Noah Tan

MI, USA
PLE 2020

“I never thought I could get so much out of an online program. However, from the first day of YYGS PLE, I was immersed into a community of scholars - joining several group chats and Zoom calls within the first few days. I was amazed by the participants’ initiative to meet new people and create bonds, despite not being able to engage face-to-face. Within two short weeks, we had Netflix parties, musical jam sessions and game nights through Zoom. Additionally, I was impressed by how diverse the participants were. For example, I talked to Sania from Lebanon about her band, and learned about schools in India from Aryaman. The diversity wasn’t only reflected in the participants’ locations, but also their unique interests.”

As a composer, I am motivated to experiment with different genres of music, writing a baroque fugue one day and a big band jazz piece the next. The idea to write a musical started as a conversation in early 2020 with my composition teacher about what the most ambitious senior year final composition project should be. While the discussion was initially in jest, a melodic line began forming in my head. This melody quickly consumed me as I hummed it over and over again in the shower - building harmonies, piecing together the orchestration, and writing the lyrics. That melody became a song; that song became a scene; that scene became an act; and before I knew it, I had somehow finished Culver: The Musical, a two-hour play that follows the life of a Culver New Cadet.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that writing a musical takes A LOT of planning, hard work and determination. I initially encountered a lot of skepticism from other students and music teachers who thought the project overly ambitious. There were also points during the drafting process when even I didn’t think I could finish this massive work. However, seven months, eight drafts, two hundred pages, thirteen thousand eight hundred and eighty-four words, and thirty-two musical numbers later, I finally completed my musical!

Ambassador Year: 
2020