Beneath the stairs, perched on a bench outside Chalmers, Nate Arnold ’25 escapes the heat of a spring day with his guitar. Letting a few warm chords drift into the afternoon air, he uses thes natural reverb and echo of the space to enhance the sound of his playing. Then, confidently and without a trace of uncertainty in his voice, he begins to sing. Combining the elements of his instrument and vocals, his song rings out, a solo performance captivating anyone within earshot. Arnold said his confidence comes from the very emotions that would normally prevent him from playing in public.
“Funnily enough, fear and nervousness are what encourage me to play in front of people,” Arnold said. “It’s like stage fright, the only way to get over it is putting yourself out there and realizing that it’s not too scary after all. I want to share my music with the world, and I want to perform, so that means I need to get comfortable with doing so.”
Despite the vast number of musicians at the school, only a small minority actually perform live with bands or release music themselves. 94% of high schools in the U.S. have music programs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. However, only 19.9% of students actually participate in their school’s music program, according to a study published by the University of Delaware. Arnold himself released his first Extended Play (EP) titled, “Gush” in August 2024, which is available on all streaming platforms.
Milan Hunter ’27 writes and records his own songs, having released his first EP titled “Wave” in January of this year. The music video for his EP is expected to come out in June. Hunter, who has been a part of the jazz program since arriving at school, said the overall experience allowed him to grow as a musician and connect with peers.
“Back at the middle school, I played for a few people at concerts, and I took the rhythm workshop class, which had a big performance at the end,” Hunter said. “I’m in Jazz Band this year, and I’ve made some close friends, and we were all trying to start a band. We played ‘Wave’ live once, but we’re on hiatus right now. The HW music scene is great and the jazz program’s awesome.”
Arnold said he would have achieved much less as a musician without the support of his peers.
“The school music scene is why I am where I am today,” Arnold said. “Going through school with people like Manos Vourgourakis (’25) and Abe Effress (’25) in my class, such incredibly talented people who know their way on multiple instruments, has been such an inspiration for me to develop as an artist and push myself to be like them. I participate as much as I can in the school music scene, having actually mixed a 10-song album for an HW ’24 friend of mine.”
Arnold said he actively participates in performing events hosted by the school and believes the school music scene and its musicians deserve more attention to encourage their growth.
“I regularly participate in coffee houses and Songwriters Showcases,” Arnold said. “I also did musical theater in 10th and 11th grade. The jazz department at HW is incredible. The HW music scene is wildly overlooked. We have great rock and indie singers, songwriters and artists who are super talented. I wish the school would find a way to put more focus on people like them.”
Emy Spieker ’26 is a member of the band “Cherry Amoia,” which she formed with two students from outside the school. Spieker said the school’s music scene is largely unknown to outsiders.
“The HW music scene is somewhat underground,” Spieker said. “I’ve had numerous occasions where people at the school that I’ve recently gotten to know have no idea that I do jazz, even after being friends with them for a while. I think it’s interesting how many people outside of the music community have really no clue who or what is a part of the music scene at HW.”
Spieker said members within the community are closely connected and often collaborate.
“At the same time, the people within the music program at Harvard Westlake are very knit together,” Spieker said. “I made a sort of hype video for the jazz program last year that depicted this idea of rivalry between the different jazz bands, and I think it’s a great example of how within the community, everyone at least somewhat knows everyone else enough to have some healthy competition and interact in the same way friends would.”
Spieker said the students from her band outside the school have been welcomed into the school’s music scene thanks to the openness of both the music community and Upper School Jazz Director Chris Sullivan.
“While my rock band rehearses at school, both members go to different schools,” Spieker said. “Nonetheless, we have a number of Harvard-Westlake students, mostly in the music program, who have expressed interest in us and showed up to our shows. In a way, I feel as though my band is somewhat part of the school, even though I’m the only one from it. I have Dr. Sullivan to thank for that because he’s the person allowing non-Harvard-Westlake students to come in after school once a week and use the music room that wouldn’t otherwise be used.”
Max Lee ’27 creates his own beats and has collaborated with various rap artists as a producer. He is also part of a self-made record label with Hunter. Lee said it is difficult for him to find students within the community who share his same passion, but still appreciates the opportunity to get closer to musicians throughout the school.
“The music community at the school is definitely still growing,” Lee said. “I haven’t met many people here who make music, especially the kind I create, but it’s still helped me connect with students across different grades. In my own grade, there are very few people I’ve collaborated with, but I remember spending time last year in the music rooms with Kurtis Walter (’27), recording tracks together until our next classes started. I’m really grateful for these connections, as they’ve played a big role in shaping my sound today.”
Finn Slootweg ’26 is a member of the band “Nosebleeds,” a five-person group including Cole Firshein ’26, James Parmet ’27 and two students from outside of the school. Slootweg said there is unrecognized talent within the school music community.
“My current band is made up of two other HW students, and we recently played a show with Cherry Amoia,” Slootweg said. “The Harvard-Westlakemusic scene is full of incredibly talented people, whether that be within the jazz department, theatre department, choir department or even people who aren’t involved with music within school. I think that more people should attend music-related events at HW because there is so much talent to take in, and there honestly aren’t that many places that are this full of talent.”
Slootweg also said his own strengths as a musician are enhanced by being around and performing with other talented musicians.
“Personally, the Harvard-Westlakemusic scene has really inspired me to be a better musician,” Slootweg said. “When you are working with so many talented people with great visions, it really pushes you to be the best version of yourself. This group of people has also become such an important community for me because I know that I can really let go, be creative and be myself. I am so thankful to be involved with this community and I hope that more people become a part of it.”
Parmet said student musicians should use the many kinds of events available to them to perform, as he tries to take advantage of these unique chances whenever he can.
“There are always so many opportunities for musicians, such as the coffeehouses, the musical and of course, just taking classes at the school,” Parmet said. “The music scene at the school has definitely had an impact on me. Almost all of the music-related things I participate in stem from Harvard-Westlake, whether it’s my band outside of school, where the opportunity arose because of friends at school or playing the national anthem at a game.”
Sam Benardo ’26 performs as a member of a jazz trio outside of school and is also in the Upper School Chamber Orchestra. Benardo said music is often undervalued as an extracurricular compared to other options.
“The [school]music scene isn’t exactly unknown in the sense of how many people join or know of the program, but is certainly underrepresented in people who strive to make music a core part of their identity,” Benardo said. “From my experience, it can be difficult for people to put a lot of time and effort into learning pieces with the academic pressure Harvard-Westlake already puts on the students. With sports as a more historically popular secondary extracurricular, not a lot of people make it a goal to reach the most advanced orchestra.”
Benardo also said he felt that the program lacks the funding for expansion that would garner more interest from students in exposing their talents on a bigger stage.
“I noticed myself the lack of students from Symphony who auditioned for the Chamber Orchestra,” Benardo said. “If more resources were put into the program, such as a larger performance hall, so more students can attend concerts, more students would be interested in ‘buying into the program.’”
Benardo said students who lack the courage to perform will actually find that facing their nerves and getting on stage actually helps as an artist.
“Apart from the simple joy of hearing music you love, coming from your own instrument and enjoying the fruits of practice and dedication, joining classical or jazz groups improves you as a performer and your ability to express yourself,” Benardo said. “Stage fright was a hurdle I had and will continue to have to overcome. There’s no worse feeling than trying to play with sweaty hands. It has made me an overall more confident person, and in the hot pot of stress that Harvard-Westlake can sometimes be, the ability to steel your nerves in difficult times has proven a very valuable skill.”
