Music that inspires
My name is Ricky Valadez, I am a professional music composer and producer. I believe that music can be a powerful tool for good to inspire the human soul towards the light.
"Music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind and spirit of man." ― William F. Gladstone
"Music is given of God to further his purposes." ― Bruce R. McConkie
Follow these links to hear some of my work:
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
New Utah Tech School Song (Original)
In addition to the songs above, I have also created a small library of sheet music arrangements of religious music that have been performed all over the world in churches of different denominations. This can be viewed here.
Here are a few of the messages I've received from people of various faiths:
"When they play your pieces in church, there are many teary eyes and the spirit is undeniable."
"You could hear a pin drop in sacrament. I think it’s one of the most beautiful and stirring arrangements for piano I’ve heard"
"Each week when we practiced this song a different member of the choir would get choked up and unable to sing. One Sunday I noticed a sister stopped singing and started to cry. Later that day I received the following text from her. '…It was so beautiful and there I go again, feeling the Spirit. It was so strong and so beautiful. So I thank YOU for finding such beautiful arrangements to these songs…'"
"Countless people told me how powerful this song was for them and how it brought them and many around them to tears. Even today, almost a month later, a ward member stopped me in the church hallway just to tell me how powerful the song was for them."
Partner with me
For the past 12 years most of my work opportunities have come from music that I’ve made for ads and commercials. But I am most passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, the cause of Zion, and the cause of Liberty. When I create music that supports and promotes these things I feel that more good is done in the world than when I create music for anything else.
However, producing quality music takes a great deal of time, and although I've found a market to support the creation of commercial music, I haven't yet found the means to support the creation of music that promotes these greater causes.
"Often artists are not free to create what they most desire because the market demands other things of them." - Boyd K. Packer
To overcome this, I invite you to partner with me to support the cause of inspiring the human soul in ways that only music can.
Project Options
Below are some of the ideas for inspiring music that have been on my mind and heart for years.
Hymns of Zion: Audio Recording Arrangement
There are many hymns with lyrics that paint a grand and glorious picture of the rise of Zion in the latter-days and the 2nd coming of our Lord. I envision making new arrangements and recordings of these hymns that help the listener sense the importance and majesty of the promises in the lyrics. These hymns would specifically appeal to an LDS audience. These would typically include orchestral arrangements, with choral and/or lead parts.
Hymns of America: Audio Recording Arrangement
There are several wonderful traditional patriotic songs that are part of our American heritage which unabashedly attribute God as the source of our blessings of liberty. These arrangements would attempt to help the listener sense the truth, importance, and goodness of the lyrics. These would appeal to a broader audience of all those who believe in the motto “In God We Trust”.
The Miracles of America: Audio Recording Original
These would be original works which focus on revealing God’s hand in the formation and preservation of America, highlighting stories of heroic patriotism, touching on the basic principles of liberty according to the founders, and the scriptures. These works would attempt to instill a sense of awe for the miracles that have brought about this nation, and a sense of love, duty, and admiration for the cause of liberty. Some examples could be:
- The story of Christopher Columbus’ unyielding determination to sail west, and his journal entries of the Holy Spirit’s influence upon him.
- The miracles surrounding the first Thanksgiving.
- The story of bullet proof George Washington, his prayers and sacrifices.
- The miracle of the constitution. Deliberations and prayers of the continental congress.
- Stories of characters like Nathan Hale, Betty Ross, Paul Revere etc.
Book of Mormon Stories: Audio Recording Original
These original works would put the listener in the place of the characters of the Book of Mormon to demonstrate stories of faith, repentance, courage, and miracles. They would attempt to make the stories feel more real, and help the listener have examples to ponder and emulate. Some examples could be:
- The repentance of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah.
- The Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s burying their weapons of war.
- Helaman’s strippling warriors.
- Captain Moroni’s covenant of freedom.
Songs for Praise and Community: Sheet music Arrangement
Singing together as a group fosters a sense of unity of purpose and belief. These would be arrangements similar in emotion and style to the Hymns of Zion, or Hymns of America, but they would be designed to be accessible to an average church choir, while also creating arrangements that excite others to join God’s people in His unstoppable work. The result would be a PDF of sheet music that would be available for free on my website.
Other Ideas
If you have other inspiring concepts that you'd love to see come to life, I would love to talk about it with you.
How it works
In my experience, the key factors to successful results in creating inspiring work include:
- The grace and inspiration of God
- The tools and knowledge to create
- The time and means to create
- Deadlines
- Accountability
I am currently looking for patrons who would like to sponsor one complete project at a time. It is preferred for payment to be divided 50% upfront and 50% upon completion. Each project will be completed within a specified time after the start date. This approach to a patron-artist relationship provides deadlines, accountability, and the time and means to create.
Your name/company will be listed as the sponsor on any publication of the work (i.e. on sheet music, social media post descriptions, album notes, etc).
Regardless of how long it takes, I won't stop looking for ways to make a positive impact with music. But if you feel, as I do, that the world needs more inspiring music now, then you have the opportunity to make that happen by partnering with me.
If you would like to support the creation of any of these ideas or discuss further, please reach out to me.
Ricky Valadez
rickytheory@gmail.com
435.313.1994