By Celeste Amron and Elise Bilodeau
T.C. senior Hero Magnus was recently accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Niche.com, Berklee College of Music is one of the top five colleges for music in America in 2018.
Magnus received a scholarship for a summer program at Berklee two years ago. Magnus said, “It was an insane experience, I think they had about 1000 students from all around the world and I got a really international perspective on music.” That experience at Berklee helped influence her decision to apply there. “I was very excited and pleased to have gotten into Berklee. It was definitely a top choice,” said Magnus.
Magnus said, “I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember.” However, she began seriously pursuing music her freshman year.
Magnus has learned a lot from her time at T.C. “I’ve been really lucky to go to T.C., which is such a huge and diverse school, and I think that’s definitely fueled my music. If I had gone to a smaller or less diverse school, I wouldn’t have had the variety of experiences that I’ve had here, and that’s what I’m looking for in college.”
Magnus enjoys writing and performing original songs. “Mostly I want to write music and I like to sing, but my focus is definitely songwriting,” she said. Magnus has performed at Busboys and Poets, a restaurant in DC, and other venues around the area.
Magnus performs an original song, “Little White Lies”, at the North American Federation of Temple Youth.
Next month, Magnus is going to perform at Sidewalk, a bar and café with a live performance venue, in New York City. “It’s going to be my first big solo gig and I’m really excited about it,” said Magnus.
Magnus is currently working on producing her debut extended play record, or EP. “[It] would be about five or six songs and I have my set list already. I’m working with my drummers and other musicians and I’m going to record it and hopefully produce it before I graduate,” she said.
She is excited to begin her musical career at a more professional level. “I feel like I’m not cutting off options by pursuing music, I’m opening them up,” Magnus said, “I think that it’s really difficult to pursue music but that’s what I want to do.” Magnus believes that music is the right choice for her. “There’s no reason to ever stop pursuing art, you can do it while you’re pursuing another job on your own time. If it’s your calling and if it’s what you feel like you have to do to be happy, you should never give it up,” she said.