I always knew I wanted to go into music. When I was four, I would perform Beatles songs for my parents, and when I was ten, I won the Piano Angels competition. At Central Valley High, during my freshman year, I was encouraged to pursue composition when Mr. Hayman, my music teacher, heard me improvising on the piano.
Shasta College has been key to my musical growth and success. I studied conducting with Dr. Jeff Specht, and I have attended the Vocal Institute three times under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Waterbury. Shasta College was able to take my passion and refine it into something academic and purposeful. The instructors pushed me to do better and to be better. Shasta College gave me opportunities that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else.
As a high school student attending college classes, the support and encouragement I’ve received has always made me feel welcome and included. The Carr Fire, Snowmageddon, and the pandemic have made attending school challenging, but my high school and Shasta College communities have been incredibly supportive.
I’ve applied for, auditioned at, and been accepted to the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the New England Conservatory—and I was one of five people to receive an invitation to audition at Juilliard. Every school told me that I was better prepared and more mature than similar applicants—and I believe that is a direct result of my time at Shasta College.
Julian
Shasta College Knight