Geoffrey playing bass in the piano parlor of Stout HallPersonal Photo

Geoffrey

Instruments played: Ukulele, Piano, Bass, Guitar, Mandolin, and Drums

Do you create original music?: Yes

Why do you play music?: It's what I want to do with my life. It's a way to express myself; feel like I'm alive. It really makes you feel like you matter. It helps you get out of your head.

What genre of music do you play most? Why?: I play a lot of alternative and pop. Stuff like Twenty One Pilots, My Chemical Romance…people like that. Rock and stuff. They're really emotional. I can relate to a lot of the lyrics; they feel like they describe what my life is, what it was, or what I want it to be. It helps me bring myself to real life. I listen to a lot of different genres but I started of playing and listening to a lot of electronic stuff too: Daft Punk, DeadMau5, and Justice. I listen to a lot. A lot of the music I write has roots in electronic music so I have a bit of a wide range of influence.

What inspired you to play music?: My mom's side of the family has always been musical, but my dad started teaching me piano when I was 7 or 8. I didn't really enjoy it so I quit 3 years ago. But I really started experimenting with different instruments and types of music, finding ways to express myself. I enjoyed choir the most. Just over 3 years ago I started writing my own music and I realized 'This is fun. This is what I want to do.' So I actually got good at piano and I started learning other instruments. Instead of being something my dad wanted me to do, it was something I wanted to do so I got better. It was about then that I started listening to Twenty One Pilots and my favorite song by them has this line I really like. The song is called "Kitchen Sink" and in it Tyler Joseph, the singer, he says 'Are you searching for purpose?' and that whole verse was just…very impactful. He was right. At that point I realized I needed to try methods of expressing my creativity and music was the first thing I jumped to. It's my favorite song.

Will playing his electric guitar in his roomPersonal Photo

William

Instruments played: Guitar, Bass, Drums, and Keyboard

Do you create original music?: Yes

Why do you play music?: To speak when I can't with words, when words just aren't enough.

What genre of music do you play most? Why?: I play a lot of alternative rock. I can play it on electric guitar but still transfer to acoustic and it will still sound similar. I don't like to keep a specific genre. It's pretty varied.

What inspired you to play music?: Listening to music, artists, and songs I liked. I wanted to learn how to play those songs. I write my own music to represent my own emotions, to write whatever I'm feeling.

MaryEllen playing her acoustic guitar in her roomPhoto courtesy of Andrew Wallace

MaryEllen

Instruments played: Guitar, Banjo, Flute, Piano, Bass, and Mandolin

Do you create original music?: Yes

Why do you play music?: It's the closest thing I could get to screaming without screaming. On a more serious note, it connects me emotionally and gives me an outlet.

What genre of music do you play most? Why?: I play mostly classic rock. It's crowd pleasing and it's my favorite genre of music. It's really interesting to listen to older songs and realize we still have a lot of the same problems and issues today.

What inspired you to play music?: My best friend Sarah pushed me to start playing the flute in band. Then I switched to contemporary music when I observed the high school's jazz band and I wanted to be in it. Then I quit band for choir because that's where all of my friends were and the band directors were mean. I was inspired to do more rock music by a family member of mine who owns a recording studio and works with a lot of local bands in Tulsa.

How would you say music has impacted your life?: It's given me a purpose. I don't think I would be on any sort of path if I didn't have it. It's made me a more emotional person, given me more compassion. My best friends are in music and theater and they're all passionate about what they're doing.