From a very early age, Jiawei Shen has used music to connect to others. That passion for music and pursuit of finding likeminded individuals has taken him on a journey thousands of miles from his home in China, landing him in the UCLA Extension Film Scoring Certificate Program.

The late Oscar- and Emmy-award winning film and T.V. composer Jerry Goldsmith was widely beloved by his peers and known across the industry for his work spanning the likes of “Star Trek,” “Mulan” and “LA Confidential.” He enjoyed a tight-knit community that someone like Shen has sought all his life.

In an effort to unearth the next great composer and share the community Goldsmith so enjoyed with fledgling composers, music rights management company BMI partnered with UCLA Extension to create a scholarship honoring Goldsmith’s legacy. On July 24, they gathered to celebrate awarding this year’s scholarship to Shen, meeting in the BMI headquarters and familiarizing themselves with his story and work.

“We’re proud to support the next generation of composers with the BMI/Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship,” said Tracy McKnight, BMI’s vice president of Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media. “At BMI, it’s our mission to champion and invest in emerging talent. Through our longstanding partnership with the UCLA Extension Film Scoring Program, we’re excited to help nurture upcoming talent and provide meaningful opportunities for composers to grow and thrive.”

“Our long-standing relationship with BMI and this scholarship competition is a great example of how we can partner with the industry to build meaningful opportunities and exposure for our students,” said Erin Kaufman Gabrieloff, portfolio director for UCLA Extension Entertainment Studies. “We are delighted to continue to offer this scholarship and honor the legacy of Jerry Goldsmith by supporting Jaiwei’s continuing education.”

While thanking everyone, Shen told the story of how he grew up in China and was trained as a classical saxophone player. In a bid to impress his peers, Shen said he also learned guitar and formed several bands. He was looking for his people, and music was a great way to express himself – although only as a side hustle at first. He worked 12 different day jobs before concentrating on music full time.

“After doing all that unrelated work, I felt like I couldn’t do anything right but music,” he said. “My destiny pushed me down this track to be a fulltime musician.”

His musical knowledge coupled with help from mentors in the field led Shen toward music production, then music supervision and finally film scoring.

“I want to tell a story with my talent of music and sound design,” Shen said. “When I jumped into the film music world, I found I really enjoyed it.”

After some success in China, Shen made the leap and moved to Los Angeles, enrolling in the UCLA Extension program.

“All the dreams are here, all the creativity, all the weirdos,” he said, joking that he has finally found his people.

Shen raved about his scoring program instructors who have helped him further develop his conducting and score reading skills, while bettering his writing style and advanced orchestrations. He now feels confident to inject a simple piece of music with his personality and character.

“And all these amazing lessons helped to build my confidence to apply to this amazing scholarship,” he said.

Founded more than 30 years ago, the BMI/Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship awards $5,000 to one film scoring student annually. Applicants must be enrolled in the certificate program and have completed a minimum of 12 course units. They submit original compositions that have never been published.

“One of our primary goals in our department is uplifting emerging composers and spotlighting them and bringing them into the community,” said Louie Stephens, BMI’s director of Creative, Film, TV & Visual Media.

Shen said he was grateful for the financial help and hoped the industry connections could help further his career. He is currently working on a crime action T.V. series with a comedy also forthcoming, and has enjoyed finding his musical voice.

“I really like to make some off-beat sounds and blend them together with orchestration in an unconventional way,” he said.

Kaufman Gabrieloff added that UCLA Extension is proud of the partnership it has fostered with BMI over the decades and looks forward to many more years of working together.

“Our partnership with BMI reflects our commitment to supporting creative talent,” she said. “As the music and entertainment industries evolve, UCLA Extension is meeting the moment with relevant curriculum, top industry instructors and valuable opportunities for exposure. We’re proud to continue this well-aligned relationship as we work together to uplift the next generation of composers.”