Arts 7 Rock Saved My Life

In Wilde Lake’s piano class one student in particular shines–Johanna Shin. Since age five, Johanna has been playing the piano. Now, practicing every day, she finds herself representing Wilde Lake’s finest artists.

Johanna credits the start to her piano journey to her older brother. “Since he is five years older than me, I just wanted to copy what he did,” she said, “I just joined the lessons that he was doing.”

Johanna says the classes she was placed in gave her the foundation to make the art her own. After six years of lessons, she began to take the stage. “By fifth grade it was more to the level of performing,” she said.

In kindergarten Johanna started to dedicate herself to the piano. “I started with a private instructor,” says Johanna.

She says her teacher helped her. “She was such a committed teacher. I think her passion for music kept me in lessons. She wanted to help me, so I decided to help myself.”

In eighth and ninth grade, Johanna decided to take a step back from the piano as her passion began to fade. “It was a landmark for me. I realized I can’t rely on a teacher to tell me to play song after song.”

However, after the intermission, Johanna decided to pick up piano once more. This time, she found herself looking deeper into the art.

“I also wanted to learn how to add cool embellishments to my piano playing,” says Johanna. “Instead of simple chord progressions, you improvise and add these extra melodic elements to spice it up.”

With time her talent grew. After some time, something clicked. Around 9th or 10th grade she came to appreciate the piano again. She took the craft and made it her own. “There are so many cool things you can do with a piano. There are so many different genres and styles.”

Johanna sees the piano as a hobby that she enjoys. “My favorite part about piano is how versatile it is. With enough practice and the right music you can make something really complex.”

Now, she is enrolled in Music Theory class at Wilde Lake, allowing her to pursue her art as her own. “I’ve always been interested in learning the funky sounding chords. It’s so cool how people can identify a chord and keep using it,” she said.

Johanna is one of the most talented piano players in Wilde Lake, according to Ms. Spiro. Johanna has a genuine appreciation for piano and has a bright future ahead of her.

Samadhi Davis: Dynamo on the Mic

A peppy, casual tune echoes through the Wilde Lake cafeteria. Samadhi Davis, lead singer of the band BLACKOUT, is grinning as she sings “Santeria” by Sublime. The guitar bounces with her voice as the highs and lows of the song carry the audience away.

Samadhi is extremely diverse in her art. She has taken on acting, drawing, and singing in a band throughout her years as an artist.

However, the art that resonates the most with her is music. “I’ve always been around music,” she said.

Both in and out of school, she devotes her time to her trade. Her connection to music is a form of expression. “As a person I don’t necessarily talk about my feelings and I don’t really express anything. So music was kind of my way to be vulnerable, and singing really tapped into that.”

For Samadhi, music is not only expression but communication as well. “I find myself being in my most vulnerable state when I’m singing because it’s hard to talk about what I’m going through,” says Samadhi. “I use music as my way to say it without people having to know what’s going on, but they can still feel the emotion behind it.”

Samadhi says that she is able to be the most expressive when performing her original music. One song she wrote, “Guardian,” is about her guardian angel watching over her. “It’s also about how much I care for others before myself,” she says. To Samadhi, the day of a performance is like the Fourth of July. “Everybody’s stressed out about who’s doing what, like cooking and setting up fireworks, but once the fireworks start everyone shuts up,” she says. “The performers, the musicians, the audience, everybody just stops and just enjoys that moment together.”

With her love of music, Samadhi has found herself viewing the world in new “colors.” This is more commonly known as synesthesia. Synesthetes are people who can hear colors when music is playing, or they could eat food and taste shapes. “Simply put, when one sense is activated, another unrelated sense is activated at the same time,” says Psychology Today.

“When you see the color blue you think of being sad,” she explains. “But when I see it I think of a blue sky.” Samadhi continues ro describe the colors as representing more memories than emotions. “It gets weird, but I can hear music as colors.”

Due to her lifelong love, Samadhi says that she wants to make a career in music, and with the band, BLACKOUT, and her own raw talent, her future in music is looking pretty rock ‘n roll.

Jake Domenick-Urbansky: A Jake of All Trades

That interest was awakened by the euphonium, his favorite instrument. “It was my first instrument; it’s the best sounding in my opinion,” he says. “But it’s difficult, too. It’s hard like a trumpet where you have to produce a sound and know all of the proper fingers for notes. You need the right embouchure.”

Jake’s second favorite instrument would be the trombone. “Trombone is basically a giant tuning slide. You can make really cool sounds on the trombone that you can’t for other instruments. For me it’s all about keeping tempo and consistency. It teaches me how to be more confident while playing.”

Jake is currently in Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, and Jazz Band. For him, band is how he can come out of his shell.

BY CAROLINE SORENSEN Writer

Music has been a big part of my life since I was a baby. My parents always played it around the house, so I was able to grow up listening to all different types. It has always been my escape, whether it be from myself or a situation. Whether I’m playing or listening, it never fails to impact me through the words and harmonies.

My dad was always the person that played rock. It was primarily bands like The Cure, Pearl Jam, and Foo Fighters. It was a genre I occasionally listened to for years until I realized the effect it had on me.

Starting in middle school I realized I was struggling with my mental health. It’s a very strange feeling to realize your brain is not “normal.” The best way to describe it is feeling like you’re alone in a room and you want so badly to leave, but you just can’t.

When I looked for ways to make me feel less alone the first thing that I turned to music, all types except for rock. When I was picking the music I was listening to, rock never crossed my mind as a comforting genre. I tried music as therapy for months and nothing was working. At that point, I felt hopeless. Finally, I stopped hiding it and had to see a therapist.

After months of therapy, I turned to music again. This time, however, with rock. Although I listened to many artists, there were a few specific bands that always played. Those were primarily the same ones that I was introduced to rock with. There was something about these bands that gave me extra comfort.

I think the reason rock suddenly became “my genre” is because of what it reminded me of, the emotions it evoked in me, and the opportunities it gave me. Listening to rock reminds me of my dad because he is the person that introduced me to it.

There’s something about the lyrics that hit me more than any other genre. lyrics such as “The sun is gone but I have a light” from Dumb by Nirvana, and “There’s a time you’ll seek out a disguise when you think people hate you the most and it gets worse before it gets, that’s one thing that I have come to know” from Do Not Wait by Wallows.

Today, I am still playing and listening to music. Even after all this time, my favorite bands still have the same effect. These bands not only are nice to listen to, but they have made me many friends because we can connect through our favorite genres and bands.

It isn’t uncommon for students to pick up an instrument at a young age. Whether it be through parental encouragement or in elementary school, many musicians start their journey young.

Jake Domenick-Urbansky, a senior at Wilde Lake, has been playing in band as early as fourth grade. His first instrument was the euphonium. When he started his freshman year he picked up the trombone, and just recently started the tuba, but his interest in music dates back to before brass.

“My interest started ever since I got my first instrument at seven, which was a piano,” Jake says. “I just remember sitting down and playing whatever I wanted. I would listen to music and I wanted to learn how to recreate it.”

Music is something that has always piqued Jake’s interest. “I like to know how things work, and music is definitely my number one.”

“Music encourages me, especially in marching band,” Jake says. “I feel like during the marching band season, I’m much more confident about things and more outgoing. I see myself doing things that I wouldn’t usually do.”

His love isn’t the only driving force in his music. The people around him are what motivates him as well. “I want to make people smile when I play. I want to make people happy and comfortable.”

With his love of music, Jake sees himself passing that down to others as he grows.

To Jake, music is magical. “It gives me strength,” he explains.

Music is a significant part of my life. Music has become my life path; it’s what I want my future to be. It has opened and made such an impact on myself, and I want to be able to work and give that to others. Music has taught me the importance of self expression. A lyric I think best shows this is “I’m free to be whatever /I Whatever/ I choose, and I’ll sing the blues if I want I’m free to say whatever /I Whatever/ I like, if it’s wrong or right, it’s alright” from Whatever by Oasis. Through the years as I’ve listened to music I’ve grown and become my true self and that is why I rely on music.