Music has always been a huge part of my life. I began learning to play the piano when I was just a little lad. My parents weren’t musical themselves but they saw the value of having my sister and I learn an instrument. I can’t thank them enough! Growing up I played in school bands, personal rock bands, and even an orchestra. When it came time to choose a life path, funny enough though I actually headed down the road to becoming an engineer (like math and science engineer, not audio engineer). After a few years I realized that I had to make music more than a hobby or I might never be happy. So after a yearlong audio production program I got hooked up with a music publishing company in Toronto called Bedtracks. I began writing music for TV shows, documentaries, and advertisements (and still do). At some point around 2017, I realized that I had all of this music that I’d written and was proud of but had no way to share it with the world. So initially ‘Music Within’ was born as an avenue to share some of my work, kind of like a portfolio of albums. But it has become much more than that now. It’s another artistic outlet for me to use to write music just for music’s sake. Since starting the project, I’ve put out 10 or so albums and many singles/EPs in between.
“What advice would you give to someone starting on the music path?”
First off, I’d say that you should try to remember that success generally follows an exponential curve. This is going to take time. Have a realistic time frame to achieve your goals so that you don’t give up. Also (this is one that I learned this one from Grant Cardone): set goals that are ten times bigger than what you normally would. It will keep you more motivated and if you fall short of this massive goal, you’ll still accomplish a lot! Oh and try not to be too hard on yourself. I'm still always guilty of comparing myself to people that are 20 years ahead of me, who write beautiful film scores and amazing music and while it can be a good kick in the butt to work hard, make sure not to compare too harshly.
I am proud to say that I just recently hit the milestone of 4 years as a full-time freelance music composer! That’s an accomplishment that means a lot to me.
Truthfully, on a day-to-day basis, I often feel like I’m not making the progress I’d hoped for, that things are moving too slowly, and that I’m stuck in a rut. But, questions like this help me to take a step back from my myopic view, to really appreciate things that I’ve been taking for granted. It’s pretty wild to think that on a monthly basis, there are 50,000 people who listen to my music, or that I have several tracks with over a million plays. From this zoomed out perspective, I feel kind of amazed that since starting on this path, I’ve built up a catalog of over 500 pieces of music (150 or so of which are released under Music Within). I guess I needed a good reminder to not take for granted the fact that I’m supporting myself with my music.
Music is another form of communication and self-expression. It transcends borders and boundaries. Give two people from completely different parts of the world the opportunity and they will be able to make music together without speaking each other’s language or knowing anything about each other. It’s an amazing thing! Music is also an opportunity to take listeners on a guided journey over a period of time. In the same way that an author can transport a reader to a specific place in their mind, so too can music transport listeners. And it can do so without language, which means that music doesn’t have the specificity of language. It is more open-ended and a more personal experience. Basically, music is the best.
True, deep listening is a form of meditation. And it’s definitely my favourite form of meditation. Focusing only on what you’re hearing and staying right there with the music as it develops, it’s a special experience. For someone who spends their days creating music, listening has become something that is synonymous with living.
I definitely do dream about music, whether it’s listening or creating, but I have yet to wake up and remember what I heard or made in the dream. Something to work towards!
Now that Interwoven is released and out there in the world I’m working hard to get it in front of as many people as possible. I’m currently preparing for a few piano performances in the Toronto area to showcase the music. Outside of Music Within, I actually have a number of things on my plate right now. I’m beginning the process of scoring 2 short films - (unrelated to one another). And I’m in the middle of recording the 2nd full-length album with my band, Centuries of Decay. I have a lot of rather technical guitar material to chew through right after I finish writing this. Exciting times!
What would you like to try that you have not tried yet?
Bungee jumping! Wind surfing!
“I like to look at it like I’m writing music for films that don’t yet exist, or that may only ever live as unique stories within each listener’s mind,” says McAllister. Naturally he does also compose music for film projects that do exist, most recently co-scoring the documentary film Town of Widows.
Rob is a classically trained pianist with a curiosity and passion for learning new instruments and exploring new sounds. This has fueled the addition of many new sound pallets into his productions. In addition to playing the piano, he is a multi-instrumentalist who plays the guitar, trombone, and accordion to name a few. He is continually writing new music, and loves the creative freedom that composing music on a regular basis provides.
Born and raised in Welland, Ontario, Robert Daniel McAllister studied classical piano for 10 years. During this time, he earned his Grade 8 Piano Certificate and his Grade 2 Music Theory Certificate. Always keen to learn a new instrument, he picked up the trombone in school and later joined the Niagara Youth Orchestra for five years. Additionally, Rob became proficient at playing the guitar and joined many bands over the years. Currently he is the lead guitarist in a metal band called Centuries of Decay.
Rob attended McMaster University and studied Physics, obtaining a B.Sc. (Physics). Realizing there that he needed to pursue his real passion, music, he enrolled and completed the Audio Production Program at the Harris Institute in Toronto. Upon completion, Rob was offered a 6-month internship at The Hive, an established Toronto music studio. This internship focused on audio production and music composition for film and television. This internship was the stepping-stone from which Rob dove headfirst into his career as a music composer.
From that time Rob has been honing his composition skills and growing his personal catalog to approximately 450 pieces of music at the present time. Rob’s music has been featured in advertisements for IKEA, Lexus, Rocky Mountaineer, Holt Renfrew, Huggies, and Power Athletics to name a few. He has written theme songs for television shows, including APTN’s Wild Archaeology, Global’s Decision Canada (Canadian election coverage), A User’s Guide To Cheating Death, and Last Stop Garage. He has provided additional music scoring for Global’s 16x9, and the documentary films Fanomenon and The Drop: Why Young People Don't Vote. He co-scored the full-length documentary entitled Sister Elizabeth: The Strength Of Faith. Most recently, he co-scored the documentary film Town of Widows, which aired on the CBC.
Around 2019 Rob began focusing more of his efforts on finding his own musical voice and developing his project Music Within. Steadily releasing singles, EPs, and albums, the project now contains a collection of about 150 pieces for people to listen on all platforms wherever music is available.
https://music-within.bandcamp.com/album/interwoven-2
https://igloomag.com/reviews/music-within-interwoven
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFDGizRoM9noJGp6ii39RA
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