What does Campion mean to you?
Campion to me was where I finally found an environment where I felt comfortable enough to develop my personality.
It allowed me to explore my abilities and find my passion.
The teachers from all departments supported my passion for drums and used it to motivate me by adapting it to the subject they were teaching.
The International community in Campion was great in teaching diversity and acceptance.
What IB subjects did you take and what were your favorite ones?
I took Music, Psychology, English Literature, Spanish, Math Studies and Environmental Systems.
My favorite subjects were Music and Psychology:
– Music because I studied Classical and Indian Music that gave me an advantage at University where I was the only one with this strong background when I went on to study Drum Performance in LA College of Music. It also taught me to be open minded and learn things that were out of my comfort zone.
– I enjoyed Psychology as I felt as it was tied together with Music because psychological states of mind are affected and helped by music.
Tell us about your life since leaving Campion School
I left Campion after IB1 in 2014 because I was ready to be completely focused on music. For the following year and a half I worked on my Associate Degree at LA College of Music in Pasadena, an intensive program that took 16 hours a day of work 7 days a week of full immersion in music. It was great as every semester we concentrated on two music genre learning its history as well as performing a huge repertoire of its music.
After graduation in March 2016, I spent a year teaching kids 4-17 how to pay drums, as well as performing and recording with various artists. In April 2017, I am going back to continue towards my BA in Drum Performance.
Any tips for students and parents?
My advice to students is follow your many passions and dedicate yourself to them. Do not let the pressure of University or Life take out the joy of what you do.
My advice to parents is to allow your child to explore their interest, support them in their passion even if it changes.
Success comes from hard work, hard work comes from drive and drive comes from passion. So encourage your kids to do something they love.
