Student Spotlight

Inspiration:
I make music. I do many many different things within music, but at Cornish I study classical piano. I guess challenges inspire me the most. People, too. Humanity. Vulnerability. When I'm working on a piece it's always fascinating to me to know what the composer was like as a person when they wrote it. So often we see people like Mozart or Beethoven as these titans, gods of sorts - I personally believe Bach was an alien - but when we strip that away it's great to think about what they ate for lunch or who they were daydreaming about the day they wrote that piece.

Influence:
I've always had an interest in performance. As a kid my brothers and sisters and I would put on plays or make 'rocking' music videos (including flashlight through a laundry basket strobe lights - rad!) I taught myself piano just so I could play with my dad, but I never had formal lessons until college. I got into flute in fifth grade, which ended up being the instrument I came to Cornish to study.

When it came time to look at colleges I felt pretty discouraged. I'm originally from New York, and East Coast conservatories are so unattractive to me. I even visited a few and I really wasn't into the whole attitude. I had discovered Cornish in ninth grade and went back to the website to check it out. I sent in an audition CD and found out I was accepted. I was really excited, but I sensibly reserved judgment until I could fly out and visit. Once I got here I knew it was love. I actually met my roommate/band mate/best friend for eternity on a tour of the college. Cornish was small, open, but mostly, it was different. I didn't fit into the conservatory mold, and Cornish didn't either. I'm actually really grateful that I found this place.

Current Projects:
The semester just ended for me, so I'm wrapping up pieces I've been working on all semester. For solo piano I prepared a Chopin Nocturne, the Khachaturian Toccata, and a Bethoven Sonata. My chamber music group and I just finished "Spots" by Frederick Rzewski where I played flute and piano, a Handel Trio Sonata, Le Histoire Du Tango by Piazzolla, and a Telemann cello duet. Outside of school my band, BAKEMONO, is just starting up again. School keeps us busy but we plan to write more songs over the break. I also have a budding hip hop career - Katie Kate, ya'll (word). I'm teaching piano and flute and planning to do some volunteer work teaching piano to underprivileged kids over the break. I hope to get back into singing in the Esoterics as well (acapella choir).

Hometown:
I'm from Albany, New York and Seattle is just about as different as you can get. When I first came here it was a big adjustment - everyone was so... nice... it was very weird. In New York people aren't mean, just more straightforward, but Seattle folks are extremely polite. And they recycle. People here are way more environmentally conscious, which is totally rubbing off on me, and is a really great thing. The Northwest is so special geographically (mountains, lakes, ocean - they've got it all) as well as socially. Seattle's a big city, but it feels intimate. Capitol Hill is a great place to live, and I've always felt really safe here. It took some adjustment and I still miss the East Coast sometimes, but after a few years here I've really grown to love it.

Why Cornish?
I came to Cornish because it was just glaringly obvious that there was nowhere else like it. I feel really privileged to be here, because Cornish is sincerely the only small college I can think of that can hold its own against bigger schools. I mean, we're comparable with Berklee College of Music, which is a massive school. We get the same level of excellence but it's really personal. The history here is great, too. I love hearing my teachers tell personal stories about Messiaen or seeing Roger Nelson's John Cage impression. I came here because I knew my teachers would remember my name. Because the first student I met was so clearly on the same page as me. Because Seattle's a beautiful, beautiful city.

Experience:
It was a lot more work than I expected, honestly, but I'm so glad that I'm not paying money to just sort of fool around for four years. What I value the most about my education here is that I really have to be motivated to succeed. This isn't a hand-holding institution, nobody will force you to do your work and get good grades - it's all up to you. I was allowed to switch my major from flute to piano and study what I wanted to study, but only because I was committed to working my butt off, and I have. It's not all work, though. You become really close with all the other motivated people that surround you and it's a great community of encouragement and discipline. It's a good balance. We like to have fun, but if you say 'hey, I really have to practice', people understand. Living in an apartment and paying bills and rent has also taught me really important life lessons. I feel confident that I can transition smoothly from graduation to "real" life, because I'm essentially living that way now. I work, I have an apartment, and I perform music out in the world. Cornish encourages collaboration between alumni, faculty, other departments, and helps you realize that in real-world gigs. I've gotten tons of skills in things I never even knew I was interested in, and I've learned more about art itself in all disciplines than I would have at any other institution.

Hobbies:
I really love crossword puzzles. I feel like an eighty year old woman sometimes, but I try to do one every day. I love to watch Kate Bush music videos on YouTube. Hip hop isn't really a hobby for me, but most people find it quirky that I'm a little blond MC. My mom is a gourmet chef and if I cook, I have to make like... triple layer chocolate ganache cakes and duck l'orange. It gets expensive, but whatever, it's cool.

In 5 Years:
I see myself performing in several aspects, probably composing and definitely teaching. I'm not entirely sure where this career path will take me, but that's kind of the beautiful thing about it. Music lets you do so many different things, and Cornish doesn't pigeonhole me, so I'm totally confident that I can successfully pursue whatever musical venture I'm into at the moment. The arts are a lifestyle more than a career, really, and having a job that you're passionate about is what makes people feel fulfilled and happy. I think we artists have it pretty good.

Advice:
If you're looking for the typical "college" lifestyle, you'd be better off somewhere else. Cornish is really unique, really intense, and really really good for you. Be open to it, be self motivated, and take charge of what you want. Those are the skills that will really serve you later on.

Process:
It's imperative for me to draw from real experience to make art. Even in fantastic pieces, it's important to have that thread of truth binding it to the listener. I'm a really expressive player. I always try to interpret things as emotionally as I can because that's something humans share. I love the humanity of art, I guess, so I always try to make it relatable. It needs to be interesting, too. It has to be distinct in some way or it feels useless to me.

Webaddress:
www.wearebakemono.com and www.myspace.com/katiekatemusic