micro/Maker by Loose Leaf Transmissions

Roger Zare reflects on how his lifelong love of science — from NASA launches to particle physics — influences his music. He shares stories about pieces inspired by natural phenomena, like the Green F…

Austin Hammonds traces the profound and recurring impact Jurassic Park has had on his life — from falling in love with the score as a kid, to hearing it live, to writing his first orchestral piece, a…

Vanessa Ague shares how her listening habits shifted in high school — from an early contrarian love for classical music to discovering Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac. What started with burned CDs and…

Sean Hamilton shares the core philosophies that guide his music-making: a timbral approach shaped by Helmut Lachenmann, a fluid rhythmic sensibility influenced by Stuart Saunders Smith, and an immers…

Mahdis Golzar Kashani shares how stories, feelings, and visual imagination are central to her creative process. In this excerpt, she discusses how she approaches composition almost like film scoring—…

Composer Daijana Wallace reflects on the complicated realities of increased visibility following 2020, sharing how questions of identity, recognition, and artistic worth shaped her creative path. She…

Carlynn Crosby shares why historical context, cultural awareness, and empathy are essential to her creative practice—and how these values are becoming harder to hold onto in an increasingly distracte…

Joshua Mallard shares how his journey from wanting to be a chemical engineer to landing on a desire to be a full-time musician was guided by a practical mindset and an openness to multiple creative p…

Phong Tran shares how architecture and emotion form the foundation of his creative process. He walks Tyler through the feedback loop he uses — moving between improvisation, sketching, and reduction —…

Ania Vu describes how personal hardship shaped her relationship with time and led her to create works that resist its forward motion. She shares how those moments became a turning point in her practi…

Roger Zare shares how hearing Stravinsky’s Firebird live reignited his love for orchestral sound and sparked an early creative outpouring. He reflects on the excitement of writing for large ensembles…

Shelley Washington reflects on the pivotal leap she made when deciding to pursue a master's in composition — after a year of soul-searching, unconventional jobs, and weighing big financial risks. Enc…

Vanessa Ague reflects on the importance of curiosity in music criticism — especially when tempted by the visibility of writing about what's popular. She shares how thoughtful listening, genuine inqui…

Baljinder Sekhon unpacks how expectations shape our sense of musical “truth” — and how stepping outside of those expectations can lead to deeper listening and creativity. He shares how a performance …

micro/Maker is a podcast of short, unfiltered moments from longform conversations with composers and other artists. These bite-sized episodes offer glimpses into the creative process — exploring idea…