Honor Student Finds Peace In Playing Piano

By commuting over an hour to Adelphi, five days a week, and practicing the art of piano for almost a decade, 19-year-old sophomore Katie Correa proves her sound dedication to schoolwork as well as music.

The pianist/songwriter/composer from Lake Grove, New York began training with basic and classical piano and soon moved up the ladder to jazz piano, in which she finds her passion next to songwriting and composing.

Starting at age 11, Correa began writing piano compositions and has already written ten original pieces so far.

“It’s just like [English] writing,” said Correa, an English major and Secondary Education minor. “Once you learn the vocabulary and the alphabet, you can do anything with language. That’s how I write music. Chords and words are the same,” said Correa, who also believes songwriting has a lot to do with experimentation.

As for her musical career at Adelphi, Correa has performed an original piano composition, “On My Way,” at Cause to Achieve Leadership, Intelligence, Brotherhood, Excellence, and Respect’s (CALIBER) talent show last November. Although the performance did not yield a winning prize, Correa was not discouraged and further agreed to play at CALIBER’s end of the year celebration in April at the “Black and White Affair.” For the duration of the evening, Correa played an original piece, “April’s End,” while guests enjoyed their formal dinner.

“You get to be part of the scene,” said Correa, unsurprisingly since her dream job is to record music, specifically soundtracks for romantic or historical fiction movies.

“Playing piano is expressive and relaxing. It doesn’t bombard you. It’s smooth,” said Correa, who decided not to major in music due to its rigid nature and intense training.

“I’d rather be more free with [music]. It can become so technical. I’d rather just be a rookie with it,” said Correa.

At Adelphi, Correa is the President of the Newman Club (Campus Catholic Ministry), a writer of the school newspaper, the Delphian, and an editor of the Honor’s College annual publication, The Symposium. On her spare time, Correa also gives weekly piano lessons to three 10-year-old students in her neighborhood and has done so for almost three years now. Next to teaching and playing piano, she enjoys reading, and writing creatively.

Photo courtesy of Katie Correa

Talent Winner Shares Passion for Music and Theatre

Almost a year ago, 19-year-old sophomore, Armand Lane, from Tottenville, Staten Island confidently looked straight into the audience, lightly brushed the ivory piano keys with his steady hands, and jump-started his Adelphi musical career. “Slow down, you crazy child. You're so ambitious for a juvenile…" He sang. The crowd silenced. The Piano Man had arrived.

Lane, the singer/songwriter/pianist was awarded first-place that November night and won the grand prize total of $500 at the close of Cause to Achieve Leadership, Intelligence, Brotherhood, Excellence, and Respect’s (C.A.L.I.B.E.R) talent show. Competing amongst 20 other contestants and celebrating his first award ever, Lane triumphed over even those whose talent earned them features on television.

Although Lane, a determined theatre major, has never had any professional vocal training, his strong, booming voice was praised along with the original untitled piece he debuted after his first song, "Vienna," by Billy Joel. The composition took him months to write and was finally completed the night before the show. Its upbeat tempo and positive message about self-discovery did much to land Lane a spot in the top-three winners' circle where the audience's applause crowned him the victor.

Sporting a light blue polo and dark blue Yankee sneakers, the 5-foot-8-inch Waldo Hall resident explains that his on-stage confidence comes from experience in high school productions, past talent shows and small coffee shop gigs.

A pianist since he was five and singer and songwriter since he was 13, Lane is a Billy Joel and Yankees fanatic (if you couldn't tell by his sneakers), who enjoys politics and hanging out with friends. However, singing, songwriting, playing the piano, and even acting play large roles in Lane's life.

Since his first big win last autumn, Lane has found himself immersed in spotlight in Adelphi’s Performing Arts Center with large roles in Hamlet, Street Scene, Broadway Connections, and many others.

"I'll take it as far as it may, but I have no way of knowing where it will go," says Lane as he contemplates the future of his budding musical career. "Just to enjoy it is what it's all about," said Lane after explaining that he does not plan, for now, on taking professional vocal training lessons or pursuing his talent in a high-scaled fashion.

Photo courtesy of Armand Lane

Christian Musician Creates Inspiration Nationwide

As soon as sophomore musician Jay-R Bacalan, 20, first set foot on Adelphi University soil, he immediately made a beeline towards the stage. Playing an original piece, the guitarist, pianist, writer and singer from Richmond Hill, Queens, performed and won second place in the university’s Freshman Orientation Talent Show.

That first performance in the summer of 2008 set a significant precedent for Bacalan, a returning competitor for many more Adelphi-based competitions, including Cause to Achieve Leadership, Intelligence, Brotherhood, Excellence, and Respect's (C.A.L.I.B.E.R) Talent Show last fall where he played an emotional cover ballad to Luther Vandross's "Dance with my Father” on the piano.

Bacalan, a nursing major, had dedicated the song to his own father, who was sitting in the audience and who had just recovered from an almost fatal heart attack. Although Bacalan did not leave with a winning prize that night, he would later earn a first place trophy in New Jersey, where he and his eight-member Christian rock band, Euphoric Feedback, dominated the USA Northeast Regional Conference for the international youth group, Couples for Christ. Along with the band, Bacalan, the band’s lead guitarist and male vocalist, had been invited and traveled to Chicago and Illinois to perform for the global youth association.

Learning by listening to and memorizing chords and scales, and watching tutorials online, Bacalan is a self-taught musician of six years.

“I started off as being part of a small youth group that became global. From there, I branched off into my own,” said Bacalan, who practices at least four times a week.
Bacalan also creates his own music on acoustic and electric guitar and writes his own original songs, including a piece he is the most proud of “Two Hearts,” which is about meeting the perfect girl.

“Writing is a way to express myself, especially at certain times where I need to get everything that I’m feeling on paper,” said Bacalan, who compares his original work to the mainstream sounds of Jason Mraz.

Whether he is performing his own songs solo or jamming out with the band, Bacalan believes his music has an inspiration, deeper meaning for those who are listening.

“Even though it is mostly Christian music, the message isn’t singularly about just the religion, but about life, too. And, anyone can relate to that,” said Bacalan.

The band's upcoming performance will take place on October 23 through October 25 during the Couples for Christ Youth Retreat in New Jersey.

Photo courtesy of Jay-R Bacalan

Caption: Bacalan competing at the USA Northeast Regional Conference for Couples for Christ of 2009.

Downstage with Musical Panthers

Welcome to Musical Panthers! My name is Melissa Chan. I'm a junior, a second-year Editor-in-Chief of the Delphian and a Writing Center tutor. The mission of this blog is to highlight Adelphi University musicians of all calibers, from ordinary to extraordinary. Although many of these students may not yet be famous, these students excel in talent, vocally or instrumentally, creativity, and even more in dedication. Besides the career that they have built for themselves outside of Adelphi, these students are well-known in their local college community and have set their prints onstage, by participating and performing in an array of events and competitions in our very own University Ballroom. By directing these panthers downstage, they move towards the audience and the front of the stage, where we can get to know them better.