What drew you to Piano?
I was drawn to how playing piano gave me a way to truly step into myself and express the full range of my emotions. Piano gave me a voice I didn’t realize I had and, over time, I grew to love the rush of equal parts adrenaline and sheer excitement that appeared every time I was about to perform on a stage.
Some of the people that I am closest to now have been the result of chance encounters in duet, quartet, ensemble, and orchestral settings. One of my favorite parts of being a musician is the endless opportunities I have to create and nurture valuable relationships with others.
What part of your experience at Rocky Ridge was most memorable?
While I loved each and every faculty member I interacted with during my time at Rocky Ridge, I do want to, in particular, shout out percussionist, vibraphonist, and pianist Greg Harris for being such a wonderful mentor to me. I came to camp so scared, uncertain, unconfident, and eager to turn around and go right back home.
I am forever in his debt for the way he pulled me outside of my comfort zone, showing up with nothing but patience and support, to help me see something that I didn’t even see in myself. I owe much of my continued love of jazz to his infectious enthusiasm for the genre.
Why Rocky Ridge?
I remember my time at Rocky Ridge with nothing but extreme fondness.
My exclusively classical piano background meant that I came to camp as a complete jazz beginner–which made me nervous. Despite my initial intimidation, I loved it. Rocky Ridge was such a safe space where I could learn from caring, funny, supportive, and extremely talented mentors.
It was at this camp that my love for jazz really blossomed. Attending Rocky Ridge proved to be such a creative wellspring for me–inspiring me to explore a genre of music and style of performance that I had never gotten the chance to properly delve into.
Even though I came to camp with far less jazz experience than a lot of my peers, the environment was still so incredibly supportive and positive. I had such an enjoyable time interacting with other young musicians in the small combo groups, receiving personalized lessons, learning how to transcribe jazz solos by ear, and playing piano and vibraphone in a big band setting.
My experience here only deepened my interest in jazz and showed me that I could not only learn but thrive in new musical settings.
What skills did you learn here that you’ve carried forward into the future?
Rocky Ridge has truly been a gift that keeps on giving. Studying jazz at Rocky Ridge has not only made me a better team player, but has also fostered invaluable critical thinking and self-discipline skills.
Additionally, there is something absolutely electric and almost magical about watching the synergy between jazz ensemble musicians. Executing music well in a group setting requires a level of mental agility, skill, teamwork, and creativity that never fails to astound me.
It was this fascination with the pure ingenuity of the human mind that led me to study Neuroscience in college, graduating from Brown University.
Rocky Ridge showed me that there are no limits to the human capacity for creativity, and that making and performing music is something inseparable from who I am.