For the upcoming term, Quarantunes has initiated a strong team of motivated and passionate individuals, dedicated towards spreading the joy of music and art to those desiring to learn. As musicians and artists themselves, all display a wide variety of interests. From playing the piano for around a decade to winning singing competitions, the talent is evidently immense.
As one of the Chief Publicity Officers, I had the pleasure of interviewing some of my coworkers, feeling inspired as they shared some of their heartwarming experiences within the artistic field, tying the glory of music within their personal lives and beyond.
Meet Catharine Wang, Chief Operations Officer!
What specifically drew you into the field of music?
“Being classically trained on the piano was my first real exposure to music. I was six when I first started lessons and it’s kind of a canon event for someone in the Asian community to grow up learning the piano. Mozart and Chopin pieces were and still are my favorites to play. Other than the piano and listening to mainstream pop on the radio, my childhood didn’t involve too deep of a connection with music. As I became a teenager and started exploring genres I liked, I couldn't live without music. Certain phases of my life, complex emotions, and memories could only be defined by songs and not words. Being able to play music due to my piano background only made me further appreciate musical artists and songwriters. Instead of focusing on the technical aspect of the piano like I did as a child, I finally realized the emotional aspect of playing and finding your own style.”
Does music serve as an inspiration? If so, how does it impact your life on a daily basis?
“I can’t really go on with my day unless I interact with some form of music. Music is something that can blend so seamlessly into your daily activities. It can be as direct as finding a new piece to learn on the piano. But it can also be listening to everything from melancholy Gracie Abrams songs to more hype songs from K-pop artists as I do laundry or study. I think music has also inspired me to find my identity in different communities (such as being a chaotic Swiftie) and made me appreciate other forms of art that are accompanied by music like dance and visual media. Music is a great way to bond with others and sharing the kind of music you like is the same thing as sharing what you are like as a person to others.”
What specific goals do you hope to accomplish within your field at Quarantunes?
“As the current COO, it’s my job to oversee all the work being done at QuaranTunes and bring out our Chiefs’ specific skill sets to keep this organization going. This term, I really want to focus on teacher and student recruitment since there are some shortages and some students on the waitlist for lessons. I would also love to bring back creative arts classes. Many people on our current board, including me, started college this fall and so another goal of mine is to have everyone be able to balance academics and QuaranTunes commitments.”
Anything else you would want people to know about you!
“It’s funny because a lot of my interests are tied into music. The webtoons I read have soundtracks I love. I’ve recently started learning K-pop choreographies and they are so much fun! Outside of music, I like swimming and watching YouTube.”
Meet Erin Kim, Chief Executive Officer!
What specifically drew you into the field of music?
“I started singing when I was six! Singing made me so happy—I’d learn a bunch of songs at kindergarten and sing them at home in front of my parents, friends, and then again whenever I met my grandparents. Seeing a clear passion for singing, my parents signed me up for voice lessons. That’s what first drew me into pursuing music. More recently, I’ve taken a deep dive into lyricism and storytelling through singing.”
Why did you pick Quarantunes as an organization to work with?
“I find QuaranTunes’ work of making music accessible to everyone so inspiring. I am a strong believer in the idea that music shouldn’t have barriers, and QuaranTunes perfectly embodies that thought. I also find it so meaningful that both students and teachers learn something from lessons: mentorship experience for teachers and musical/artistic skills for students. Furthermore, QuaranTunes goes beyond simply providing a music education to establishing a community—not only in the student-teacher experience but also among teachers with a shared love for music.”
What specific goals do you hope to accomplish within your field at Quarantunes?
“1) Get a better sense of which teachers are active, close the Tutorbook profiles of inactive teachers, and make sure we’re maintaining communication with the active teachers 2) Active marketing/expansion: After our internal reorganization/teacher clean-up process, I want to make sure we contact more schools, local non-profit organizations, etc, emphasizing our rebranded mission, to get more clients. In particular, I hope to reach out to schools and organizations located on the East Coast to further expand our QuaranTunes community across the nation—and once we’ve done so, even internationally! 3) Larger events: I’m hoping to hold larger events that would attract more people, such as in-person regional teacher meetups, concerts, and teaching service events at schools as well as community organizations such as churches, homeless shelters, hospitals, etc.”
Anything else you would want people to know about you!
“Landscape photography, sampling tea varieties, making collaborative Spotify playlists with friends, getting lost in art museums, reading poetry chapbooks, journaling, and scouting out nice cafes.”
Meet Sami Kuncharapu, Chief Publicity Officer!
What specifically drew you into the field of music?
“I don’t have anything specific that drew me into music, as I was only 4 years old when I started singing lessons, but I would say that each song portrays a different story that you can really dive into as a listener. It's really special to just listen to what the artist is trying to portray from happy pop songs to more mellow songs.”
Does music serve as an inspiration? If so, how does it impact your life on a daily basis?
“Music is definitely an inspiration and is a deep part of my daily life. I listen to music during my morning and night routine, and also while doing homework. The type of music I listen to depends on my mood, adding on to how music can connect you to yourself and acts as a bridge of connection.”
Besides music, what other hobbies do you have?
“I love to act and I want to pursue film acting as a career! Besides that, I love doing calligraphy, reading, watching movies, and listening to music.”
Anything else you would want people to know about you!
“I go to UNC School of Arts for the High school intensive drama program, and I have participated in NATS competitions and received honorable mention for musical theatre and classical singing!”
Meet Geethika Tammana, Chief Teacher Coordinator For The Creative Arts!
What specifically drew you into the field of music?
“My journey with music first began at eight years old when my mom enrolled me in singing lessons for south indian classical music. I learned to strengthen my voice and experiment with variations, as well as get experience performing in front of large audiences. My older brother had been in piano lessons by this point, and once he quit them I convinced my parents to sign me up because I was extremely interested in learning how to play the piano. After playing for 6 years, I took AP Music Theory at my school to learn more about the fundamentals of music, and by the end of the course I composed an original song on the piano!”
Does music serve as an inspiration? If so, how does it impact your life on a daily basis?
“Yes, music definitely serves as an inspiration to me. Some days, singing or playing a certain piece might be more challenging for me, so it requires me to focus and break down the elements one by one. Becoming better at pushing through those difficult pieces inspires me to challenge myself musically and generally.”
What specific goals do you hope to accomplish within your field at Quarantunes?
“As a chief teacher coordinator, I hope to work with Akshara to recruit more teachers for all the instruments as well as build a stronger sense of community and connection amongst existing teachers. I also hope to expand the reach of Quarantunes by increasing student sign-ups as well as support the development of the creative arts program.”
Anything else you would want people to know about you!
“Reading has always been a big hobby of mine, so when I'm not busy with schoolwork I like to pick up a book. I've also been bullet journaling since 2020, and it's a form of art I've come to really enjoy!”