‘School Spirits’ Music Supervisor on the Sufjan Stevens Dance Number, Lizzy McAlpine’s Return and Building the Show’s ‘Hauntingly’ Perfect Soundtrack

The musical identity of Paramount+'s "School Spirits" was conceived as a core creative pillar from the very beginning. Showrunners Nate and Megan Tronson, who developed the supernatural series about ghosts from various decades trapped in a high school, established this collaborative tone immediately. In their initial meeting with music supervisor Whitney Pilzer, they arrived with detailed Spotify playlists they had built while writing. Pilzer recognized a shared vision, viewing it as a rare chance for profound creative partnership—a dynamic that has shaped the show's ambitious sonic landscape for three seasons. This foundational approach allows the soundtrack to function as a crucial narrative device, exploring themes of memory and temporal displacement inherent to the plot.

The series' unique premise, where each spectral character is anchored to a specific time period, provides a powerful framework for curation. This structure facilitates a soundtrack that journeys through musical history with purpose, avoiding mere nostalgia. A diverse array of artists, including the ethereal folk of Ethel Cain and Djo—the solo project of actor and musician Joe Keery, known for his role in "Stranger Things"—have become integral through recurring placements. Pilzer finds deep satisfaction in this, noting that a key reward of her role is witnessing a placement significantly boost an artist's career. A prime example was the use of Lizzy McAlpine's "Doomsday" in Season 1, which underscored protagonist Maddie's jarring transition into the afterlife. The team, aided by a precise edit from music editor Todd, knew the song was powerfully special, though its subsequent viral resonance with fans was an unforeseen bonus. McAlpine, whose 2022 album 'five seconds flat' cemented her reputation for intimate, narrative-driven songwriting, later told the production this was among her favorite-ever syncs.

Crafting this cohesive audio world is a meticulous, long-lead process where Pilzer is involved from the script stage through final post-production. For the recent Season 3, she assembled vast libraries of pre-cleared music—organized by budget tier—for editors to use in early cuts, a strategy that begins long before scripts are finalized. Navigating financial constraints is a constant reality, requiring strategic negotiations with labels and publishers. Pilzer likens the entire endeavor to solving an intricate puzzle. This was evident when the ideal song for a poignant montage, K.Flay's gritty cover of Green Day's "Brain Stew," carried a high cost; the team strategically adjusted other musical choices within the episode to financially accommodate this essential moment. Industry experts note that such budgetary gymnastics are a hallmark of high-level music supervision, where every dollar must serve the story.

This puzzle-solving often leads to serendipitous discoveries. Pilzer included Djo's "Potion" in an editor's bin on instinct and was delighted when it was intuitively placed into a rough cut. Other searches are exhaustive, as with the hunt for the song to score ghost character Wally's emotional crossover. The team auditioned nearly 80 tracks, even exploring '80s tunes to reflect his era, before finding the poignant fit in "wish you the best" by Joy Oladokun and Jensen McRae. The era-specific strategy shines in Season 3's psychedelic dance sequence. After initially researching '60s and '70s tracks, the creative team—who, like character Quinn, came of age in the early 2000s—realized Sufjan Stevens' 2005 indie anthem "Chicago" was a more personally resonant and magical choice for his self-discovery arc. This reflects a deliberate move toward emotional authenticity over strict historical accuracy, a trend in modern television where music supervision is increasingly seen as essential narrative world-building.

The collaborative spirit extends to the cast, with actors like Sarah Yarkin—who plays 1960s ghost Rhonda—contributing song ideas for key scenes. This ensures the music enhances the show's strong performances rather than compensating for weaknesses. "Music is often used to fix bad acting," Pilzer states frankly. "But we don’t have to do that on our show. The performances are incredible." This philosophy reached a creative peak in Season 3 when Lizzy McAlpine was written into the script to perform a Joan Baez-inspired rendition of "House of the Rising Sun," marking her first on-camera acting role. She created a custom recording for the scene, a feat Pilzer describes as "very impressive." For a series about spirits stuck in place, its carefully crafted music, born from genuine fandom and strategic curation, possesses a remarkable power to linger with the audience long after the final scene.