“You've got a heart as loud as lions, so why let your voice be tamed?” - Emeli Sandé
Coming to college, I thought I missed out on my time to hone my music and vocal skills. I would think to myself: real musicians at my age are already studying at a conservatory, like Juilliard, Oberlin, or Berklee College of Music. I had been involved in choirs—both inside and outside of the church—since I was eight years old, but I had never seen music as something that was feasible for me to pursue as a study.
Growing up, my parents would tell me that I should try my best in school because they wouldn’t be able to afford to put me through college. As such, my focus on academics left little room for seriously pursuing the arts. That was until I started taking choir for course credit in high school. After getting accepted into Harvard, I wondered if I could continue being a full-time student while dedicating time to my craft. I wanted to find my voice outside of the classroom, debates, and essays.
Four years later, Harvard has provided me with everything I need and more to become a trained student vocalist who performs soloistically on occasion, but also with a variety of ensembles. I’m writing this article to share with future students who want to find their voice through the arts.
A Musical Scholarship Foundation: The Harvard Choruses and Holden Voice Program
I auditioned for the Harvard Choruses thinking that it’d be a similar musical space as high school — just another casual, low-stakes way for students to earn a music elective. After joining the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, the chorus became a space for me to make friends and explore high-caliber works with both professional and campus orchestras, as well as operatic soloists. Some of my favorite performances included Joseph Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Verdi Requiem.
As a chorus, we get to commission works from new artists and premiere them live for the Greater Boston community. This meant being able to premiere a new work entitled To Repair by Tesfa Wondemegahu at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York City - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
As someone who didn’t grow up with a musical family or the funds to support professional music, it was difficult at first to find ways that I could train my voice even outside of choir, which I was taking for course credit. I felt that I needed even more training to 1) explore musical genres that were meaningful to my cultural identity and upbringing, like jazz, gospel, and R&B, and 2) venture off soloistically from choir. I was able to do this through Harvard’s Office of the Arts Music Lesson Subsidy, which partially subsidized my vocal lessons.
Since then, I’ve been able to perform at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture and other campus events like the Global Alumni Advisory Council, Black Students Association, Cultural Rhythms Festival, and Arts First Weekend — where I’ve been able to meet guests like Issa Rae and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Other Opportunities + Resources
I didn’t realize that these experiences were just a fraction of what Harvard had to offer to aspiring musicians and that these experiences would serve as a foundation for other musical pursuits to grow my musical repertoire and range. I’ve also taken part in the Jazz Combo Initiative, led by Don Braden and funded by the Thomas G. Everett Jazz Innovation Fund. During my sophomore year, I auditioned and joined an a cappella group, the Harvard LowKeys, and my first musical with Harvard BlackCAST.
Four years ago, I would not have imagined that music and art would take up so much of my time, but Harvard believes in supporting musicians — both financially and academically. To any aspiring musicians—beginner or advanced—Harvard’s music communities can help you define what musical scholarship means to you and share your voice with the world.
Additional link: Harvard Music Department
