THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF EXPRESSION
In this section of my website, I'd like to recognize some people that have inspired me artistically and musically throughout my life. This includes artists that have reached me with their self expression, but also people from my life that have guided me to where I am today.
Stevie Wonder
Growing up as a pianist and singer, Stevie Wonder was and still remains to be one of my musical heroes. I remember listening to the record Songs in the Key of Life for the first time and being in complete awe of his mastery. He has an uncanny ability to create complex musical pieces that reflect strong human emotions.
Dennis Gephart
One of the most significant musical figures in my life is my high school choir director Dennis Gephart. He is someone who completely embodies self expression, encouraging his students to look beyond the music and connect emotionally to how you are singing. He pushed me as a musician by challenging me to arrange music for our choir and a cappella group, and encouraged me pursuing a career in the arts.
Brett Bordini
This is an old but great picture myself and my Uncle Brett. He is not only an important person to me in my family, but also someone who has inspired me musically throughout my life. Though my brother and I are both musicians, my parents are not musically inclined whatsoever. Growing up, my Uncle Brett was a family member that could provide us with a lot of musical guidance. He's an incredible drummer, and taught me how to play drums when I was in middle school. I can also say that he played a large role in shaping my taste in music into what it is now. When I was in middle school, he would burn me CDs of albums by Radiohead and The Strokes (now two of my favorite bands) that I would download and listen to on repeat. And in high school, he got me hooked on listening to and collecting vinyl records, which is now probably my favorite method of listening to music.
Radiohead
I originally only knew Radiohead for their hit single "Creep" when I was in middle school, but then my Uncle Brett burned me a CD of their album Kid A. This was a definitive moment in my life, as that album completely changed how I heard music. It showed me that there are limitless possibilities of what music can sound like.
Selame Scarlett
When I was in high school, I attended a summer camp called A Cappella Academy both my Junior and Senior Year. One of the directors at the camp, Selame, became a great friend of mine, as well as someone who inspires me greatly through her talent and powerful personality. She is outspoken, unafraid to express herself in any way, always focused on helping other people over herself. Selame was one of the reasons I ended up going to Michigan, and also one of the reasons I ended up pursuing a career in music.
Jonny Bischoff
The guy on the left in this picture is one of my best friends, Jonny Bischoff. We actually first became friends when we were in pre-school; we wouldn't talk to any of the other kids, drawing in our sketchbooks together every class. From this point on, Jonny and I would continue to be friends through high school. As we grew up together we would continue to progress musically. He was the main reason I started to be interested in music technology, as he copied his version of the production software Ableton to me in high school, and taught me how to use it. After this, we would collaborate on music endlessly pretty much every summer in high school, pushing each other to get better at each of our respective crafts. Jonny is pretty much my best friend, sometimes I don't think of him as an inspiration. But the more I think about it, he's probably one of the most inspiring people in my life, as we both grew musically at the same time because of each other.