Hello! My name is Chase and I am a '25 from South Carolina. I'm currently considering studying more film scoring and video game composition to learn about writing music for movies and games! But when I'm not hanging out with friends or doing classwork, you can find me composing music. I'm involved in the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble (DCWE), Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra (DCO), and the fraternity Zeta Psi.
As someone who did not know the ins and outs of marine policy, I loved learning about aspects of the blue economy. This class encourages us to be aware of the human aspect of marine problems regarding coastal erosion, pollution, and climate change. Professor Webster is the coolest!
I could not recommend this class enough to anyone who goes to this school! Professor Beaudoin has truly influenced me as both a musician and a student. We learn the music from the 1800's to present day including famous composers like Tchaikovsky, but also music by Beyonce and even the music of Dartmouth's professors. This is much more than a music history class. It is a class about music, our lives, and exploring the concept of sonder through musical lens.
If you're scared of coding or have a love for music, this is the class for you. This computer science class is cross-listed with music to teach students how to code using a language called processing to learn the basic principles of design through coding. We created several projects throughout the term, but Professor Casey really taught me that there is more to music than I think. For my final, I created an interactive keyboard which created a visual effect for each key that created music which made it a musical instrument! Genuinely such an amazing and fun class that I think people should consider.
Although this class is only offered during the F.I.R.E. study abroad program, it was such an amazing class. I absolutely adored having Professor Canepa teach us about Italy from its politics, music, food, and much much more. This class taught me hands on what Italian culture is through visits to famous landmarks, food tastings, or tours of Italian regions. If you don't want to study abroad, I suggest taking a class with Professor Canepa because she truly is one of my favorite professors I have had yet.
FallHanover, New Hampshire
I was on an off term, but decided to live on campus to join a fraternity and work in town. I took the time to write music for one of my friend's short films and learned a lot about the film music industry.
Dr. Moseley has been one of my most favorite professors by far. I have loved taking this class to divulge into my musical passion through creating music and learning about ways to create music. If you are interested in taking a music class, I highly recommend Dr. Moseley if you find a class with him that interests you!
I took this class with composer Miguel Kertsman who was incredibly knowledgeable in every type of compositional technique that I wanted. I studied electronic music composition with him to understand music digital signal processing better.
Although I'm not a fan of reading literature for the classroom, this class completely changed the way I perceive literature. I adored this class with Prof. Hollister as it engaged with the dissections of film, novels, and short stories regarding how humanity views the end of the world.
I took an off-term this Fall, but I decided to sit in on a class on how to arrange music for strings and woodwinds! After many hours of long work, I had a piece performed and recorded by professional musicians that I worked on in the class!
This has to be arguably one of my favorite classes I have taken at Dartmouth with one of the most qualified and talented professors! Throughout the term, I mixed eight different songs of all different genres and learned the ins and outs of sound engineering. This means figuring out the best ways to create and produce music in the industry. Now, I feel confident publishing my own music and have started helping others publish theirs too by working on their projects!
Jodie Mack's "History of Visual Music" truly changed my Dartmouth career. In their class, students learn about the ways artists has dealt with the intersection of sound and sight through film, sculpture, and live performance. Throughout the term, students present two films or performances of their own creative works. Now, Professor Mack is one of my advisors for my thesis which is a long-form piece of visual music!
SummerGreer, SC
During this Summer, I spent time at home with my parents while teaching at a high school marching band. I took a lot of time to write music to prepare my composition portfolio for grad school applications and took time to visit friends before we graduate!
Throughout this year, I am working on a film entitled "Queer Idyll." You can read more about the senior fellowship and my project on the blog, or at the link on above. My favorite part of my research and project this term has been visiting farms owned or cared for by queer individuals. I have witness so many amazing stories, beautiful locations, and friendly people!
There are hundreds of things I could tell you about Dartmouth's campus or even Hanover. Maybe I would start with how I ended up in this small, picturesque town. Or I potentially might blab about the academic mindset we share at this institution. I mean sometimes it's astonishing how remarkably intelligent my peers are, and it's warming to imagine our futures as we move past our four years together. However, I think there is one thing that is woven into the fabric of our culture here which we cannot escape and which we would never want to. That component is our location in which we reside. Putting an indescribable feeling into words is how it feels to write about our sense of place. Yet, I want to show people that our location truly makes our college different from the start.
I love the snowy branches on the trees.
And the sunrises!
First, I would have to say that visiting Dartmouth is the best way to experience and learn about this feeling. As someone who also was unable to visit the town before attending, this blog post is to help you understand how it feels to be on our campus if you can't visit. Dartmouth is located in the town of Hanover, New Hampshire which sits along the border of Vermont. Every season in Hanover creates large scenic changes during different terms. For example, you can expect to walk to class in the Fall observing orange and yellow leaves falling in front of you. Yet, you also could see massive heaps of snow fall from buildings and trees during the winter.
No matter what season it is, Hanover will always remain its own place. Recently, I had a friend tell me that they believe Dartmouth "feels like its own country." I sometimes find myself absorbed into the life of Hanover as the little town encapsulates me with its lifestyle. Although I know I can easily get off campus, I prefer to stay on campus most of the term because it feels more right to me. The way we are bubbled into Hanover allows us to focus on ourselves in many ways. Usually, I can learn about the world by meeting other students from different lifestyles or places which I value more than reading about it from some random news outlet.
Sending yourself into this isolation can sound intimidating, but I honestly have found it nothing but refreshing to me. I mean I feel so lucky that I can just relax by going on a scenic walk across many parts of the town. When my parents visited last year, they were amazed as to how people live up here in such a picturesque town. I vividly remember my mom telling me she wanted to move up here just to enjoy the town all year round, and I don't blame her at all. Dartmouth's place in the woods and upper valley truly makes it so unique compared to other schools. I highly recommend googling pictures of Hanover during its different seasons and imagining what it would be like to live there all year round.
I took advantage of the crisp autumnal weather and vibrant foliage to explore beyond Hanover and cross off an item on my bucket list, just in time for Halloween!
SIP, or Social Impact Practicum, is a type of course that is offered at Dartmouth that centers around engaging with local community partners. I have taken two of these courses now and have found them to be enriching and interesting.
