Musical Passions

When I was in fifth grade, I started playing saxophone. At that point in my life, I never knew how much music would mean to me in the future. With the support of a very musical family, I developed and furthered my passion for music throughout school and now into college and presumably beyond. From listening to hours of music a day (lots of jazz!) to scouring the internet for good deals on vinyl records, music continues to be a great source of enjoyment in my life. Now a student at Penn State, I am passionate about my involvement in the jazz ensemble and marching Blue Band and look forward to a number of post-COVID performances in the future! Please explore some of my musical passions below.

Jazz

Many people think of the saxophone as primarily a jazz instrument. Not long into my saxophone career, I became enthralled with the world of jazz music not just limited to the saxophone. Listening to all artists from Miles Davis to Count Basie, I aspired to play like the jazz greats. In the first half of this blog dedicated to my jazz passions, I share a number of posts about my experiences performing, concerts that I have seen, or my favorite songs to listen to. Explore my posts at the link below!

Performing Live

The thrill of a live musical performance is unmatched. It is wonderful to be an audience member but it is blissful to be the one making the music. At Penn State, I knew that I couldn't leave behind this enjoyment. As a result, I have played in the Inner Dimensions jazz ensemble during my freshman year playing saxophone in addition to some clarinet. Watch the spring semester Inner Dimensions concert at the link below and watch out for my solos!

Vinyl Collection

In the modern age of streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, vinyl records have become a niche interest as opposed to a mainstream form of listening to music. While I do most of my listening on Spotify, I took interest in vinyl records because of the physicality of it. I quickly began to amass a collection from my dad's old boxes, my grandfather's records, a local record shop's $1 section, and eBay. While I collect mainly jazz, I enjoy other styles from rock to musicals too. Explore my blog below diving into the history of a few of my favorite vinyls in my collection!