1. Tell us a little about the music you make. My music is mainly about my life experiences, things I’ve personally gone through, and sometimes what’s on my mind. It’s music that could be relatable to my listeners and hoping to bring a new perspective through my music.
2. How did your musical education start? My music education started when I joined Intonation when I was 5 years old, once I reached high school I learned more music theory while playing multiple instruments. Now that I’m in college, I am learning a lot about music theory, performance, and how to play different styles of music.
3. What’s been the most challenging aspect of your musical education? Learning music theory in depth, I didn’t grow up with storing music theory so I started slowly. With the help of my professors and my instructors, it became easier to understand. There are some things that I still have to learn, but I welcome the challenges.
4. Tell us about your current music goals. Currently, I am performing with my jazz group La Cantera as we perform around Chicago and have a residency at the California Clipper. As a performer, trying to find that opportunity as a group and individually to propel my music career. As an artist, I want to finally release an EP this year of some songs that I had in the vault for a while.
5. What music gets you excited about making music? Definitely Hip-Hop, R&B, Alternative, and gospel music. It gets me inspired to try new things and to merge different genres together, kind of like cooking. Speaking of artists, Kanye West, Tyler, the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, and BADBADNOTGOOD are some of my favorite inspirations. They give me ideas that I can try out when it comes to producing.
6. Why did you decide to teach music? While growing up, my instructors always passed down their passion for music and how much it changed my life personally. So when it was time for me to choose a path in life, I wanted to do the same thing my past instructors taught me. I wanted to pass down my passion for music to my students, my hope is that I can inspire them to continue the passion I had when I was a student at Intonation. Music is a powerful tool and in most cases, this is how we communicate our emotions. So this is why I decided to teach music, I want to help change the world.
7. How long have you been involved with Intonation? I have been involved with Intonation for about 14 years, 13 years as a student, and 4 years as an apprentice instructor.
8. Tell us about your upcoming release. My upcoming release is mainly about some of the experiences I’ve been through during my high school and college years so far, some are about relationships ending and beginning, some personal struggles, and some funny stories. This is my first release, so I’m testing the waters, but I’m excited to release some music finally.
9. Why do you believe music education is important? Music education is important, music brings people together and helps change lives. We as music educators can help young children find their calling and maybe help them outside of school or the classroom. In a world full of pain, music is the cure to help the world, and teaching music to the next generation is a blessing in itself.
