To be blunt, music saved my life. I was alone and felt that there was no way out. But when I was able to sit down and play my piano it seemed to melt the problems away. Then when I got the chance to play with friends in gigging bands it only confirmed the dream of wanting to music full time. When I'm playing it lets me take a second away from the worries of what's going on. At the same time, I knew I needed more education to be at my best. When I looked into my undergrad I wanted something that could teach me technically but also foster me creatively and not strictly classical study. Lee helped me greatly in those areas while also helping me to narrow that dream to being an artist or being a part of fellow musicians' projects. But now as I am reaching the end of my undergrad studies I'm realizing that as an artist I still have room to grow. I have just been accepted to the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London to study Performance. This is something that I believe will build my abilities on stage, particularly as a solo artist compared to the previous work I've had as a backing musician. Since this study will be abroad the institute doesn't allow for scholarships to my tuition. I was lucky enough to finish my undergrad without any debt incurred, between some of my scholarships at the school as well as some private from ensemble experience. This scholarship could take some of the financial concerns away, particularly as I begin to look for housing and paying the bill overall. It also could go towards textbooks or other costs besides tuition in a music degree like applied lessons for credit. My dream is more like the old-fashioned one, to be able to perform music on the road and be a part of album projects. I currently am about to release a single called "Not Going Anywhere" and plan to record and put out an EP after finishing my Master's degree. This school will also allow me to gain some experience in the studio on my own works as well as collaborative pieces. I've also had the pleasure of recording or being a part of some close friends recording endeavors, whether that be through school ensembles or solo music. I'd like to continue to be a part of session work and plan on moving to Nashville after graduation. The link provided is from my senior project for my degree which I chose to be a public performance. This is also the song that I am about to release as my debut single. I was able to perform mostly original works as well as a couple of arrangements. The mix is straight out of the board so I was unable to edit before publishing.

I wrote Not Going Anywhere as my sort of statement stepping into the music industry. I wanted to let whoever listens to my music know from the outset my awareness of the difficulty in this career but that I also won't be giving up simply because of the odds. Music saved my life, and I don't think I would feel called to this industry if there weren't a message I could tell. Lyrically I wanted to address things from both points of view, my own and those who might be listening. I tried to ask the questions that normally I'd avoid for the fear of never "making it."

When I was in elementary school I was blessed with a number of teachers that tried to foster my creativity and to follow my dreams, though my music teacher Mrs. Miller was the head of that front. She saw something in me even at that early age and believed that I could go as far as I could dream in that field. She made sure my classmates and I had a fundamental knowledge of theory so we knew what music was beyond just sounds we heard. She also worked to educate us on music history, to honor the greats that came before. I'd always loved music but seeing how to execute it really opened my eyes to how much I wanted to do it. When Mrs. Miller saw my new passion, she was quick to reach out and encourage me. Though there were many years until I was going to be college age, she told me that I could actually go to school just for music and learn so much. I'd never even thought that it was a possibility until then. After I moved onto middle school, I sadly lost touch with Mrs.Miller for some time, though I would see her occasionally, and when I did she always took the time to ask how I was and if I was still playing and singing. Then when I was 15 I started volunteering at my old elementary school as a sort of assistant to one of the kindergarten teachers. I was so excited because it was a chance to reconnect, not only to the place but to the people. Mrs. Miller was still teaching, and one day in particular I remember walking into her classroom to surprise her. She lit up and actually demanded I show her how my playing at that point. So less than 10 minutes later my students as well as a couple of other classes walked in with my playing as underscore. It was an honor and pleasure to tell those kids that students of hers could continue with music and do well with it. After her class, she took the time to encourage me to consider college studies in music. I told her my hesitation of finding a good school that would challenge me technically but also allows me to grow in nonclassical areas as well. She encouraged me to continue practicing music that I loved while working on music that I had to do. Her teaching was always a reminder of the have tos and get tos in our lives, reminding us that we couldn't be afraid of what we had to do to get to the places where we work more on what we want out of life. In 2017 when I'd decided to attend Lee I made another stop in her office. The look in her eyes was priceless, she was so happy that I was continuing to follow my dreams. She has always kept up with my endeavors and continues to support my dream of a career in music.