We recently connected with Mara Keen and have shared our conversation below.

Mara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started learning piano at 6 years old and I loved it from the very beginning. I remember thinking as a kid it felt like I was just typing on a computer, but instead of typing words different sounds would come out. From then on I always felt most like myself when I’m playing piano and being creative. When I was around middle school age, I started what I originally thought was being “lazy”, and would change the notes/rhythm around to my liking, instead of playing what was already written on the page. Years later I realized I wasn’t being lazy at all, I actually had started improvising and composing! I knew I was going to study music in college because it was the only thing I ever felt I was good at, and the only thing I ever really liked. I decided I wanted to write music for film and tv, because I always loved the idea of working in the entertainment industry. I loved how I felt when I walked out after seeing a movie in the theatre. It was this hopefulness and inspired feeling that made me feel excited. I started this journey professionally by studying for a Bachelor of Music from George Mason University in Classical Composition, where I focused on traditional composing techniques, music theory, orchestrating and arranging.

A mistake I always say I made, was not exploring electronic composition while studying at GMU. At the time I felt that I should stick to focus on traditional/“classical” ways of composing, and never took advantage of the facilities that were available. Had I spent more time in the their studio, it would’ve really sped up my learning process tremendously. I realized this after I had graduated in 2019, that if I wanted to really have a career in scoring for film and tv, I would need to know the electronic side of things. I needed and wanted to learn how to use different DAW’S (Digital Audio Workstation), learn more about recording, mixing, and mastering. I then decided to get a Master of Music in Studio Composition (graduating from SUNY Purchase in 2022).

However, about three weeks after auditioning for grad schools, in March of 2020 everything shut down and my entire graduate program ended up being online. Although I definitely benefited from all of the classes being recorded over zoom (made it easier to practice what I learned), I didn’t get a chance to be in a studio setting and being a visual learner, it would have made a huge difference. I decided in the meantime I will practice as much as I can within my various DAW’s, and make it a goal to gain in-studio experience. I am currently getting that now at Kensaltown East Studios.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a composer, arranger, and orchestrator for film and tv. My professional career started in May 2022 when I begun interning with Emmy winning composer JP Rende, (of EARWORMNY), assisting him throughout the entire series of Netflix’s Princess Power. The internship was successful, and I ended up scoring several shorts for the series. From there I have worked on several short films, including Pink Yellow which premiered at the Asian International Film Festival in 2023, Vigil Chime’s Mekaku, Tyler Gurdon’s Would You Love Me? (2024), and did sound design for Annetta Marion and Gabrielle Fox’s Welcome to Theatre, which premiered at the Glass Ceiling Breaker’s Film Festival this year (2024) and will also be shown at the Chain NYC Film Festival. I am currently working on a few projects that will be airing later this year/early next year that I can’t discuss at the moment, but be sure to follow me on social media to see more!

Being in a category of historically underrepresented composers, I am passionate about helping other women in the music industry succeed. Latin Recording Academy member Chesca Música and I were talking about this recently, how we’d love to show what it’s really like working as professional singer songwriters, composers, producers, etc in the industry, and just started The Fresh Queens of Music, where viewers can see what it’s like navigating the music industry as women, showing behind the scenes how much is created, mixed, recorded, and more. We also will be highlighting and interviewing other women in our field, and our goal is to increase the percentage of women in the studio. According to USC’s Annenberg Stats, between the years 2012 to last year (2023), 96.8% of producers were men, and a shockingly low 3.2% were women. You can see more about this on our instagram, @thefreshqueensofmusic.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes! Tons. I wish I had been an active member of more organizations, there are so many out there that are helping musicians to thrive. Some that I would recommend that I am currently a member of include The Alliance for Women Film Composers, GRAMMY U, The Society of Composers and Lyricists, Post New York Alliance, Maestra, Women in Music, Women in Media, and New York Women in Film and Television. By being part of an organization, you meet all kinds of people that can become your friends, colleagues, co-collaborators, and more. it’s really just a great thing to meet people with similar interests and goals as yourself. In addition, and I cannot stress this enough, take advantage of the resources available. Apply to everything, meet as many people as you can, put yourself out there because you just don’t know what it can lead to!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I recently spoke about this on Bella Chaviano’s Podcast Relative Pitch, I believe people who are currently in positions of power need to help up and coming artists/creatives because they have the ability and resources to do so. They have the contacts, advice, and ideas that newer people in this field may not be aware or know of. I think from the outside looking in, entering the music industry can seem very difficult because of this notion of gatekeeping and competitiveness, but the truth is everybody wins when we work together. Music is a collaborative thing, and what you may lack skills in someone may excel in and vice versa. I have to mention a couple people who are doing what I suggested, one being my mentor Alisa Coleman (COO of ABKCO Music & Records), who has been one of the best people I have ever met and is only helping me to succeed. Another being Camus Celli of Kensaltown East Studios, he is an extremely kind and big advocate for advancing the careers of underrepresented groups in the music industry. Currently, him and I are working on creating more space, events, and opportunities for women composers, songwriters, producers, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marakeenmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mara_keen/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marakeenmusic/
• Other: The Fresh Queens of Music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreshqueensofmusic/
  My IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15688952/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1