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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, July 6, 2012 · 36 Taylor Barrow wins Roland synthesizer contest By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville's Taylor Barrow has some cool new gear to make music with, the same equipment used by Lady Gaga, Eminem and 50 Cent. And he didn't have to spend a dime on any of it. The 21-year-old won the fifth annual Roland Synth Contest with an electronic track he made, called Wasted Love. The national, online contest was put on by Roland Canada, an electronic musical instrument maker. For winning the Grand Prize, Barrow received $7,000 worth of musical equipment, including the same synthesizer used by some big name musicians, which he said will help motivate him to make more music. "I feel pretty good," he said. "I hope it's not too fleeting. I feel I have to work hard now." The Oakville Trafalgar High School graduate is a pianist who spent one year at Queen's University studying classical music. However, after the first year, he decided the program was not for him. So this year, Barrow enrolled at Mississauga's Metalworks Institute for a twoyear Professional Sound Program, which teaches sound engineering for studio and live stage. "I'm super into music and that's what I'm good at, kind of," he said. "I decided I wanted to go more into production and more hands on, the real deal, not just learn how to teach someone to play piano." In the past two years, he's also turned more into creating electronic music rather than play the piano. At Metalworks, he learned about the synthesizer music contest and decided to submit a piece for it. Artscene MARTA IWANEK / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog NEW TOYS: Oakville's Taylor Barrow is pictured using his new synthesizer, which he won in an online music contest put on by Roland Canada. "This was an opportunity to write something for a purpose, not just something for me to listen to," he said. He makes music on a computer using a software-based synthesizer (soft synth), which he said is a different skill from writing songs on sheet music for the piano. However, he uses his piano theory knowledge to do so. He currently works at a recording studio, but hopes to pursue a career as a musician. He's played in bands in the past and is planning to produce an EP with a friend in the coming months and to play some live shows. As a result of his contest win, a company out of England contacted him about his music. Furthermore, for winning, Roland sent him to Montreal for MUTEK, an electronic music festival, where he made more contacts. All of this, he hopes, will help him with his music career in the future. Dominik Kurek can be reached at dkurek@oakvillebeaver.com or followed on Twitter at @DominikKurek. Snap your best shot for contest The Capture Oakville photography contest has returned and now features six new categories. "The competition is open to photographers of all skill levels from beginner to pro in all categories," said Kieley Hickey, cofounder of the Oakville Camera Club, which puts on the annual contest. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 11. The local categories for this year are Luminous, Motion and Reflection. The photos taken for these categories must be taken in Oakville. The other three categories are Macro, Landscape and Fine Art. These can be taken anywhere in the world. The contest is juried by professionals and is open to everyone. The categories change each year, with three of them required to be taken in town. The top 90 prints will be chosen and exhibited on the walls of the North Atrium in Oakville Town Hall from Nov. 23 to Jan. 25 of next year. Photo submissions must be printed on 11 by 14 inch high quality photo paper. For full rules and more information, visit www.oakvillecameraclub.com. Author writes about girl's wartime hardships Longtime Oakville resident Betty A. Hansford has self-published a book about a young girl and her family who have to deal with poverty and hunger during the Second World War. The historical fiction novel, titled Jessica, is the writer's first book. During the bombardment of London, the girl and her family escape the city to seek refuge in the countryside. There, the girl is faced with the hardships of wartime, the humiliation of hunger and poverty, family conflicts and tragedy and uncertainties about life. For more information about the book, visit www.vantagepress.com. Follow Oakville Beaver staff on Twitter @OakvilleBeaver or @NewsHooked @DavidLea6 @DominikKurek @Beaversports or @Halton_Photog