With her lifelong love of music and her indie pop sound, senior Robyn Harris will be taking the stage as one of four acts at the upcoming Commercial Music Showcase in February.
Enrolled in piano lessons by her mother at age six, Harris’s musicality has been intertwined with her life since early childhood, though she says she didn’t always “put her best foot forward” while she was being taught.
“You know that saying that goes ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’? Well, the same is true in lessons,” Harris said. “You can have all the lessons in the world but unless you’re motivated to practice, or a superhero, you won’t truly learn without it.”
Nevertheless, the lessons instilled in her a “deep appreciation and love of music,” compounded by her participation in church choir, which she credits for helping her to hone her vocal skills, and learning to play the ukulele in 2012.
Now, she calls making music a pastime that “feeds her soul,” describing her musical style as “indie pop,” inspired by the Nashville music scene and her own musical tastes and creative instrumental interpretations.
“I write most of my music on the ukulele, and it’s been really fun just experimenting with different sounds rather than just the typical beach song that you would normally hear. I like incorporating eclectic instruments and weaving them into the music,” Harris said.
Harris will be joined by eleven fellow musicians including Logan Todd on drums, Betsey Karako and Laura Epling on violin, Maggie Chafee on cello, Colin Mai on Bass, Jesse Peck on guitar and ukulele, Micaela Miller on piano, Simon Knudtson on percussion, Kelly Lenahan on accordion, and Emily Perino and Katie Anderson on background vocals.
Since rehearsals, Harris says that working out times to work on arrangements and staging with so many band members has been the greatest challenge.
“Every student has so many demands each day, and imagine trying to get twelve separate schedules to line up. It’s like a very complicated puzzle, but it’s worked out because everyone was super flexible and easy to work with,” Harris said.
Harris hopes that those who attend the showcase in February will benefit from their hard work and really get into the music that
“I would love for people to walk away feeling they were apart of something rather than just a passive observer. I want to create a relationship with my audience through my music,” Harris said.
To learn more about the Robyn Harris, check her out on Facebook.
The commercial music showcase will be held at the MPAC at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 2. There is no charge for admission.