Posted on Friday, March 13, 2026
Through every piece of music he composes, Assistant Music Professor Dr. Michael Stein strives to capture the essence of a story, including that of climber Eiton Armon, the subject of 2025 documentary “Looking Up,” one of his more recent projects that he says moved him beyond words.
“The journey of Eiton Armon's ascent of El Capitan—while navigating the realities of retinitis pigmentosa—demanded a score that wasn’t simply inspirational, but introspective and psychologically immersive,” Dr. Stein says. “I was deeply moved by the paradox at the center of the film: a climber losing his sight yet pursuing one of the most visually overwhelming ascents in the world. That tension felt inherently musical.”
To begin the project, he says he worked in silence.
“I watched early cuts without writing anything, just absorbing pacing, negative space and emotional temperature,” Dr. Stein says. “I was particularly attentive to moments where sound design and environmental audio carried narrative weight. I began thinking about the musical palette, or instruments, that might help shape this story and tie into the narrative.”
In the score, he says he ended up performing on several plucked instruments, including guitars, banjo, mandolin and bass.
“The director, editor and I felt those instruments gave appropriate location cues and felt organic,” he says. “Once I started writing, I delivered cues to the director and editor on a daily basis, at which point they would send me notes in return. This process would continue until the director and editor were completely satisfied with all 44 cues.”
When scoring a documentary, Dr. Stein says restraint is often more powerful than grandeur.
“This project asked for humility,” he says. “In some films, the music propels action, but here it needed to honor vulnerability and uncertainty. Compared to more orchestrally expansive projects I’ve done, ‘Looking Up’ required a quieter kind of courage.”
Dr. Stein says one of his most memorable experiences happened during the documentary’s New York City premiere at the Soho Film Festival.
“Feeling the audience collectively hold its breath during a couple of the cues was a truly gratifying moment in my career,” he says.
Becoming a ‘Music Man’
From the time he began playing piano at the age of 5, Dr. Stein said he had fallen in love with music and performing for an audience.
“My entry into the music industry started with earning money performing in bands and giving piano lessons by the time I turned 17,” he says.
Dr. Stein went on to receive a B.F.A. In Jazz Piano Performance from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and after several years of performing and teaching, he says he decided he wanted to pursue composition.
“After a few years of dedicated study, I was admitted to the Manhattan School of Music where I earned an M.A. in Classical Composition,” he says. “It was at Manhattan School of Music where I learned to write for symphony orchestra under the mentorship of Grammy Award-winning composer Richard Danielpour. That was also where I scored my first student short film, ‘Glady Brown,’ which starred Anna Maria Harsford from the Wayans Brothers.”
Upon earning his master’s degree, he went on to pursue his dreams in Los Angeles, where he earned a Ph.D. at UCLA in Composition Specializing in Visual Media. Overall, he says he has composed 75 film projects in his career, including “New Wave: Baseball’s Next Generation,” for LeBron James’ production company; and “UNINTERRUPTED,” in association with Major League Baseball. He is currently scoring a narrative feature film titled “Switchback.”
“My film scores have been nominated—with a couple wins—for Best Original Score at film festivals,” he says. “While those honors are meaningful, what resonates most is when collaborators or audiences tell me the music helped them feel something more deeply. That’s the truest measure of success as a film composer.”
Guiding future musicians
In addition to composing, Dr. Stein also shared his passion with students as a lecturer at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music and music technology instructor at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
“From the young 5-year-old piano player to the person I’ve evolved into today, I’ve always wanted to become the best musician I can be—I wouldn’t be where I am today without the wisdom and guidance of my mentors, which is why it is so important to me to give back and become that figure for the next generation,” he says. “That is why I teach.”
In fall 2025, Dr. Stein joined the music faculty at LaGrange College, where he is working on launching an upcoming B.A. Film and Media Scoring program.
He offers this advice for students wishing to pursue the profession:
“Study harmony and orchestration deeply but also study people,” Dr. Stein says. “Film scoring, especially, is about empathy. And perhaps most importantly: protect your curiosity.
“The industry evolves constantly. If you remain curious—about technology, culture and human experience—you’ll continue to grow alongside it.”
Screenings of “Looking Up” are available at West Side upon request to Dr. Stein.
Events are:
Monday and Wednesday – Drink sale featuring Alani, Poppi, Monster, RedBull and more brands,
11 a.m.-1 p.m., Caswell Plaza
Tuesday – Cake Walk, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Caswell Plaza, $1 per ticket
Thursday – Pie a Faculty/Staff Member, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Caswell Plaza, $3 per pie or $5 for two
Friday – LC vs. Covenant, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., LC Softball Complex, Raffle and door prizes
LC Advising Survey
Monday, March 16-Friday, April 10
Virtual
SGA Service x GCAAP: Stress and Mental Health Awareness Workshop
Tuesday, March 17
11 a.m., Bailey Room
Essentials with Heart: Self-Care Kits for Women
Tuesday, March 17
7:30 p.m., Bailey Room
Speed Viewing
Thursday, March 19
3 p.m., Bailey Room
Women's Basketball
The Panthers saw their historic 2025-2026 season come to an end on Friday, March 6, in the first round of the NCAA Championship Tournament, losing 78-52 to the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The 2025-2026 season was the best-ever for the Panthers, as they won the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Championship, the first conference title in the history of the program, and with it their first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament. This after having been picked to finish fifth in the CCS Coaches' Preseason Poll.
Baseball
LC opens its CCS schedule on Friday, March 13, when the team travels to Huntingdon College (Montgomery, Alabama) for a three-game series against the Hawks. LaGrange’s two previous games against Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia) and Berry College (Mount Berry, Georgia) resulted in a 16-1 win and a 16-4 win, respectively. The Panthers boast an 11-6 record, are led by senior Colin Jones (.311 batting average, 2 home runs, 23 RBI) and senior Curt Bonner (.292, 19 RBI). Senior Jackson McElvy is one of the most feared base-runners in the region as his 15 stolen bases currently ranks him third in the entire nation. Senior Trystin Merson has a 3-1 record with a 2.45 ERA with 29 strikeouts.
Freshman Ben Edge was named CCS Rookie of the Week. He finished the week with a .818 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage.
Men’s Lacrosse
The Panthers will be looking for their first win of the season on Saturday, March 14, when they play host to Greensboro College (Greensboro, North Carolina) at Callaway Stadium at noon. Senior Nicholas Murciano leads the Panthers with 17 goals while senior Tyler Abrams has posted five goals and nine assists. Freshman Alex Mann currently ranks fourth in the nation in saves per game.
Softball
LC has gone 4-6 in the past week, including a 2-4 record at the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic last weekend. The Panthers picked up their first doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, March 10, at home against Spalding University (Louisville, Kentucky). Junior Hannah Barnett stepped up for the team this week, hitting .320 with eight hits and three walks. Senior Jenna Yeary went 3-1 in the circle, with a 2.69 ERA. The Panthers are back on the field on Friday, March 20, when they play host to Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Georgia) in a doubleheader to open CCS play.
Senior Jenna Yeary earned NFCA All-Tournament honors.
Track & Field
The Panthers competed at the Savannah State Eyeopener in Savannah, Georgia on Saturday, March 7. Freshman D'Aaron Cox enjoyed a top-10 finish in the men's shot put with a distance of 10.55m. Freshman Khristian Bell finished third in the women's long jump finals with a score of 5.13m. Freshman Ryheem Mighten broke his own school record in the men's 200-meter dash with a time of 21.55. Mighten's time ranks him 18th in the nation in Division III for this season. Mighten later broke his own school record in the men's 400-meter dash with a time of 48.59. LaGrange is back on the track March 20-21, when they travel to Atlanta, Georgia, for the Emory Spring Break Classic.
(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)
Friday, March 13 – Baseball at Huntingdon College, 7 p.m., Montgomery, Alabama
Saturday, March 14 – Lacrosse (Home) vs. Greensboro College (Greensboro, North Carolina), noon, Callaway Stadium
Saturday, March 14 – Baseball at Huntingdon College, 4 p.m., Montgomery, Alabama
Sunday, March 15 – Baseball at Huntingdon College, 2 p.m., Montgomery, Alabama
Tuesday, March 17 – Baseball (Home) vs. Berry College (Mount Berry, Georgia), 6 p.m., Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium
Wednesday, March 18 – Beach Volleyball at Huntingdon College, TBD, Montgomery, Alabama
Wednesday, March 18 – Beach Volleyball vs. University of Mobile (Mobile, Alabama) @Huntingdon College, TBD, Montgomery, Alabama
Thursday, March 19 – Women’s Flag Football at Reinhardt University, 3 p.m., Waleska, Georgia
LaGrange College names new marketing and communications director, LaGrange Daily News, March 11
LaGrange College welcomes new Director of Marketing and Communications, WRBL, March 7
Category: Arts and Culture, Faculty, Academics
Keywords: Music, Film
