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.