Merry Christmas and happy New Years!

Can you believe this year is almost over and a new one is about to start? Crazy. I can't believe it's going to be 2011 in a couple weeks.

In the next couple days I'm going to talk about the two Christmas songs I did this year and posted in past blog posts.

Before that I would like to thank my brother Steven for all the help he gave me with these songs and the art he did. He's really close to getting his digital media animation degree, so I appreciate the time he took to help mix and master the two songs, and do the art. Thanks little bro!

I'm now on Youtube

My songs are now up on Youtube! The videos are simple, showing only the cover art of each song and playing the full audio.

An Elvish Waltz



This is an original song in which I wrote the lyrics, music, and accompaniment. The bridge is from the Nutcracker, Flower Waltz, which represents the two elves dancing. I had fun transitioning between verse and chorus, creating the feeling of stress and release.

And Sing We Now of Christmas



This is a remake of a 15th century traditional French Carol, "Noël Nouvelet," that was translated in the 17-18th century into "Sing We Now of Christmas." For the lyrics I kept the 1st verse and chorus the same, but rewrote verses 2-5. I was first introduced to this song in a college French class and instantly fell in love. So I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

If you like these two songs enough to download them, you can do so at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SarahStufflebeam

http://www.taleastudios.com/music/ This is the music page on the Talea Studios website. If you click on the song and look at the bottom right corner, you'll see a lyric button. I know it needs to be bigger, so hopefully that will be fixed in the next few weeks.

Enjoy!
Sarah

Who I Am

Completely Indie:  A musician who is not signed to a major label, and thus has full creative freedom.  All music is done with the help of family and/or close friends, including recording, mixing, and mastering.  Must be a little crazy, yet have the drive to continue moving forward when set-backs occur or technology decides to play tricks.  (Technology can be mischievous like that.)   Must have a passion and love for music. 

 For several years, all my life really, I’ve studied and performed music, participating in piano recitals, choirs, and theater.  When High School was behind me and college started, music was the only choice for a major.  Do to economics and situation I attended two Junior colleges in California, transferred to UVSC (Utah Valley State College, now Utah Valley University,) and was lucky enough to be accepted and then transfer to BYU (Brigham Young University Provo,) where I graduated with a BA in Music from the classical voice division of the school of music.

Now I’m ready to share the music I’ve created and put it on the intergalactic web. 

There are two Christmas songs I’ve been working hard on and are on the verge of going online.  The songs are already on CDbaby, but I’m still waiting for my music to be uploaded to You Tube and the Talea Studios website.

My musical style is a little unique, and it’s probably going to surprise even those who know me well.  The genre can be summed up as “New-Age Electronic Pop.”  It’s the only real definition that seems to fit, but there’s something rather snazzy, yet exciting about it as well. 

This blog will be a collection of my musings, musical adventures, and projects I’m working on or have completed.

I hope you enjoy the music I’m excited to share.

Until next time,

Sarah

My Movie Reviews

Below is a list of all the movies I've reviewed.  

Enjoy!

(I'm a bit behind updating this page and reviewing all the movies I've seen.  It's my goal by Autumn of 2015 to be completely caught up, and have this page current.  I do tag all of my movie reviews with "movie review," so if you click that tag all of my Movie Reviews will pop up.)

2014 Movie

Gimme Shelter: 4 out of 5 stars
I, Frankenstein: 2.5 out of 5 stars 
Inspired Guns: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: 4 out of 5 stars
Legend of Hercules, The: 1.5 out of 5 stars 
Lego Movie, The: 5 out of 5 stars 
Philomena: 3.75 out of 5 stars
RoboCop: 2 out of 5 stars
Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Son of God: 4.5 out of 5 stars

2013 Movies

Austenland: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Creatures: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Book Thief, The: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Captain Phillips: 3.25 out of 5 stars 
Catching Fire: 5 out of 5 stars
Despicable Me 2: 4.25 out of 5 stars 
Ender's Game: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Ephraim's Rescue: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Frozen: 5 out of 5 stars
G.I. Joe Retaliation: 3 out of 5 stars 
Grace Unplugged: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gravity: 5 out of 5 stars
Great Gatsby, The: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Host, The: 4 out of 5 stars
Iron Man III: 4 out of 5 stars
Lone Ranger, The: 2 out of 5 stars 
Man of Steel: 4.5 out of stars
Monsters University: 4 out of 5 stars 
Mortal Instruments, City of Bones: 4 out of 5 stars
Now You See Me: 3 out of 5 stars
Oblivion: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Oz the Great and Powerful: 3.75 out of 5 stars 
Pacific Rim: 3.75 out of 5 stars 
Planes: 3.5 out of 5 stars 
Romeo and Juliet: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Safe Haven: 4 out of 5 stars
Saratov Approach, The: 4.25 out of 5 stars 
Saving Mr. Banks: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Star Trek: Into Darkness: 5 out of 5 stars 
Thor: The Dark World: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Upside Down: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Warm Bodies: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Wolverine, The: 4 out of 5 stars 

2012 Movies

The Amazing Spider-Man: 4 out of 5 stars
The Avengers: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Brave: 4.25 out of 5 stars
The Dark Knight Rises: 4 out of 5 stars
First Position: 5 out of 5 stars
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The Hunger Games: 4 out of 5 stars
Les Miserables: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Life of Pi: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars
Lincoln: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Men in Black III: 4 out of 5 Stars
The Odd Life of Timothy Green: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Rise of the Guardians: 4 out of 5 stars
Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed: 2 out of 5 stars 
The Secret World of Arrietty: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Skyfall, James Bond: 4.5 out of 5 stars 
Snow White and the Huntsmen: 3 out of 5 stars
Sparkle: 3 out of 5 stars
Tinkerbell and the Secret of the Wings: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Twilight, Breaking Dawn Part 2: 3 out of 5 stars
The Words: 3 out of 5 stars
Wreck-It Ralph: 4 out of 5 stars