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!
Why do students at Dartmouth participate in Greek life?
A:
This is a question that I have been asked dozens of times by not only prospective students but my family and friends back home. The typical connotations of fraternity or sorority often involve trashy interactions, elitist mindsets, and debaucherous behavior. Personally, I don't blame you if this is your view because I completely understand.
As someone who came from the southern United States, I always viewed Greek life as a place for similarly wealthy kids to make poor decisions together. When I committed to Dartmouth, I had never considered joining a fraternity. Nonetheless, here I am as a brother of Zeta Psi. Friends and family asked me what changed my mind about joining this weird culture of Greek life, even deciding to live in the fraternity house for two years. In all honesty, it is the way Dartmouth Greek life functions that changed my mind.
I joined a fraternity because I realized that I genuinely enjoyed the way my fraternity functions on Dartmouth's campus. Since joining Zeta Psi, I have significantly increased the number of close friends I have since becoming a brother. The close-knit connection between the brothers of my house is the biggest reason I joined Greek life. Another reason for joining Dartmouth Greek life is its diversity compared to nearly all other Greek life on other college campuses. My fraternity is racially, socioeconomically, and culturally diverse, as we have brothers from all over the United States and abroad. Additionally, Dartmouth also has gender-inclusive Greek spaces where any person can join their house no matter what gender, race, or sexuality they are. I acknowledge that Greek life at Dartmouth is not a perfect system. Dartmouth has various resources from advocation, advice, therapy, and more to face any issues that arise in Greek life.
Going-out scenes revolve predominantly around on-campus Greek life events, which are publicly advertised to the entire student body. Nonetheless, students also find themselves in countless social settings relating to their interests, whether club sports or the Dartmouth Outing Club. Unaffiliated people, not directly tied to Greek life, are also welcome to attend Greek events. I have many unaffiliated friends I hang out with and invite to my fraternity on weekend nights. Joining a fraternity was a positive experience for me, improving my overall Dartmouth experience. I would not change anything about my experiences so far, and I will continue to be a proud brother of my fraternity at Dartmouth.
Through Dartmouth's Guarini Institute for International Study, I am getting to take classes and experience life at Wellesley College, an all-women's school!
