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Headphones on, pick in hand, mind encapsulated with the task ahead.
Senior John Newell’s interest in music accelerated at the age of 12 after receiving his first guitar. His infatuation set into stone at age 16 when he was given his first drum set. Since then, he has learned how to play the harmonica, bass guitar, sitar and other small knick-knacks; however, he is most proficient with the drums.
Growing up listening to classic rock and roll made it an easy choice for him to pursue the genre.
John practices almost every day, either playing along to songs or improvising his original songs. Even when he is in a creative rut, he perseveres.
“That’s the fun of music. As long as you’re in the right headspace you can do so much,” said John.
He practices his drums even when he is bored, stressed, sad, hyper or any time he just wants to play.
“You can tell he is passionate by the way he talks about it,” said alumna Kaia Jackson.” He loves showing me his music or telling me about a song he is making for somebody.”
John views music as a unique art form that allows for personal expression. He also enjoys it and utilizes it as a good stress reliever.
“His style, his voice and his songwriting blend together uniquely. It is easy to tell that he is truly passionate about what he does,” said junior Mia Marmolejo.
Although John receives support from friends and family, he thrives on self-motivation.
“People have given me advice along the way and people will continue to do so, but at the end of the day, it’s my choice to get up and practice or write songs,” said John.
According to John, the part that draws him in about music is letting out his creativity not only for himself to enjoy, but to hopefully have the same impact on others as his idols have on him.
“Hopefully if things go smoothly, maybe sometime down the line I could make a career out of it, but I guess only time will tell,” said John.
