How has music affected your life during high school years?
By: Zoe Blackwell-Allen
My name is Zoe Blackwell-Allen, and I am a senior at the Baltimore School for the Arts. For the past eight years, I have played the double bass, and music has shaped who I am in every way. I first fell in love with the instrument in fourth grade after seeing Esperanza Spalding perform at the White House. She looked like me, and in that moment, I realized I could belong in a space where I had rarely seen Black women represented. That inspiration has stayed with me, especially as I continue to grow in a field that is still male-dominated. It made me realize I had to make a change.
Throughout high school, music has been a part of my everyday life. I perform in orchestra, chamber ensemble, and big band, I am in a band outside of school, and I also create my own music. I have studied music theory and literature for the past three years and I also take solo classical bass lessons and jazz lesson out of school, I released my first single, and I am currently working on my first album that is coming out in June! Music has taught me discipline and pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone. It has also given me the confidence to speak up for myself and go after opportunities, even when they feel intimidating.
Music has also given me a strong sense of community. The friendships I’ve built through music feel like family, and I’ve learned how to connect with people from different backgrounds, both locally and around the world. Through performing, I’ve had amazing opportunities, like playing with the Peabody Jazz Combo, and I’ve learned how to work with others and make a positive impact. Music has been there for me during both the happiest and most challenging moments of my life.
Because of music, I have been accepted into Berklee College of Music, where I plan to study music production and engineering along with jazz performance. I admire Berklee’s diversity, supportive environment, and strong musical community. I also love how enthusiastic the teachers are at Berklee! Looking back, music has helped me find myself, taught me discipline, and opened doors I never imagined. Ever since fourth grade, I knew music would be my life, and now I’m excited to continue that journey into the future.
Music has greatly affected my life during my high school years in many ways. I started my musical journey around the time I was just starting high school with no interest in music beforehand at all. I quickly became obsessed after I started taking lessons from a family friend. I would play for hours, learning and playing different tunes I loved from many music books with chord sheets and charts that I had.
When the pandemic hit, I got creative. I discovered a whole new side of the instrument. I discovered "Fingerstyle Guitar" from a Korean prodigy guitarist named Sungha Jung. I was fascinated by the idea of playing the melody while incorporating basslines, rhythm, and harmonies simultaneously. It was a long and difficult journey to start on Fingerstyle Guitar techniques as I hadn't had very much technique and great "skills" on the guitar beforehand. I would write out all kinds of tabs and things that I was watching on YouTube and would start learning many things by ear. I soon found many other players like Tommy Emmanuel, and later Chet Atkins. I was then introduced to "Thumbpicking", a whole new world of solo guitar playing. I would soon find players like Jerry Reed, Merle Travis, Lenny Breau, and Django Reinhardt. I was consistently working on all of this, and at the same time, learning about the history of all this music and all the great players. This helped me expand to all sorts of new styles and players. Around this time, I was also starting to play some gigs at local farmers markets and later some restaurants and other small venues.
These interests in music have helped shape who I have made friends with and activities I have participated in at school. Music has greatly helped me connect with others, whether it be my peers in the Marching Band or the people I call my friends. Being part of activities like the Band has allowed me to meet others that share similar interests as me, and I will be forever grateful for that as there have been many people in my school life that haven't understood my passion and love for music. I am incredibly thankful for all those in my school who have supported me and helped me grow.
Today, I have had many amazing experiences and have gotten to know many of my heroes and many fellow musicians. I have also since gotten into many Blues guitar styles as well and have studied players like BB King, Eric Clapton, and Mike Bloomfield. I am now fully immersed in the Chet Atkins world and know and have played with players like Tommy Emmanuel CGP, John Knowles CGP, Richard Smith, and many others. This year alone has been an incredible year for me musically. I attended my first Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention in Nashville and had the great honor of being chosen to play a tune on Scotty Moore's Gibson Country Gentlemen Guitar at the closing concert. I also competed in the 2023 International Thumbpicking Championship in Kentucky and came out as Grand Champion of both the Traditional and Junior Championships. I have also appeared on the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour TV/Radio Show 4 different times now. During my last appearance, I had the ultimate privilege of being asked to be on the show with Tommy Emmanuel, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams. All of these amazing opportunities I have had early on through my years in high school have already had a huge impact that will affect me for the rest of my life.
