• Skylight

    This piece came from a spark of inspiration upon looking at an overcast sunset sky one day, as the clouds broke letting out rays of light. This inspired the lyrics and melody of this piece, Skylight. I used this song as an opportunity to explore and talk about my feelings when composing, and the idea of how inspiration can hit you all at once, and then suddenly disappear, leaving you with writer's block. I hope you all can relate to some aspects of this music’s story.




    Link to Excerpt of Score

  • The Ship of Theseus

    This piece is about the concept of the ship of Theseus, a philosophical idea about how many pieces of a ship you can swap out before it becomes an entirely new ship. In this case, this piece has a main theme that changes in many variations, while also having a palindromic form that develops these variations nd then revisits them towards the second half of the piece.


    The Ship of Theseus

    Micah Ballard Official · The Ship Of Theseus

    Link to Excerpt of Score
    • ShipOfTheseus

  • Forest Fantasie

    Forest Fantasie takes you on a trip through various characteristics of a forest environment, from frolicking about at the start, to wandering the mysterious ancient parts. This is then interrupted by chaotic rhythms that manipulate the original themes of the piece as nature is disturbed by outside influences. This piece won the 2024 Composer Dolphy Prize








    Link to purchase Score

    • Compositions

    Rhythm of Harmony

    Growth From Decay

    Micah Ballard Official · Rhythm of Harmony OST - Growth From Decay

    Titlescreen

    Micah Ballard Official · Rhythm of Harmony OST - Titlescreen

    I composed this soundtrack for a music-focused Metroidvania created for a game jam, where as you play the game and earn more abilities, more instruments get added to the track. I was the lead programmer and composer, alongside a team of 8 other people. Our game was considered one of the best sounding masterpieces submitted to their competition.

    Link to the game on Itch.io

    Feast or Famine

    Feast!

    Micah Ballard Official · Feast or Famine OST - Feast

    Famine!

    Micah Ballard Official · Feast or Famine OST - Famine!

    I composed this soundtrack for a tower defense-side scrolling game I worked on with 11 other people as composer and one of 3 programmers. I based the style of the Feast! track on the Central African Soukous genre of music, and the Famine! track on the polyrhythmic hunting music of the Pygmies. This game tied for first place in a game jam I was a part of, along with winning awards for "Best Narrative", "Emotional Masterpiece", and "Most Innovative".

    Link to the game on Itch.io

    Frogology

    Sierra Nevada

    Micah Ballard Official · Frogology OST - Sierra Nevada

    Sierra Nevada (String Arrangement)

    Micah Ballard Official · Frogology OST - Sierra Nevada (String Arrangement)

    I composed this soundtrack for an open-world quest game in which players participate as a conservationist for frogs in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern California. I got inspiration for the music by looking at the landscapes of Sierra Nevada, and decided that a Wind Band style would work perfectly to give the feeling of a vast open world environment like Sierra Nevada. The String Arrangement is played on the title screen as a nice relaxing version of the game's main theme.

    Link to the game on Itch.io

    Sky Fishing

    Boundless Adventure

    Micah Ballard Official · Sky Fishing OST - Boundless Adventure

    I created this music for a personal project, a game where you play as a bird flying through the sky catching flying fish.

    Link to the game on Itch.io

    REDHAWK Simulator

    Desert

    Micah Ballard Official · REDHAWK Simulator OST - Desert

    I composed this track for another Miami University Game Design Club game in which I was the lead programmer of. There were four levels in the game, and I composed this Desert music. I went for something that felt more peaceful and nostalgic.

    Link to the game on Steam

    Astra Eternum

    Astra Eternum OST

    Micah Ballard Official · Astra Eternum

    This piece was composed for a platforming video game where you play as a cat in space. The game was created by the Miami University Game Design Club.

    You can play these games on Steam here!

    You can check out my other works on my Soundcloud!