UChicago

Bachelor of Arts in Music
Specialization in Ethnomusicology

The path that my life would take while attending the University of Chicago was not foreseen, but certainly welcome. As an incoming freshman, I had intended on pursuing an economics major in the college and earning a career in the highly-competitive financial sector. After my second year of studies, I became aware of a deepening sense that my heart wasn't enthralled by what I was doing everyday. I had started to attend less shows around Chicago and became more restrained as my studies began to intensify, and I knew that I needed to introduce a bit of shock into my life.

During the summer between my sophomore and junior years, I purchased a one-way ticket to Copenhagen. Burdened with only my backpack, I hoped to find clarity in regards to my sincere passion in life. After months of adventure and introspection, there was only one answer: music. I returned to campus rejuvenated and with a restored value for happiness, shifting my studies toward music and becoming acquainted with the distinguished faculty that I was to partner with over my remaining years.

Since I made that decision, I can sincerely say that my academic experience has been far more rich and fulfilling than I had previously thought possible. I have had the privilege of taking courses and engaging in thoughtful discussions with award-winning Pr. Steven Rings ("A Foreign Sound to Your Ear: Bob Dylan Performs 'It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)'", Glenn Kotche (drummer and multi-instrumentalist of Wilco), and distinguished Pr. Travis Jackson (Blowin’ the Blues Away: Performance and Meaning on the New York Jazz Scene) among many others.

In my course with Steven Rings and Glenn Kotche, entitled Voice.Groove.Song, we explored the function of voice and groove in popular music and the elements that constitute a hit-song in contemporary genres. With Travis Jackson, we partnered in an independent study to examine the inner-workings of the multifaceted recording industry, extensively analyzing the various departments in major and minor labels and the many factors, players, and agreements that must be made in order to produce and release a lucrative record.

This thorough knowledge of the music industry, popular trends, and the sociology of consumers complements my quantitative analytics and statistics background, and has equipped me with insightful systems of approach and the ability to not only diagnose areas for potential improvement, but also innovate and produce original solutions to the myriad of challenges that this volatile industry presents.