Making disciples of young people

Depends on her taste. Pirates of the Caribbean were there already, Gladiator might be fun for her then. And when she learns that Gladiator was earlier, her reaction may be amazing and I am so looking forward to your description of it

Titanic, Braveheart ASAP. She must learn the basic classics first, maybe some Morricone. With Zimmer tell her about everything before PotC, maybe except King Arthur, though for no particular reason people seem to love it. THe New World was loved or not? If yes - To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday. As a violin player give her scores with very distinct violin parts. Obligatory material includes: Schindler's List (depressing, I know, but amazing - tell her of the performer), The Village (as a 14-year-old she may look up to Hillary Hahn, if she thinks of a career in music, the same with Joshua Bell!). From other string works - Memoirs of a Geisha, if she likes the cello. The Last Samurai seems a good idea to me and the same for The Thin Red Line, if you manage to make her watch and love the film.

From Pirates... if an avid RC fan, move to something else. Like Gregson-Williams... (narnia, KoH) or Gladiator... and the more music from Gladiator. Gladiator would be good... except she may catch on the theme steal for pirates

Thanks for the comments!
Actually after I ordered Robots I was like...wait...Chicken Run would've been better. And I'm pretty sure she'll pick up on the Gladiator/Pirates theme rip...I had another friend who was only casually interested in film scores and not a musician and even she picked up on it without me pointing it out. Good idea on the violin-based scores too, it might encourage her to work harder on the instrument itself.

No golden age?

Here is a copy and paste of a re-recordings topic I started at scorereviews.com. This might expand yor students film music tastes.

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Top 10 Film Score Re-Recordings Of All Time.

No particular order... and I'm probably leaving some off the list because I haven't heard them.

- YO-YO MA PERFORMS THE MUSIC OF ENNIO MORRICONE (Ennio Morricone / Sony Classical / Ennio Morricone cond.) An absolutely brilliant album. Take the most popular cello player out there, re-arrange and re-orchestrate your music for solo cello performance and hear your music the way it has never been performed before. Familiar yet totally different. One of my favorite albums of all time.

- VERTIGO (Bernard Herrmann / Varese / Joel McNeely cond.) IMHO, the best re-recording of all time.

- IVANHOE (Miklos Rozsa / Intrada / Bruce Broughton cond.) This recording catapulted my interest of Rozsa into the stratosphere. Great sound, brilliant conducting and a wonderful performance.

- STAR WARS/CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (John Williams / RCA / Charles Gerhardt cond.) This album contains the best performance of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The 20 minute suite would be my all time favorite re-recording if it weren't for the Vertigo recording.

- THE STAR WARS TRILOGY (John Williams / Varese / Varujan Kojian cond.) The Star Wars trilogy concert versions have never sounded better and for a while two Return of the Jedi cues were recorded that weren't available anywhere else.

- MIKLOS ROZSA CONDUCTS HIS GREAT FILM MUSIC (Miklos Rozsa / Deutsche Grammophon / Miklos Rozsa cond.) Easily the best Rozsa compilation album. He conducts his own music including brilliant performances of Diane, The Thief of Baghdad and Tess... just to name a few. Too bad this is only available on LP but the sound quality is still stellar.

- THE GREAT FANTASY ADVENTURE ALBUM (Various Artists / Telarc / Erich Kunzel cond.) Another compilation but I don't think you'll find a better re-recorded film music compilation out there. This covers everything from the Golden Age; The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad to modern day scores; Jurassic Park and stuff you thought could never be re-recorded; The Terminator. Outstanding sound quality that tests the limits of your sound system, brilliant performances and dead on conducting.

- THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Erich Wolfgang Korngold / Marco Polo / William Stromberg cond.) Until I here Fahrenheit 451, this is the best recording from the Marco Polo/Morgan and Stromberg collaboration. We get the complete score, in brilliant stereo sound, performed by the fantastic Moscow Symphony Orchestra... what else could you possibly want?

- THE FILM SCORES (Bernard Herrmann / Sony Classical / Esa-Pekka Salonan cond.) A wonderful collection of Bernard Herrmann's best scores conducted by the master Esa-Pekka Salonan. There are two highlights - the suite from Psycho and the suite from The Taxi Driver. Wonderfully performed by the LA Philharmonic with fabulous sound quality.

- FRONTIERS (Jerry Goldsmith / Varese / Jerry Goldsmith cond.) A great compilation of Goldsmith's Sci-Fi music performed by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. But the main reason I point out this album is for the brilliant performance of "The Enterprise" from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Rarely does a re-recording out do the original but in this instance Goldsmith has done this. The pacing, the performance, the sound quality... it all betters the original soundtrack recording. That splash of cymbals at the point when the Enterprise appears on screen has never sounded better or more powerful.

HONORABLE MENTION

THREE CHORAL SUITES (Miklos Rozsa / Telarc / Erich Kunzel) A labour of love for Erich Kunzel. Take three of the best choral film scores of all time, re-record highlights from each with The Cincinnati Pops and Mormon Tabernacle Choir, have it conducted by one of the best in the biz and what do you get... sheer bliss.

-Erik-

Yeah;

Don't take me wrong guys but i don't think that several of the (otherwise great) scores you mention above will "echo" to a 14 year old girl who's getting in touch with film music for the first time. Don't forget that we're talking about someone who was born in 1993.

Yeah, i don't disagree. But gradually. She will probably find herself more easily accustomed to listens that are more up to date and closer to what she's been probably listening to all this time, outside film music. That's what my experience with new listeners has showed me anyway.

Some more "light" choices that might appeal to a young girl - Romeo and Juliet by Rota, Tom's Midnight Garden, Legends of the Fall and Hook.

I wouldn't introduce earlier stuff than Morricone's Good the Bad and the Ugly; that might be a good choice because its a totally different style than RC's stuff... but you still get a sense of modern film music.

Her interest in film music, and her appreciation for some of the titles you've introduced her to already, may stem from her respect for you. It's not unusual for kids to like something because the adults they admire like it.

One possibility to help her explore some of her interests would be to try some of the top tracks from a couple of different types of scores - swashbuckling adventure, light romantic, comedy, upbeat and quietly dramatic and then talk with her about which ones she preferred and why. If she has some "favorites" you could introduce her to more scores in a similar style, while still mixing in a couple of different styles to help expand her horizons and appreciation.

Good idea... but don't get stuck on one style; theres alot out there, so get started!
For a very 'light' soundtrack might I reccomend Rachel Portman's Nicholas Nickleby?

I think an important thing to ask here is: are you trying to expose the girl to just film music, or are you using this brain-wash.....er....'encouragement' to make her interested in as well? (sorry, I don't know what your age is...don't mean to offend or imply illegal activity )

Go for the more accessible and fluffy John Williams. Everyone loves those, especially girls: Hook, E.T., Harry Potter, etc.

The classic Horner suggestions are great too: Legends of the Fall, Willow....big themes = big fun!

Also, do play up the violin angle: Horner's Iris, Williams' Schindler's List, Howard's The Village.

Oh, and if she likes the big sound of Pirates, then she'll love Cutthroat Island and Independence Day.

Just remember: when using the word "score" in mixed company, always make sure it's in proper context (especially if her parents are around).

-Brendan

p.s. first post - nice site guys!

No no no....that would definitely be illegal activity.
But if I ever find a girl of age that it wouldn't be illegal activity, the relationship is not going to go very far if she doesn't have much interest in my kind of music

ET is a good idea!