music

Carnatic music

music has always been an elemental part of my life---something i find joy in, can rely on, and find myself intertwined with at all moments. 

my journey began with Carnatic (South Indian Classical) music at the age of five. from growing addicted to the tunes, to appreciating the intricate musical theory behind each note, to connecting with my cultural roots through the stories each song told, Carnatic music became an integral part of who i am. when quarantine began, the one thing i still had was music---and i wanted to share this with the world. co-founding and running a YouTube channel, Carnatic Music Studio became my way of sharing what I knew with others. the goal of our channel is to create instructional videos that help teach this art form to others. our channel continues to grow each day, currently amassing over 1.6K subscribers and close to 200 videos!  check out some of our videos:

personal music

in addition to Carnatic music, music encompassed my life in so many more ways. i found myself constantly humming a tune, learning to interpolate my classical learnings into the songs i'd learn from movies. tuesdays became my favorite days as i started attending acoustic guitar classes that allowed me to put on my daily living room performances of my favorite Taylor Swift songs---and, gradually, these performances started growing larger. i began volunteering at my local senior home, sharing in moments of nostalgia with the citizens there! i would perform the National Anthem at school games, growing my stage presence with each one. and my favorite performances were those with my friends at school events where we'd create our own medley and arrangements, getting to harmonize on stage together. music became something i could give to others, and that's when i started my personal YouTube channel. exploring music, i started creating mashups of songs and found people who loved them as much as me! this channel is so special to me, and i'm glad to be able to share it with the world! check out some of my videos:

choral music

along with all of my other experiences with music, i truly realized my passion for it when i joined my school choir and found a family of people who shared these same sentiments with me. throughout my eight years in choir, not only did i learn so much more about the variability of music throughout cultures, but i finally began recognizing the emotional attachment i had to my hobby-turned-passion. music became the friends i made at school, the random lunches we'd spend figuring out harmonies to different songs, and each minute i spent loving it. i got various opportunities to strenghten my skills, including auditioning for and being accepted into the 2020 & 2021 California All-State Choir, taking leadership opportunities within my own choir, and so much more! choir taught me more skills than just music, but also how to be more confident in my own abilities and carry that into other fields of my life---and i truly believe that my passion for music has led me to who i am today.