Neil Margeson Sound Scholarship

I must have fallen in love with sound in the womb because I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t mesmerized by it—dinosaur roars, bird calls, giant explosions, classical strings, squeaky brass, and beautiful vocals. All of it fascinates me. I started singing in choir in fourth grade, and I have yet to stop. Music has always been an integral way for me to connect with others and express myself. Singing and smiling with my family or my friends, that's when I am truly my happiest. I am a passionate musician, and my main instrument is my voice, though I also play piano and, of course, the legendary ukulele. Currently, I am employed as a singer at Saint James Episcopal Church, where I am the youngest choral scholar to ever work there. I have thoroughly enjoyed choir at my school, and this year I started a barbershop quartet, served as choir president, and was the only student from my school selected for the state Honors Chorus. This past summer I went back to school for a month to study vocal performance through NC Governor’s School. I am drawn to the technical side of music because of my deep love for sound. In choral singing, I have always been fascinated by how music evokes emotion through its technical elements—phrasing, dynamics, tone, timbre, and more. Audio engineers shape these elements of the listening experience and enhance them through tools like reverb, delay, compression, EQ, and automation. When I mix music, I think of the knobs I turn as shaping the story of a song. I began creating my first song on Logic Pro and fell in love with the process, even though it was challenging. It was my first time using a DAW, and I had no mentorship. I worked through hours of technical difficulties with equipment and software, but I stayed motivated because of the music itself. I was proud of what I accomplished on my own, but I knew I could improve. That desire led me to enroll in an online music production program through Interlochen University. I am beyond excited to continue my music education at UNC Chapel Hill. With how much I improved after taking a month-long online course, I am excited to see what I can learn in person over four years. Having access to professional media production equipment—rather than recording with a microphone in a closet under the stairs—will be a game changer for my music production. My dream is to turn my audio engineering experience into a career in re-recording mixing for film. Balancing dialogue, sound effects, ambience, foley, score, and countless other elements excites me because I want to create entire worlds through sound. When audio and visual storytelling come together, they create one of the most powerful forms of expression, capable of conveying complex ideas and emotions. As I have researched this career and most audio engineering careers I have been discouraged by the small percent of women in the field. While pushing buttons doesn’t seem inherently masculine, only approximately 5% of women are audio engineers. I hope to inspire girls that love sound as much as me to find and mix a place for themselves.

Since I can remember, I have had a pair of drum sticks in my hands.  I’ve been dancing to the beat of my own drum as far back as I can remember. It started with paint sticks, then developed to hand crafted sticks and finally evolved into professional Vic Firth sticks.  I love music!  As a kid I played frequently on any surface, I could find and anywhere.  This is where my love for music began to develop. With music, there are no limits and I try to live by the same rule that guides my music; there are no limits, only possibilities. As a child I was never able to take professional music lessons.  I am the third child of five children born to a family of two parents (mom and stepdad) with limited resources. Lessons were too expensive and purchasing a drum set was out of the question because the noise limit in the house had already reached the max.  Therefore, I made music wherever I could, whenever I could, and however I could – from the pots and pans at grandma and grandpa’s house, buckets and books, joining the school band, playing at church, free workshops, etc. Instead of focusing on our families' financial limitations my mom found ways to feed my need for music and provide me with opportunities. It was in high school that I was forced to really live by the rule, there are no limits, only possibilities. I joined the band in middle school where it was all fun and games. However, high school was on another level. You see I attended a performing arts high school where everyone in my program appeared to be a musical genius, or so I thought. This was the beginning of my journey. I felt so limited and very unskilled compared to my peers who had received professional lessons, private tutors, some were actually recording artists signed to record labels. I had my doubts about even being accepted into the program, but my mom reminded me that although my experience may have looked a little different than others it was still experience. It developed me into the musician that I am. After applying and auditioning, I was accepted. Despite it all, I took every opportunity to learn from my peers. I did not limit myself to what I knew or what I was comfortable with. Now I am here today, a kid who originally had no aspirations to go to college at all, accepted into college and applying for scholarships. I am still applying the no limit only possibilities mindset. This way of thinking has taught me discipline, confidence, and it continues to motivate me to grow, express myself, and chase my goals. With the help of this scholarship, I can continue to take steps in the direction of my future goals. I believe that with the help of this scholarship my dream of continuing my education after high school to study audio engineering and building and managing state-of-the-art studios in low economic community for children just like me can be my reality.  My mission is to reach as many young people as possible, teaching them to see life as limitless and full of possibilities. I want to be the example of that truth.

It is funny how things work out sometimes. As a child, I had a pair of drumsticks glued to my hands at all times. From participating in talent shows, to playing with friends, and even organizing a night of "chili and music", alongside my fourth-grade buddies at our elementary school, music was one of my roots from the start. As every ten-year-old does, I found my niche and made it my entire personality. I was the "rockstar" and had my vision set on being a music producer from the get-go. However, as my final childhood years became "Dust In the Wind" and the pre-teen to teenage years commenced, the fire inside me for playing music kind of just died away. I became consumed by the adolescent bubble of playing sports, beginning first jobs, participating in the painfully awkward journey of teenage social life, and simply trying to fit in. I am sad to say, but there was a portion of my life where music was secondary. Understandably, that was the period of my life that I felt the emptiest. Yet, there seemed to always be some driving force in the background. Now that I look back, those moments like receiving my great grand-father's acoustic guitar at the peak of covid, getting my grand-mothers classic rock record collection, or even just the nights I spent staring at the ceiling while listening to Nutshell by Alice in Chains, they were all necessary moments that led me to the breakthrough. For when my adolescent journey was reaching its climax point, burning with anxiety, depression, and insecurities of the future, music was waiting for me with open arms, offering the same innocent warmth it had provided to me those many years prior. My love for music never left me, but the day it hit me just how much it mattered and was the driving force to my life, the love I felt before was child's play. I became overwhelmed with an appreciation, pure and unconditional, for the guidance music offered me. I realized just how much of a guiding light it had been in my darkest moments, and for that my commitment was settled. By the time I reached the beginning of my senior year of high school, my eyes had been opened, and I was back on track, working to become a professional audio engineer. In the four years since my awakening, I have traversed a bumpy path, taking on the real world and embracing adulthood. I have certainly made mistakes and poor decisions, but no matter the shortcoming or hole I put myself in, I have kept to my truth and passion. I am proud to say that I am coming up on beginning my junior year at Belmont University this upcoming fall. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in audio engineering technology, as well as a minor in computer science. I have narrowed my focus to studying music recording, recording technology and equipment, and programming audio software and effects. On top of that, this summer I will be working as a student engineer in one of our school recording studios! I cannot explain the amount of love and passion I have for the field of audio, and I cannot wait to contribute my part to the effort of making excellent music and sound.

I don’t remember how old I was then, but when the Barbie Princess and the Popstar movie was released, I put it on every day in our household, grabbed my toy mic, put on my sparkliest shirt, and jumped on our living room ottoman, mirroring the popstar protagonist onstage with sparkling eyes, imagining myself doing the exact same thing. Fast forward to college me, in my first year of music school, performing my first paid gig as a drummer in a friend’s band, it’s my turn to do a drum solo, and everything is coming out of me naturally. The fills, the groove, the improv, for the first time, nothing is going on in my brain when I’m playing. I’m not thinking about what to play next, or if I’m following the song structure, I’m just vibing, having fun, and my eyes are sparkling the same way they did on that ottoman all those years ago. That feeling I got from the music I was playing, I wanted to recreate it, but I didn’t know how until I discovered video game scoring. One of the first games I played that made me fall in love with video game music was Genshin Impact. It had just come out, and for the first time, my heart raced when the music changed for a battle or stealth scene, my brain gearing up to focus on something challenging. In the same way, when I played Persona 5 Royal years later for the first time, the music was so homey, easy-going, and comforting that it became my study anthem all the way into college because it was the only thing that could get me to focus on homework. The realization that music had a physiological effect on me, especially in the zone of interactive audio, was so compelling that it made me want to pursue it in my college education. That pursuit led me to Berklee College of Music and their first year abroad program in Valencia, Spain, where I found influences I want to impart on my music. Spain’s large Latin cultural identity made its music a core part of our curriculum, and upon being immersed in it with school and the local festivals, I got to see music as a symbol and representation of culture. That exposure led to the studying of my own cultural roots and music as a Filipino, as I fell in love with OPM (Original Pilipino Music) and found myself wanting to emulate it with my music going forward to honor and share my culture. While in Valencia, I took a Live Sound and Stage Craft class covering live music mixing, signal flow, and stage setup for live music performances. It was so fascinating to learn how electricity turns into a signal and a signal turns into sound. My favorite moment was when I got to actually be the mixing board operator during one of the school’s live performances. It was so nerve-wracking and exhilarating to be compressing drums live, or adding reverb to the singers’ voices in real time, but it was addicting hearing my actions have an effect on what the audience is hearing. The combination of all these experiences up until now has brought me so much joy in music and reminds me of the young girl all those years ago dancing, singing, and imagining a life in music on that living room ottoman. Except now, her eyes are not sparkling with dreams of what could be; they’re sparkling with the reality of living that dream, and understanding how it all works.

I have always loved making music. I began studying piano at five, followed by clarinet, guitar, and voice. Singing in the Young People’s Chorus of New York City for 5 years gave me opportunities to perform at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, David Geffen Hall, and the Denver Sing a Mile High Festival. I’ve taken voice lessons for five years, and my band, Electric Dickinson, has performed at The Bitter End, Drom NYC, and Rockwood Music Hall. I’ve grown through intensive music programs such as songwriting at Putney Summer Arts, the Sound Engineering and Audio Production Pre-College course at Syracuse University, and songwriting at School of Creative and Performing Arts, which culminated in recording an original at Dubway Studios. My song “Stuck My Tongue Out at the Moon” won first place in the 2023 Lipscomb School of Music Songwriting Contest and I’ve been using the prizes, an interface and microphone, to produce an album of my music. In my senior year of high-school I was a teaching assistant for three music classes, created a music honors course, co-lead Beacon Music Club and co-founded Song Production Club. I helped oversee 10+ student bands, live mixed band concerts, taught weekly voice lessons, and led workshops in songwriting, production, and recording arts. I’m now in my freshman year in the Music Industry Program (Recording Arts and Music Production concentration) at Drexel University in Philadelphia. In my classes I’ve gained fluency in Ableton and Pro Tools as well as expanded my knowledge of Logic Pro. Selected by Drexel Music Industry professors to attend Rock Lititz Experience Live, I loved getting to meet live music industry professionals and attend workshops in live sound mixing and event production. Outside of classes I’ve been mixing live sound, running lighting, and doing concert photography for Flux shows (Drexel’s student-run concert series). I was recently elected Venue Operations Chair. I also mix live on-air band performances and serve as New Member Coordinator at Drexel’s radio station, WDKU, organizing new DJ recruitment. My weekly alternative radio show, "The Whimsy Hour," has expanded my music taste and further connected me with Philadelphia’s music scene. Last summer as an Arts Administration Fellow at Wintergreen Music Festival I worked in the Box Office, supported marketing and development initiatives, and assisted with sound mixing and production.. This year I began teaching weekly guitar and piano private lessons at Drexel’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, as well as co-instruct the choir. Helping students develop their technique, musicality, and confidence has been a highly impactful experience for me. I’ve also been studying voice with Rebecca Siler (founding member of grammy award winning group, The Crossing), as well as singing in both Drexel University Choir and Chamber Singers. As one of the few non-men in my production classes, I am committed to increasing gender equity in this industry. I was given the opportunity to interview Ashley Gellman (Concert Photographer for Boygenius, Lucy Dacus) for Drexel’s Double Platinum zine, which celebrates female Drexel grads in the music industry. My goals are to become a producer, mixing engineer, and music educator. And while I’m sure these will evolve, they’ll always center around building community and creating social impact. I would be so grateful to receive the Neil Margeson Sound Scholarship as it would cover a crucial portion of my tuition for next year, enabling me to continue my studies. My time at Drexel so far has been exciting and eye-opening. It feels like just the right place for me to continue developing my musicianship and working towards my career goals. Thank you so much for considering my application.

Stepping in a bright red sports car, warping through the fabric of space and time, in a psychedelic, hypnopaedic trance: war, technology, commercials, skyscrapers, and nightlife flashes through your unconscious mind. These are the scenes that have defined recent decades, in which as a result has taken a multitude of forms that connect with us as a listener. Yet through the decades, sound still manages to invoke a painting in our mind that manages to take new meanings in the modern age. For me, it wasn’t something that came to me at the start. I believed I wasn't capable of producing a piece of art when I entered high school. I was envious of those I perceived as simply having a natural artistic talent that I somehow lacked. I tried out various artforms in hopes that I would find the creative spark that I saw others had, but it wasn’t until I was introduced to Is This It by The Strokes by my older brother. This album would become a cornerstone of my music journey as later that year on Christmas, I saved enough money to buy a Fender Stratocaster and borrowed my church’s spare guitar amp. It wasn't long until I began taking guitar a bit more seriously by learning theory and eventually playing bass for my church. This led to learning the keyboard, which pushed my understanding of theory and arrangement even further. I started to see my favorite albums and music differently. I began to break down guitar and bass parts, analyze how they worked together, and begin understanding how those songs were actually constructed with intentionality. Songwriting, lyrical analysis, and composition drew me in. So naturally, I began consuming music outside of what I had in front of me to give me more of a perspective of the wide varieties of what music can sound like. When I stumbled across a YouTube video of the 2007 Rock in Japan Festival of the Japanese rock band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Ajikan); I felt like I had seen a reflection of what my potential musical journey could sound and look like even though it managed to exist around the time I was born. Their album Sol-fa and J-Rock as whole opened me to a completely new world which demonstrated the ways jazz, punk, rock and new wave could fit into one genre. J-Rock, a place where melodies and riffs intertwined to create a story with complex arrangements and song structures. J-Rock showed me how emotion, angst, and energy can be captured and recorded and how the studio’s role can have a impact on the final product. It made me realize music production is where science meets creativity and where a band’s signature sound is crafted. That realization led to me buying an interface, borrowing a mic and making covers of songs on Ableton Live Lite. I’m pretty sure freshman me, the kid who believed he lacked that creative spark wouldn’t believe how far I made it. It’s uncanny to think that it's just the beginning. I’m not sure where music will take me, but it’s something I want to keep exploring in college while connecting with a community that shares the same passion as me. I want to surprise my present self and see how far a few years of fully dedicating myself to my art can take me. I want to see how far this journey can go—starting from my bedroom and running as far across the earth wherever my passion leads me.

When I first saw the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I was astounded by the different sound effects and music, which were integral and helped make the story incredible. From that moment, I knew I wanted to work in some aspect of sound creation. Because of this inspiration, I asked the leaders of my church's Audio/Visual department if I could learn how to use the soundboards and live mixing for the worship service. They initially said no because of my age, but because of that, I worked hard on my own to reach the point where I could be a valuable member of the audio team when I was of age. During those years, from middle school to this past summer, I learned everything I could to prepare me to become a great at audio engineering in the future. In elementary school, I learned to play clarinet, so I continued to become an expert by practicing it daily. I also asked for old guitars and a bass that people in my neighborhood would throw away and learned how to read bass clef sheet music and play the instruments. I was also introduced to my first digital audio workspace, SoundTrap, where I practiced sound mixing, recording, and editing to be prepared to join my Audio/Visual team in church. By the time I was in high school, I was participating in miscellaneous audition-based honors ensembles and competition bands on bass and clarinet, as well as taking AP Music Theory to further advance my musicianship skills. When I got my first job, I used the money to buy Pro Tools Ultimate. I learned how to use ProTools Ultimate coupled with Audio University videos, which taught me how to use compression and equalizers and mix, record, and master in professional quality workspaces. Because of my dedication and work, when I asked again this past summer for a position at the soundboards, I was accepted, and I am currently in training to run the soundboards and help in live sound mixing for services and the YouTube stream. Though I am interested in all aspects of audio engineering, my main desired field is audio post-production engineering. To reach this career goal, I applied to eight programs that would prepare me successfully. Because of my dedication and hard work, I was admitted into all the programs I applied to, including my top choice, the University of Rochester. This program's Music and Audio Engineering curriculum has many different opportunities to improve me as a performer through studying at the Eastman School of Music, a highly regarded music program, while also being an accredited program by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Through research, I found that the course also has specific audio techniques and electronics classes to teach students how to edit and manipulate audio through techniques like ADR and learn many different types of digital audio workspaces. I fully believe that an education of this caliber will prepare me for a successful career as an audio engineer through the program's focus on musicianship coupled with sound design, which will set me apart from my peers when I look to apply for jobs. Sound and audio have shaped my entire life thus far, and I am dedicated to making it my career. Once I gain a college education in the field, I will fully be prepared to be an audio post-production engineer for movies and other media like the ones that inspired me. I also hope to inspire others to build audio engineering and sound design careers.