Even through financial setbacks, rejection letters from universities and three-hour bus rides every week to take lessons, pianist Cat Ruangthap said her parents’ selfless sacrifice fueled her passion for music. A senior from Thailand majoring in piano performance, Ruangthap is one of the musicians featured on @Laie_music, an Instagram account created to showcase local musicians. She said she found her love for piano since her church choir did not have a pianist, and her parents sacrificed everything to pay for her piano lessons so she could serve in the choir.
She said her parents told her, “Every minute is really precious. Please use every minute in your life to make something out of it [for] … something that will benefit you, your future family and everyone around you.” Ruangthap said she plans on going back to Thailand to teach at the university she attended, Mahidol University, or the college of music. She said she wants to provide students who have her same passion for music with an education, no matter their financial needs.
Acknowledging talent
Pannist, singer and pianist Lexi Mellor, a senior from Centerville, Utah, majoring in both marketing and business management, shared, “I know there are so many talented musicians and artists here in Laie… but I never noticed anything in the music program that highlighted musicians.” Mellor said she wanted to change this, so she started an Instagram account called @Laie_music to feature local musicians.
She said she started the account for her capstone marketing course, where they were assigned to create a social media account and run it for a semester. Mellor said music has always been a big part of her life because she sang classical music and played the piano as a child. She said she is now in two ensembles at BYUH, singing for Salsa Orchestra and playing the lead steel pan for Shaka Steel. She said her experience as a BYUH musician is what made her notice the need for a platform where Laie student musicians could showcase their talents.
Although it started as a class project, she said she hopes to see the account continue because of its potential to help a lot of people. “I hope to provide these musicians with some acknowledgment of the hard work they put in and the talent they have,” explained Mellor.
Anyone can be highlighted on her Instagram page by sending in a video of their musical talent, Mellor explained. She said she accepts and features all musicians who reach out to her, no matter what level of musical talent they have achieved, because she created the account for people who love music and work hard to be seen.
Let it all out
Guitarist and singer Brandon Sorilla, a sophomore from the Philippines majoring in music-vocal performance, said singing and dancing are his happy place and help him express his emotions. “If I am frustrated or mad, I let it all out with a super, super high song. Sometimes I feel like I want to break my vocal cords and break my voice, but it ends up relaxing me.” He said singing has saved his life.
Vocalist J.T. Stokes, a senior from New Jersey majoring in music-vocal performance, said he is passionate about music because it allows people to connect with others through music, even if they don’t know each other. “It is a universal language,” he explained.
Ruangthap said she loves music because of its beauty and power to heal. “I want to make [music] become more meaningful so it can help other people feel loved and cared for and appreciate it enough to continue. I want to empower other people.”
Taking that first step
Sorilla said he performed weekly for events back home, but when he came to BYUH, he found it hard to find ways to share his talents. He said what got him started here was performing with choir teacher Lawrence Laureano, adjunct faculty in the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, during the 2021 Spring Semester. After people saw his talent, Sorilla said he was asked to perform in devotionals and join other classes, such as Salsa Orchestra. He said, “Sometimes the first step is what changes everything.”
He added although singing is a way for him to express himself, he has to have the confidence to showcase his talent.
“Be open to opportunities and they will come,” Sorilla said.
After meeting Sorilla in the Shaka Steel and Salsa Orchestra, he said Mellor gave him the opportunity to be featured on her Instagram page. Sorilla said he was grateful she gave him another way to share his talent.
Mellor said she hopes people will start to reach out to her with their talents, or the talents of their friends, so she can showcase their hard work.
Stokes said he found out he wanted to take his love of music and share it with others through teaching after he had the opportunity to teach his brother how to sing in a vocal pedagogy class he took. “I got to learn more about myself and better my own musicianship. I enjoyed teaching.”
Stokes said he loves music because of the joy it brings to many lives. Being featured on @Laie_music was a great opportunity, shared Stokes, because it is difficult as a singer to find ways to showcase his music.
Mellor said her advice to those who are nervous about showcasing their talent is to “just go for it” because they work hard and “deserve to be seen.” She said because their music is a way for them to express themselves, they will not regret sharing it.•