A soundtrack for our lives: the power of Disney music
Music is deep at the heart of Disney storytelling. From a bouncy knock-about song to a soaring power anthem, Disney film soundtracks shape characters, define emotions and efficiently move the narrative along. Even more, favourite tunes create and anchor memories, evoking a collective nostalgia for an idealised past and our own childhoods.
Join Dr Gregory Camp to hear how Disney has been scoring our lives for generations, and how the brand has used music so successfully (and profitably) to tell its stories and sell its products.
He will talk about Disney’s theme parks and how meticulously curated playlists place visitors into their own imaginary film, and discuss the tunes themselves, explaining the techniques used to write the music, manufacture the moods, and stitch together the melodies and harmonies to create a musical narrative that works alongside the visuals.
Bio
Dr Gregory Camp is a Senior Lecturer in Music and Associate Head, Teaching and Learning, in the School of Creative Arts. He has written the monographs Howard Hawks: Sonic Style in Film (2020) and Scoring the Hollywood Actor in the 1950s and his most recent books are Linguistics for Singers and Music in the Disney Parks. He sings regularly with the Auckland Chamber Choir and Voices New Zealand.
Event
Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 6:00pm – 7:00pm @Miss Lucys Auckland, 54 Cook Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
The other talk at this location is Threads across borders: forced migration in a digital world at 7:30pm – 8:30pm
