Student Spotlight: Basil Hand
How did you decide to come to Tufts and study music at Tufts?
Unlike a lot of other seniors, I was able to get an in-person of Tufts. I remember stepping into Distler for the first time and thinking "man, how awesome it would be to perform something in here." I was immediately hooked on the emphasis of interdisciplinary students and the amount of opportunities students had to explore avenues outside of their majors. So, it was a no-brainer that I, a prospective bio major, applied with an arts supplement and that I auditioned for the Tufts Symphony Orchestra. I got in, fell in love with the Music Department and soon declared a minor in Music!
Tell us about your favorite music course so far.
That dovetails really nicely from my first answer; the first music course I took at Tufts outside of the ensembles was Popular Music Theory with Michael McLaughlin. I've always loved doing music analysis, and it was really awesome to use music theory in a context outside of classical/baroque music. Michael was really great about diversity of genres as well; we listened to the blues and parlor music but also Little Simz and Wilco. My favorite moment was when we had to pick songs to analyze for our final paper, and how my brilliant idea to compare two versions of Que Sera Sera got shot down by Michael because that was the example he used (in all his years of teaching, no one ever used that example). I've never felt more seen and understood at Tufts than in that moment.
What are you involved in at the music department?
This is my first semester where I'm not in a Music ensemble (I was in Tufts Symphony Orchestra my freshman and sophomore year, and in Opera Ensemble my junior year), but I'm a Music Event Director, meaning that you've probably seen me in a spiffy black polo opening Distler doors for you. I'm taking private voice lessons with Carol Mastrodimenico, and I'm working on an independent study conducting project (you will hear about later) with Jamie Kirsch!
What are you involved in outside of the music department?
The independent study project is music directing the Torn Ticket II musical, Between the Lines! We've started rehearsals already, and I'm so stoked to get to work with such an awesome cast and pit. Outside of theater, I've done research down at the Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences on skin and can be found working on problem sets with my bio major friends. I'm often at the LGBTQ center and their events, I enjoy dropping in on open mic nights at the Sink, and I've written a few things for the Observer (I love a good op-ed!).
What are you listening to at the moment?
A New England by Billy Bragg (my dad and I are going to his concert in the fall!)