In a life dominated by so much math and science with little room to be incredibly creative, sometimes I need an outlet. For me, I have found my outlet in a myriad of ways, mostly by playing music and singing, but also by painting, photography, and dancing.
Music
For years, ever since I started drums in elementary school, I had been interested in playing music. I would take every opportunity I could to hit the drumsticks on everything around me (whether they were drumheads or not) and make what could pass for a beat. At that time, my hitting-things skills did not necessarily translate to playing-drums skills, but I stayed determined and decided to move onto trumpet. I quite enjoyed trumpet but I did not really get much better at it over the years, due to not having the chance to play in a band or at a concert. Thus, when I could finally play in an orchestra and band in late elementary school, I decided to drop it as well.
In fourth grade, I learned to play violin (a little bit). Even though I was not as terrible as some of the other fourth graders, I wasn’t going to be able to play any Vivaldi soon. So, in fifth grade, I switched again to saxophone and played that for two years. I enjoyed it and it was a good change of pace as it was the first woodwind I’d ever played.
However, in seventh grade, I decided to make the major switch and decided I wanted to play tuba (for whatever reason). Either way, I enrolled in a summer music camp at my school and learned how to play tuba in about a week before my seventh grade. When I got into seventh grade, I was actually fairly decent already, playing the basic songs that we were given with ease. I got even better the next year, being selected to play in both the school’s jazz band and the West Shore Youth Band. In the Jazz Band, I played valve trombone, so the skills from tuba carried over somewhat. Also in eighth grade, I decided to play stringed bass and joined orchestra as well. I picked it up fairly easily as well, getting to play in the select orchestra that year. I also bought a bass guitar and started to learn that simultaneously.
By ninth grade, I was actually fairly good at tuba, stringed bass, and bass guitar. In that year, I became the principal tubaist in the Symphonic Winds, principal stringed bassist in the Orchestra, and bass guitarist for the Jazz Band. I tried out for and successfully got into the District Band and District Jazz Band on Tuba and Bass Guitar, respectively. I also started teaching myself several other instruments, like drumset, mandolin, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, and several others. At the end of that year, I knew how to play at least 13 instruments.
Also during my freshman year, I tried out for and got selected to join the John Philip Sousa National Honors Band in Boston for that summer as a stringed bassist and tubaist. It was a wonderful time, where I got to meet several great students from around the country, played great music under the director for the President’s Own Marine Band Colonel Fettig, and even got to play inside historic Faneuil Hall.
My sophomore year was much the same, where I continued to play tuba and string bass in school and bass guitar and guitar at home. I also joined a band and I got to play a couple of gigs around my area. At this point, I was good enough at string bass that my orchestra director asked me to join her for a special winter and spring concert beyond school at various churches across my area. Not only was it great way to fill some time, I got free food and I got paid! I made it into district band and district jazz band once again. In the summer, I went to a jazz camp at Messiah University where I met some insanely talented young musicians and also got to play a solo over a funk/jazz rendition of Kendrick Lamar’s Humble mixed with Blue Bossa.
Junior year was again more of the same, getting better and better. At this point, I was taking lessons for both tuba and string bass but I did not really enjoy them at all. Jazz band was also getting fairly boring. This year, I got invited to join the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra, the best of its kind in my area, on tuba. I accepted and while I did get to play some really cool concerts at various venues across Harrisburg, including at the building where the actual orchestra plays its concerts, it was also awful to sit there for three hours every Monday night and do basically nothing but homework and covertly be on my phone.
When COVID hit and slowly dissipated throughout 2020 and 2021, much of my love for band and orchestra disappeared with it. It had become a chore, much than before, and I found myself spending next to no time practicing. I still loved to play bass guitar and guitar, but I could only do those at home, and at that point, by myself or for my family.
In college, I still try to remain musical. By biggest outlet is the Hullabaloo Band, the pep band that plays at Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball games. Though I wanted to play bass in it, I ended up playing sousaphone but I still enjoy it. The music is easy but I get an excuse to watch a basketball or volleyball game for a couple of hours, get free Aggies merch, and even have the chance to travel across the country with the team (last spring, I went to Nashville and New York FOR FREE). I also sometimes play guitar and bass at home or with some friends, but I have not had a chance to actually play a gig yet.
I also have found a love for singing that remains untested in the public. I hope to soon record and release a song on Soundcloud in which I play and sing most or all of the parts.
Painting & Drawing
As a child, I absolutely abhorred painting and drawing. I remember that art class was by far my least favorite class and I regretted going to it every week. Funnily enough, the balance has shifted the other way and the art history class I had last year was probably my favorite class of college so far. Also, now I immediately go to art museums in any new city as a must-do and I have begun to identify paintings almost subconciously by painter given the style, technique, or content of the painting.
That being said, I also long to try my hand more at painting and drawing. Probably my best drawing ever is a copy of Max Ernst’s Elephant Celebes (my favorite painting of all time):
Also, I dabbled in clay modeling:
And even a bit of painting after coming back from Europe:
I also like drawing whatever comes to my mind in the several notebooks I purchased while bored overseas. There was even a funny story where I was attempting to draw a self-portrait on a train in Switzerland and a Swiss lady who passed me said, in heavily accented English, “That is not quite good. Don’t worry, you are beautiful but that is not” and then burst out laughing. Definitely an ego hit, but she was definitely not wrong:
I’m still working on it, and in the meantime, I continue to visit as many art museums as I can.
Here is my second try at a self portrait (about 2 years later):
Photography
iPhone cameras have gotten so good now that you do not necessarily have to be even that great at photography to take good photos. That’s awesome for someone like me because I know nothing about professional photography. However, I still think I’ve gotten some good ones:
I do think that my photos turn out well more so because I tend to end up in a naturally beautiful and photogenic places.
Dancing
I do enjoy dancing quite a bit, especially more hip hop and rap, but I’ve been known to dance in a traditional Indian setting before. Also, probably my greatest ever dance caught on film was in the dance championships at my school. Here is a couple of clips:
Long-Term Plans
- Start a band that goes on tour, preferably playing bass and singing
- Release an album
- Make a photography page
- Sell some of my photography or otherwise make money from it
- Make a painting that I am actually proud of (like really proud of)
- Draw an accurate self-portrait
- Continue to dance unabashedly
Awards & Recognition
- 4x District Band and District Jazz Band
- Principal tubaist of Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra
- Principal tubaist, string bassist, and jazz bassist four 4 years at Cumberland Valley High School
- Member of the group that played at the NIT tournament at Madison Square Garden in 2022