Although this ASEM was only 4 weeks, I was able to truly express myself in a way unlike  most of my other classes in my college career. I’m extremely passionate about my major… psychology is what I want to pursue and what I think I am best at. That being said, I am just as passionate about music but have never thought about it in a professional way. I’ve never felt taken seriously for my musical opinions until now. And for that I am grateful!

For our first writing project, we had to create an annotated playlist for an artist that could represent their entire career thus far. I chose Sufjan Stevens for this project. Someone who has not only been extremely impactful on my musical personality, but also has accomplished so much in 15 years. I shared my playlist with my Dad, who introduced me to Sufjan and who approved of my track choices. On my revision of this piece, I added more media elements like photos and videos. Hopefully allowing the reader to understand how talented and unique S.S. is.

Next and probably the most difficult project was choosing the record we would want to be stranded on a desert island with: our “Desert Island disk”. I struggled between choosing a timeless classic like Elton John or the Beatles, and choosing an artist from my generation. Older artists have proven the test of time, making them worthy of endless repetition if I were stranded. But ultimately decided to stick with my gut and choose Tame Impala, one of the greatest bands of the last decade. I believe that Kevin Parker is truly a genius when it comes to song writing and therefore doubt I’d get sick of it on my island. Currents has travelled with my all over the world thanks to Spotify. So, this writing project serves as a sort of timeline/diary of my life since I discovered the monumental album. After receiving feedback from my professor and classmate, I decided to add some personal photos from my adventures with Currents. I think this adds some needed context to my travel anecdotes.

Lastly, we were to attend a concert and write a review. Luckily, the Underground Music Showcase happened on Broadway during the first week of our class. I bought a ticket a few months ago and was stoked on getting to see one of my favorite bands, Frankie Cosmos, for the second time this year. They put on an awesome show that I couldn’t help but dance and groove to despite being by myself.

Music is really something that defines who I am. It can capture so many of my life experiences and bring me directly back to certain moments in time – in a deja vu sort of way. I think this portfolio shows the vulnerability I am able to access when speaking about certain artists, records, and songs. Music is often brushed aside as a hobby and not a passion. Something so engrained in everyday life, it doesn’t get the credit it deserves… especially in academia. This class reminded me to take my opinions seriously and trust my taste. They’re worth listening to!