a game I have been listening to, and I really love the voice used and how well it blends with the instruments.
5. June 24, 2022: Parade of Planets, Sleeping at Last I chose this song because I think its very beautiful, and it is able to bring you through a lot of emotion without using words.
Related Categories
News
Student Spotlight
Most Popular
The Berklee Indian Ensemble received a Grammy nomination in the Best Global Music Album category for its debut album, Shuruaat, released in July.
Image by Mike Ritter
Berklees 2023 Alumni Grammy Nominees: See the Full List Nominees include the Berklee Indian Ensemble, Terri Lyne Carrington, Miguel Zen n, Molly Tuttle, Domi & JD Beck, Big Thief, Danilo P rez featuring the Global Messengers, and many more.
Latest
Finding Its Rhythm As evidence of music therapy's benefits grows, the practice is increasingly showing up in hospitals, schools, and more.
Jay Kennedy
Image by John Huet
A Consequential Career During his 28 years at Berklee, Jay Kennedy, who retires in December, revamped the Contemporary Writing and Production Department as chair, and as vice president for Academic Affairs/vice provost he helped launch the Valencia campus and update college facilities.
Image courtesty of Alexis Bragga
Student Spotlight: Alexis Bragga The screen scoring major talks about being the president of the Berklee Film Scoring Network, building up her technical skills, and being inspired by Coldplay.
Read All
Subscribe
More from Berklee
02/02/2023
Berklee's Signature Series Presents Gumbo Stories: A Black History Celebrati...
02/02/2023
Berklee and Electronic Arts Announce Next Gen Scholarship Program The new partnership will establish an annual scholarship and mentorship program.
By
Tori D...
02/02/2023
Claudia Brant Named 2023 Herb Alpert Visiting Artist for Berklee's Songwriti...
01/02/2023
New Music + Web3 Course to Prepare Students for the Next Generation of the Inter...
01/02/2023
Rivers School Conservatory Commissions Berklee Composer Andrew List for Annual S...
31/01/2023
Student Spotlight: Cindy Latin The Berklee NYC songwriter talks about her journey from musical theater to writing songs, getting inspired by the Big Apple, an...
30/01/2023
Latin Music Legend Talks Songcraft in a New Berklee Course In Latin Songwriting, visiting artist Claudia Brant will focus on the value of collaboration, worki...
24/01/2023
Lydia Harrell Sings National Anthem at Maura Healey's Inauguration The faculty vocalist talks about performing at the historic event earlier this month.
...
24/01/2023
Do Producers Need Technical or Musical Skills? Boston Music Award-winning producer Benny Grotto unpacks Rick Rubins recent 60 Minutes comments and weighs the ...
24/01/2023
Student Spotlight: Liam Purcell The seventh-semester mandolinist traces his path to Berklee back to his Appalachian bluegrass roots, discusses his ongoing tou...
20/01/2023
Berklee and Orchestral Tools Launch Free Educational YouTube Channel Hosted by composer Alex Lamy, the new channel, Virtual Orchestration, will explore every as...
20/01/2023
Berklee Announces 2023 Spring Signature Series This years concerts will celebrate the sounds of New Orleans, the power of gospel music, and the music of Alici...
19/01/2023
Radio City Rockettes and Boston Conservatory Partner on First-Ever, College-Leve...
17/01/2023
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Announces Center Stage Performances for Spring 20...
14/01/2023
Screen Scoring Students Earn Gaming Industry Nod with USC Collaboration Dzidzor Amorin and Julian Cabrera's work on the video game Delfini received a 2022...
13/01/2023
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Perform Crooked Tree on Jimmy Kimmel Live The American Roots Music Program alum played the title cut from her bands Grammy-nomin...
22/12/2022
A Late Bloomer Finds Himself on Time Is Color C dric Hanriot B.M. 08, a self-taught pianist who entered Berklee at 31, released a jazz album thats impressed t...
20/12/2022
Announcing the 2022-2023 Issue of STAGES Magazine: Teaching Excellence This special issue explores how Boston Conservatory faculty and administrative leaders&...
20/12/2022
Student Spotlight: Julia Perry The seventh-semester student talks about the women who inspire her, offers a glimpse into her musical treasure box, and explores ...
20/12/2022
Listen to Berklee Artists Who Made 2022s Year-End Lists Electronic, hip-hop, country, jazz, and every style in between: Berklee artists worked on some of the ...
19/12/2022
Berklee Valencia and Il Divo Establish Scholarship in Honor of Carlos Mar n The scholarship will be awarded annually to one vocalist at Berklees campus in Val...
17/12/2022
2022 in Review: Berklee's Top News and Stories What a year-Joni, CODA, Big Thief, Kendrick... Hop in the time machine and revisit some of Berklee's bigg...
17/12/2022
How Music Plays a Role in the Iranian Uprising Iranian students Mahya Hamedi and Barbad Bakan discuss how the death of Mahsa Amini sparked a revolution their ho...
16/12/2022
Boston Conservatory Recognized in Several Best Of Lists in 2022 The school concludes the calendar year with its annual compilation of accolades, this year f...
13/12/2022
Student Spotlight: Caio Miguel Jiacomini The Brazilian composer and producer talks about releasing an original video game, drawing inspiration from museums, a...
12/12/2022
13 Tracks that Inspired the Berklee Indian Ensembles Grammy-Nominated Debut Fresh off a Grammy nomination for Shuruaat, the ensemble members share their stori...
09/12/2022
What Makes a Song Christmas-y? Joe Bennett, professor and forensic musicologist, weighs in on the trends and tropes of holiday music.
By
Tori Donahue
Decem...
06/12/2022
President Erica Muhl Delivers Keynote Address at Culture Summit Abu Dhabi Berklee community members participated in both the three-day summit and an event at ...
06/12/2022
Student Spotlight: Jasmine Forrest The contemporary dance student reflects on their path to Boston Conservatory at Berklee, learning to push boundaries in movem...
01/12/2022
A Consequential Career During his 28 years at Berklee, Jay Kennedy, who retires in December, revamped the Contemporary Writing and Production Department as ch...
01/12/2022
From TikTok Fame to Tiny Desk, Tiny Habits Is a 2022 Breakout Band The student trio unpacks its approach to creating striking vocal arrangements and shares it...
29/11/2022
Finding Its Rhythm As evidence of music therapy's benefits grows, the practice is increasingly showing up in hospitals, schools, and more.
By
Susan Ged...
29/11/2022
Rap and Roots The Mayan people of Mexico's Yucat n Peninsula breathe new life into their ancient heritage, with help from a Berklee alum.
By
Kimberly As...
29/11/2022
The Game Changers Metal Gear Solid and Halo composers Nobuko Toda '03 and Kazuma Jinnouchi '02 talk about the paths to their careers and what it takes...
29/11/2022
Student Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez The music education graduate student explores new teaching methods, connects her classes to her Filipino roots, and sha...
23/11/2022
Zafris Lecture Brings David Israelite to Berklee The longtime president and CEO of the National Music Publishers Association discussed the history of music publ...
22/11/2022
Singers Showcase Presents Synchronicity-The Music of Sting and the Police Berklees Signature Series will close out its fall lineup with a tribute to Stings pr...
22/11/2022
Student Spotlight: Alexis Bragga The screen scoring major talks about being the president of the Berklee Film Scoring Network, building up her technical skill...
18/11/2022
Kirsty Lius Unexpected Journey to Going Viral on Chinese TikTok The first-semester student from Chengdu, China, has racked up over 80 million views on social ...
18/11/2022
Berklee Alumni, Faculty Win Latin Grammy Awards Juan Luis Guerra 82 and Berta Rojas are among the list of winners for 2022.
By
Colette Greenstein
November ...
17/11/2022
Berklee Launches New Program in Santo Domingo Berklee in Santo Domingo is the result of a partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic, ...
17/11/2022
Lacretia Johnson Flash Named Senior Vice President for DEI, Community, Campus Cu...
16/11/2022
Berklees 2023 Alumni Grammy Nominees: See the Full List Nominees include the Berklee Indian Ensemble, Terri Lyne Carrington, Miguel Zen n, Molly Tuttle, Domi ...
15/11/2022
YouTube Series Comes to Life in Two Track: A Headphone Concert In Berklees first headphones-based concert, audience members will experience the intimate nature ...
14/11/2022
Student Spotlight: Mercedes Escobar The singer and guitarist talks about her unique journey to Berklee, the niche genre of Latin Americana, and being inspired...
10/11/2022
Lizzy McAlpine Taps Berklee Band for Tiny Desk Harmonies The 23-year-old Berklee alum appeared with buzzy vocal trio Tiny Habits in her first performance on N...
09/11/2022
Berklee Establishes John Abercrombie Scholarship The tuition-based scholarship will enable jazz musicians to pursue their creative and career goals.
By
Colett...
08/11/2022
Ron Savage Named Executive Director of Berklee College of Music An acclaimed drummer and community leader, Savage will oversee all academic programs, faciliti...
08/11/2022
Berklee Celebrates Annual BMI Day with Acclaimed Composer Alan Silvestri Silvestri and BMI executive Reema Iqbal presented the BMI Film Scoring Scholarship to...
08/11/2022
Celebrating 10 Years of the Mediterranean Music Institute Watch a curated collection of videos chronicling music and artists from the institutes first decade.
...