Where are you from?

I’m from Austin, Texas!

What is one thing about yourself that you want everyone to know?

In addition to percussion, I also enjoy juggling as well as video games.

A link to something about you (website, video, post, etc.)

Link

What are you up to these days?

I am currently attending the Eastman School of Music pursuing my bachelor’s Percussion Performance and Music Education. Although my time after Eastman is still in the works, I am hoping to attend a conservatory outside of the US for a performance degree in percussion.

When did you intern with TCP?

August 2024

How did you connect with TCP?

I connected with TCP through the Arts Leadership Program at Eastman.

Did you gain anything from the internship that you’d like to share?

Before starting my internship, I thought running a percussion ensemble was primarily playing and rehearsing. While there certainly are artistic aspects of the business, I realized that each member has administrative tasks that take a significant portion of time. It put many things into perspective for me and I realized that there are many things that someone must know besides music to run an ensemble.

What else did you do while you were interning?

I worked on a project with TPMS and wrote an arrangement of the piece “Duality” by Jlin. I kept the original 4 TCP parts but added 8 other keyboard and accessory parts for the students to play. I also worked on another project with the piece “Soulfood” by Jlin. TCP had to expand the parts from 4 to 5 players, and I added instruments as well as some basic rhythmic ideas that helped the final product.

Did you leave a legacy or mark on the organization that you’re particularly proud of?

I think my proudest project would be the TMCP arrangement. There were a lot of things that needed to be considered when creating the arrangement. The largest challenge was creating parts without knowing the exact number of players that would be there at any given time. Another challenge in the project was creating a score for a variety of skill levels. There were advanced high school students as well as completely new percussionists. Creating a score that catered to multiple skill levels was a welcome challenge.

Favorite memory?

I think my favorite part of the internship was the recording sessions I went to. It was very cool to see the nuts and bolts of how an album is produced. I had also never worked with a DAW before, so it was very enlightening to see Taylor and Colin edit the takes together with such ease.

A GIF or YouTube link that sums up your experience with TCP?

If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?

A funny or embarrassing story from the internship?

One day I put my lunch in the microwave to heat it up during my lunch break. I had stepped away to clear a space on my desk to eat, and I heard a loud popping sound from the microwave. It sounded like small firecrackers in the microwave. It turns out, the meal I had put in the microwave had peas in it, and they started to explode from the steam. I was mentally prepared to spend the second half of my shift cleaning out the explosion that was in the microwave. Thankfully, the mess was not as bad as I envisioned, but I made a mental note to not get that meal from the store again.

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Our interns can experience every part of TCP’s organization, from visiting recording sessions to writing grants and everything in between. We accept interns almost year-round. If you’re interesting in learning more about an internship with Third Coast, please contact Sean Connors at [email protected].

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