Through the manipulation of sound, we can create a product that creatively expresses musical expression that impacts more than just the musician or songwriter – it affects every listener who engages with it. Music is a mirror representing the individual listening to it, giving insight into their thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and much more. Music is arguably the most crucial contributor to representing and understanding myself in the context of the world. Its significance and importance have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, from participating in local community musical theater programs to taking as many music courses and leadership opportunities as possible in middle and high school. During this same time, I began attending local shows and thus became a part of the New England punk and hardcore scene, where I made friends and found a sense of community. When it came time to apply for college, I knew I had to major in music. I applied to numerous colleges and universities, took a risk, and applied to Berklee College of Music. I didn’t believe I would get accepted, but I did and decided to enroll. Berklee has taught me many skills necessary to be a successful musician today, including ear training, theory, performance, technology, and live recording. I may not be studying Electronic Production and Design or Music Production and Engineering, but I have experience using digital audio workspaces such as Logic Pro, Reason, and Ableton Live. I use these DAWs to mix and produce projects for personal and educational reasons. Music education as a major concentration allowed me to take a course for using music technology in the classroom. It gave me the tools to stimulate creativity among people of all ages. Having some basic knowledge of mixing, I have made accompanying tracks for myself and my friends through live recording and MIDI. I have even created demos for a heavy shoegaze band, but we, as a band, have not yet released them. Playing in this band, I became fascinated with how sounds create an ethereal or dissonant environment through guitar pedals. Bands such as Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Boston Manor, and Loathe have motivated me to push myself into unknown territory. I was unsure of the first steps of making the sounds in my head to fruition, but I did so with the help of my friends, YouTube, and looking at pedalboards on stages when seeing bands perform live. As a vocalist (my principal instrument) who plays electric bass, I have just begun building the perfect pedalboard for my needs. My bandmates have also inspired me to unconventionally use pedals to distort and change the pitch, timbre, and color of my voice and my bass. I want to make something different because I don’t allow myself to fit in a box. My music reflects myself, my thoughts, and my experiences; I can express them most coherently this way. My experimentation with sound has just begun, and there are big things to come through further education in both the classroom and through my independent research and overall interests to create new sounds to layer over one another while simultaneously writing unique and ripping riffs on the guitars and synthesizers. I intend to further my studies to get a master's and then a doctorate in ethnomusicology. I have come to appreciate sounds and how they, in a way, are the music of nature, our daily lives, and our overall society. I consider everything inherently musical; thus, music makes the world go round.

Equity is a core value of mine that I try to reflect in my writings, research, and private teaching. It is something that I strive for daily, and I always want to create a safe and validating environment for people of all ages. Music and the performing arts have a reputation for being very competitive and cut-throat (which is, unfortunately, true at times). However, this should not be the case because it does more harm than good in the individual's development (musically, mentally, and emotionally). As an ex-Music Education major, I am a proponent of teaching as many children and adults to build the fundamental techniques/skills required to be a good musician and an individual. Music is crucial because it fosters creativity and community, allowing others to connect differently through multiple mediums. I view music as a reflection of the person and society itself. That is why I anticipate using the skills and knowledge I have been taught at Berklee to become an ethnomusicologist who focuses on and uplifts marginalized communities and people. Throughout history, it is almost always written by the victor and from the perspective of a heteronormative white male up until relatively recently. It is not proportionate at all, but it is progressing. We do not always get the well-rounded perspective of history taught with the viewpoints of marginalized and oppressed people. As a history buff and future educator, I believe that not teaching multiple perspectives inhibits critical thinking and analysis. Only learning bits and pieces of history ultimately leads to history repeating itself – I want it to instead progress for the betterment of society. Since ethnomusicology is a highly interdisciplinary career that combines numerous career fields emphasizing culture and society, through using ethnographic techniques, I want to explore and research a wide array of topics relating to my interests and identity. I plan on writing a couple of sample papers for my upcoming capstone project and my portfolio of writing samples. One topic I am exceptionally fascinated with that I intend to research is the correlation between LGBTQIA+ individuals and heavier music scenes, such as hardcore punk and metalcore - from fan behavior online and at concerts to their reasoning and involvement within their respective musical scenes. There is so much to explore and delve into that I want to ensure it is heard, archived, and remembered from as many perspectives as possible since we, unfortunately, live in a digital dark age. I also have some private studio teaching experience in voice, alto saxophone, clarinet, music theory, and music history for students of all ages. I believe that all people, either young or old, can play music if they put their minds to it – in a way, musicking for music's sake and the discovery of self-knowledge. Music is so significant in most people's lives, and I want to foster a love of music to help individuals find and express their authentic selves. I also want to give back and help provide the same opportunities I have experienced as a musician and how they have impacted my life. Everyone could and should learn music to foster creativity, relieve stress, establish routines/discipline, and collaborate and connect themselves through music. Music, in my opinion, makes a person more well-rounded and compassionate, and this is why I want to teach lessons and continue my studies in ethnomusicology. I genuinely wish all my students to thrive and grow as individuals and to be able to analyze music as part of our living history.