{"id":28005,"date":"2026-10-07T12:20:48","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=28005"},"modified":"2026-10-07T15:52:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:52:46","slug":"how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Berklee Online Alum\u2019s Path Through Classical Music, Rock Bands, Teaching, and Film Scoring Leads to Two Major Premieres in One Weekend<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf calls herself a \u201cclassical runaway.\u201d She has been playing violin since the age of three, and her first love is Vivaldi\u2019s Four Seasons<\/em>, but she has spent much of her musical life exploring rock, country\u2014her current band, the Holdouts<\/a>, merges these genres with funk, blues, and soul\u2014and even dabbling in what she calls \u201csymphonic industrial techno metal<\/a>.\u201d Later this month, two very different parts of her musical life will come together over one remarkable weekend. On Saturday, October 17, she\u2019ll hear the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra perform a piece she originally wrote as a Berklee Online homework assignment. The next day, she\u2019ll fly home to Tulsa for the premiere of a documentary she scored. For someone who once ran away from classical music, it\u2019s shaping up to be quite a homecoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with her Saturday night first. When she submitted her piece, Memories from the Old World<\/em>, to the Atlanta Philharmonic\u2019s Composition Competition<\/a>, Rowland Khalaf says she did so to help her overcome a little bit of seasonal malaise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just kind of in the winter doldrums, and I was like, \u2018Okay, I\u2019ve got to be a little constructive, so I\u2019m going to gather up everything I wrote and pick out some things and enter them into these contests,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s when I remembered the piece I wrote for Orchestration 2<\/em><\/a>, because several of the contests required a full orchestra.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecting with Strawberry Shortcake Creator Muriel Fahrion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As for the film premiere on Sunday night, it\u2019s a documentary about illustrator Muriel Fahrion called Strawberry Colored Glasses<\/em><\/a>. The project is near to Rowland Khalaf\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s one of my besties,\u201d she says of the 81-year-old who\u2019s best known for drawing the original concepts for Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears, and The Get Along Gang.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe just met each other through another friend who was like, \u2018you guys are going to get along!\u2019 And we did,\u201d recalls Rowland Khalaf. \u201cAnd then a couple of weeks later, I wanted to see Andrew Bird, who\u2019s my absolute favorite, and my husband had to work, so I called her because I thought she might like him. I said, \u2018Do you want to go see Andrew Bird in Oklahoma City?\u2019 And she\u2019s like, \u2018Yeah!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n The Get Along Gang: Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf became fast friends with Muriel Fahrion, and then scored the documentary about her.\n <\/figcaption>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This mid-October weekend is not the first time these two projects have been intertwined. In August, Rowland Khalaf was on the phone with the producer of the Strawberry Shortcake documentary, delivering the final trailer, when she received word from the Philharmonic Orchestra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt that exact moment, I got the email from Atlanta that said \u2018congratulations on winning!\u2019\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe\u2019s like, \u2018Whoa! Like, oh my gosh!\u2019 I didn\u2019t think I would win anything; I was just thinking this would be something to do, to organize myself, and might as well try. So I had to leave my meeting with him and make a few phone calls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Composing with Auditory Eidetic Memory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rowland Khalaf says she has had an on-again, off-again relationship with composing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had gotten discouraged from composing because I did have some success when I was 16,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that success was shadowed in sadness. She wrote a piece in honor of her late aunt, who was killed by a drunk driver. Mothers Against Drunk Driving<\/a> used the music in a video training first responders to deliver death notifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, she says she would still have creative ideas and map them out using the notation software Encore, only to convince herself they sounded too much like something that had already been written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would map it out, and I\u2019m like, \u2018That\u2019s already something. I know it,\u2019 and I would delete it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rowland Khalaf describes herself as having auditory eidetic memory, which is similar to a photographic memory, but with music. She says if she\u2019s ever played something, she still knows it. This is perhaps why she felt like everything that she was composing was something she already knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost like I can feel the interval,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not thinking 6th, 3rd, octave, but I know it instinctively. It\u2019s also like a filing cabinet. If someone\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, can you play The Rite of Spring<\/em>?\u2019 I may have never actually performed that one, but I can get close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While that ability may have arguably hindered her own compositional ambitions, it came in handy during the years she worked as a strolling violinist in Tulsa restaurants, and that was how she met the man who would become her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was in with friends one night, and he said, \u2018Can you play \u201cGilligan\u2019s Island\u201d?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Of course.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next major piece she wrote was for their wedding in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018you know, I\u2019ve played so many weddings, and there\u2019s so many clich\u00e9 pieces of music. I\u2019m going to write my own processional.\u2019 So I did!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billboard<\/em> Success, Dr. Pepper Campaign, and Learning Logic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

She continued to compose more after that, particularly through teaching. Rowland Khalaf spent 14 years in public-school education, including eight years running an orchestra program at a large Tulsa school. She wrote and arranged pieces suited to her students\u2019 abilities and eventually started a Rock Orchestra. \u201cIn this whole process, I kind of was dabbling in writing again,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During those years, she had been playing with a band called We the Ghost, which was finding success on the Billboard<\/em> charts<\/a> and in sync, landing a national Dr. Pepper campaign<\/a>. She watched bandleader Beau Tyler<\/a> using Logic for the band\u2019s demos, but her public-school teaching job was consuming most of her time, leaving little opportunity to learn the software herself. After the band broke up, she enrolled in a three-course professional certificate in Logic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was just in curiosity mode for a while, and then I got Logic on my computer, and was playing around with it a little bit, but then I was like, \u2018I really need to learn this!\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cSo between Beau talking about Logic and my friend Karen Naifeh Harmon<\/a> talking about her experience with Berklee Online, I was like, \u2018It\u2019s so obvious, I have to do this!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing the Logic certificate, Rowland Khalaf watched Harmon begin working on film projects of her own. \u201cI was like, \u2018I should try that again,\u2019\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By that point, Rowland Khalaf was also ready for a professional change. She left public-school teaching in 2024, though she says she plans to continue teaching private lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orchestrating with Inspiration from Dvo\u0159\u00e1k<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

She decided to keep the momentum going by signing up for a five-course professional certificate in Composing and Orchestrating for Film and TV<\/a>. In the summer semester of 2024, she wrote Memories from the Old World<\/em>, which will receive its premiere later this month in Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n To hear the fully realized version of Memories from the Old World<\/em> you might have to travel to Atlanta, but to listen to the MIDI version (with live violin overdubs!) you can just play this version.\n <\/figcaption>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen Newhouse<\/a> gave us the specific orchestration requirements so naturally I decided there had to be a dramatic violin solo,\u201d she says. \u201cOnce I got going on it, it began to feel a little Dvo\u0159\u00e1k-esque, which makes sense due to the fact that as a child my dad and I would listen to Tchaikovsky, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Rachmaninoff, etc. on repeat. I have also always loved tone poems or pieces with stories like Danse Macabre<\/em>, Scheherazade<\/em>, Night on Bald Mountain<\/em>, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Memories from the Old World<\/em> wasn\u2019t the only thing to come out of Rowland Khalaf\u2019s return to composing. Her Berklee Online studies had also prepared her for the other half of her upcoming weekend: film scoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PowDot Studios<\/a>, the Tulsa-based filmmakers behind Strawberry Colored Glasses<\/em>, first hired her to score their feature film When the Rain Comes<\/em>. The film premiered at Tulsa\u2019s Circle Cinema and went on to win Best Narrative Feature at the Circle Cinema Film Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n The opening scene of When the Rain Comes<\/em>, scored by Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf.\n <\/figcaption>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That collaboration ultimately led to Strawberry Colored Glasses<\/em>, which brings the two strands of Rowland Khalaf\u2019s story together on consecutive nights in October. And neither appears to be a one-off. She says she is already at work co-writing another original score, this time for the National Animation Museum<\/a> in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s another addition to a musical r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that has taken her through rock, country, metal, film scoring, and plenty of places in between. But when asked which genre feels most like home base, Rowland Khalaf doesn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, classical, because of my training,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf has played classical, rock, country, metal, and plenty in between. Now, the Berklee Online alum is preparing for a remarkable weekend (Oct. 17\u201318), featuring an Atlanta Philharmonic performance of a composition that started as an Orchestration 2<\/a><\/em> homework assignment and the premiere of a documentary she scored about Strawberry Shortcake creator Muriel Fahrion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":27999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9560,32],"tags":[10354,10348,10345,10350,163,172,10344,6467,10352,6468,6098,10342,10353,7999,10346,10349,974,976,1065,10347,10343,10351],"class_list":["post-28005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-spotlight","category-student-stories","tag-andrew-bird","tag-antonin-dvorak","tag-atlanta-philharmonic-orchestra","tag-beau-tyler","tag-ben-newhouse","tag-berklee-online","tag-classical-runaway","tag-composer","tag-dr-pepper","tag-film-composer","tag-film-scoring","tag-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf","tag-karen-naifeh-harmon","tag-logic","tag-memories-from-the-old-world","tag-muriel-fahrion","tag-music-composition","tag-music-education","tag-orchestration","tag-strawberry-colored-glasses","tag-violinist","tag-we-the-ghost"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing - Berklee Online Take Note<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\u2019s journey from \u201cclassical runaway\u201d to composer leads to an orchestral performance and movie premiere in one weekend.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\u2019s journey from \u201cclassical runaway\u201d to composer leads to an orchestral performance and movie premiere in one weekend.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Berklee Online Take Note\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/berkleeonline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-07T17:20:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-07T20:52:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pat Healy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@berkleeonline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@berkleeonline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pat Healy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Pat Healy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2ff5be49c1e0e9c9d92848f38e40fb9d\"},\"headline\":\"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-07T17:20:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-07T20:52:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1527,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/#org\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Andrew Bird\",\"Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\",\"Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra\",\"Beau Tyler\",\"Ben Newhouse\",\"Berklee Online\",\"classical runaway\",\"composer\",\"Dr. Pepper\",\"film composer\",\"Film Scoring\",\"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\",\"Karen Naifeh Harmon\",\"Logic\",\"Memories from the Old World\",\"Muriel Fahrion\",\"Music Composition\",\"Music Education\",\"orchestration\",\"Strawberry Colored Glasses\",\"violinist\",\"We the Ghost\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\",\"Spotlight\",\"Student Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/\",\"name\":\"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing - Berklee Online Take Note\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-07T17:20:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-07T20:52:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\u2019s journey from \u201cclassical runaway\u201d to composer leads to an orchestral performance and movie premiere in one weekend.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf stands in a green field, wearing a formal gown and holding a violin in the classic heavy metal shape of a flying V. Photo courtesy of Nathan Harmony Photography.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/\",\"name\":\"Berklee Online Take Note\",\"description\":\"Inspiration for Music Makers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/#org\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/#org\",\"name\":\"Berklee Online\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/Berklee_Logo_Square_Avatar_Linkedin.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/04\\\/Berklee_Logo_Square_Avatar_Linkedin.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Berklee Online\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/berkleeonline\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/berkleeonline\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/berkleeonline\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@Berklee_Online\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@berkleeonline\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2ff5be49c1e0e9c9d92848f38e40fb9d\",\"name\":\"Pat Healy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/patHealy-portraitsmaller-1.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/patHealy-portraitsmaller-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/patHealy-portraitsmaller-1.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Pat Healy\"},\"description\":\"Pat Healy is the editor-in-chief of Take Note and the associate director of content creation for Berklee Online. He hosts the Music Is My Life podcast and served as a writer and copy editor for the Disgraceland podcast during its first nine seasons. His work has appeared on Pitchfork, Spin, Paste, and numerous other music sites.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/online.berklee.edu\\\/takenote\\\/author\\\/pat-healy\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing - Berklee Online Take Note","description":"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\u2019s journey from \u201cclassical runaway\u201d to composer leads to an orchestral performance and movie premiere in one weekend.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing","og_description":"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\u2019s journey from \u201cclassical runaway\u201d to composer leads to an orchestral performance and movie premiere in one weekend.","og_url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/","og_site_name":"Berklee Online Take Note","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/berkleeonline","article_published_time":"2026-10-07T17:20:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-07T20:52:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Pat Healy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@berkleeonline","twitter_site":"@berkleeonline","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Pat Healy","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/"},"author":{"name":"Pat Healy","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/#\/schema\/person\/2ff5be49c1e0e9c9d92848f38e40fb9d"},"headline":"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing","datePublished":"2026-10-07T17:20:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-07T20:52:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/"},"wordCount":1527,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/#org"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg","keywords":["Andrew Bird","Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k","Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra","Beau Tyler","Ben Newhouse","Berklee Online","classical runaway","composer","Dr. Pepper","film composer","Film Scoring","Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf","Karen Naifeh Harmon","Logic","Memories from the Old World","Muriel Fahrion","Music Composition","Music Education","orchestration","Strawberry Colored Glasses","violinist","We the Ghost"],"articleSection":["Articles","Spotlight","Student Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/","name":"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing - Berklee Online Take Note","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-07T17:20:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-07T20:52:46+00:00","description":"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf\u2019s journey from \u201cclassical runaway\u201d to composer leads to an orchestral performance and movie premiere in one weekend.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/jocelyn_rowland_khalaf_article_image_2026.jpg","width":1920,"height":1200,"caption":"Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf stands in a green field, wearing a formal gown and holding a violin in the classic heavy metal shape of a flying V. Photo courtesy of Nathan Harmony Photography."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-classical-runaway-jocelyn-rowland-khalaf-found-her-way-back-to-composing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How \u2018Classical Runaway\u2019 Jocelyn Rowland Khalaf Found Her Way Back to Composing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/#website","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/","name":"Berklee Online Take Note","description":"Inspiration for Music Makers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/#org"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/#org","name":"Berklee Online","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Berklee_Logo_Square_Avatar_Linkedin.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Berklee_Logo_Square_Avatar_Linkedin.png","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Berklee Online"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/berkleeonline","https:\/\/x.com\/berkleeonline","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/berkleeonline\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@Berklee_Online","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@berkleeonline"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/#\/schema\/person\/2ff5be49c1e0e9c9d92848f38e40fb9d","name":"Pat Healy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/patHealy-portraitsmaller-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/patHealy-portraitsmaller-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/patHealy-portraitsmaller-1.jpg","caption":"Pat Healy"},"description":"Pat Healy is the editor-in-chief of Take Note and the associate director of content creation for Berklee Online. He hosts the Music Is My Life podcast and served as a writer and copy editor for the Disgraceland podcast during its first nine seasons. His work has appeared on Pitchfork, Spin, Paste, and numerous other music sites.","url":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/author\/pat-healy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}