Colton Berry

The fact that almost every human being can innately discern between different moods of music has always amazed me. Some people like to say "I love every kind of music", but the truth is that every single one of us has a favorite genre of music. I have always been the kind of person that feeds off of complexity and learning, and I think this is the reason why I can so easily interpret and really "feel" music from the Romantic Era. Things in life that offer an instant gratification have always repelled me. This complex music has taught me that an aquired understanding offers much greater appreciation. That lesson has led me to attempt Electronics Engineering, a career field that requires constant learning and an almost complete understanding of a large amount of complex information, such as signal processing and different parts of electrical circuits.

My favorite composer is Rachmaninoff. In my opinion, his music best blends musical complexity with deep, strong emotion. When I listen to Rachmaninoff, it seems as if every single note is perfectly calculated to induce an emotion in the listener. Some melodies may make me feel sorrow, some may make me feel joy...but, in my opinion, the most unique emotion that Rachmaninoff conveys best, is ambition. Listening to his music can, in some cases, for some odd reason, make me feel very ambitious.. As if my life has some great purpose and that I must try very hard in order to achieve whatever it is I am here to do. It is a very strong motivation tool for me, and I believe that without this music, I would not be anywhere near where I am today academically.