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!
Throughout the last three years at Dartmouth—and my ongoing fourth year—I have built several incredibly close mentor-mentee relationships with my professors. During my first year, I took a variety of courses within the music department since that is my major. Every first-year student gets assigned a first-year faculty advisor, so I met with my advisor who recommended these courses. After taking these courses, I felt a strong connection to the music department overall, as I had several professors with whom I consistently interacted.
During the summer after my first year at Dartmouth, I studied abroad in Rome, learning about Italian culture and language. Although I am not majoring or minoring in Italian, Nancy Canepa, the professor who led this program, remains one of my closest contacts within the Dartmouth faculty. Every term, Professor Canepa and I go out for tea to catch and recall past stories from the term I was on their study abroad. I highly recommend learning about Dartmouth's study abroad programs and seeing if any of them pique your interest because studying abroad with Dartmouth definitely changed my life in so many amazing ways.
A dinner made together at Professor Canepa's apartment in Rome! This was the best meal of my life that I cooked with another student!
At the start of my sophomore year, I met with one of the music professors to discuss making a plan to declare my major. After this meeting, I now had a major advisor to help guide me both in course selection and opportunities ranging from things on campus to future employment options. My advisor, Professor Beaudoin, has helped me every term I have had at Dartmouth, whether he has been on campus or not. This shows that so many Dartmouth professors care deeply about their students, whether it is their well-being or future ambitions, and they will take time out of their schedule to help.
If you do not study a specific subject, you can still interact with so many professors! This term, I met with a professor of religion and a professor of comparative literature to ask them for advice on my thesis. Professors at Dartmouth are open to meeting as many students as imaginable to help them reach their goals. Dartmouth even offers a program where you can take a professor to a local restaurant in town for free. You can read about it in Alex's blog post on the program! In the past, I have taken professors whom I know less well and never took courses with them to get to know them better.
A moment of encapsulated joy from Professor Jodie Mack's class where we created a light show.
Another way I have made close connections with professors has been through taking their courses, becoming a teacher's assistant (TA), and having them become academic advisors for my thesis. One of my favorite experiences on this campus has been being a TA for a course called "Video Games and the Meaning of Life," which is taught by Professor Cheng. Currently, Professor Cheng and Professor Jodie Mack—whose course on visual music I took—are the advisors for my thesis. I am so incredibly grateful to have two amazing intellectuals, artists, and people to guide me in this project.
Additionally, both of these professors have personally reinvigorated my passion for music and art-making as a whole. Professor Cheng's book "Loving Music Till It Hurts" reminded me that my frustrations with music occurred because I love it so much. Professor Mack showed me that making art can be painful, but there is joy hidden within the process. I know many people choose a college based on assumptions, sports teams, or even sometimes their colors. Although those things can be important, I suggest you look into the mentor-mentee relationships that exist within your campus. That is because these professors mentioned here have changed my life and care about me just as much as I care about them.
This fall, Dartmouth provided me with incredible opportunities to get involved in politics. I registered as a New Hampshire voter, joined civic organizations, canvassed, and more! Read on to follow my journey leading up to Election Day!
Some of my rising senior friends from New York have been in contact with me since graduation, and I've compiled a list of FAQs that might help you better understand life at Dartmouth!
In Solid Mechanics, we designed and constructed a bridge that held 10kN, around 1000kg! The process, from SOLIDWORKS design to laser cutting to gluing parts together, took us weeks, but it was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever done.
