The University of Pittsburgh Music Department bids farewell to three outstanding musicians: Ella Battistelli, Ashwin Dukkipati, and Jacob Fisher. Amid preparing for finals and completing their senior capstone projects, they shared their plans after graduation. All Music Majors are required to complete a senior capstone project to solidify the academic knowledge and educational experience acquired while at the University of Pittsburgh. These capstone projects are the culmination of their musical experiences at Pitt and may take a number of different forms: a performance recital, the performance of original music, a research paper, podcast, or community engagement.
Ella Battistelli performed her Senior Flute Recital on Friday, April 5th in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Her recital featured works by Kent Kennan, Anton Stamitz, David Loeb, and Jules Mouquet, exploring a broad range of styles from the early classical era to modern, living composers. Also incorporated into her performance was a recorded prelude of guitar and flute music, highlighting her accomplishments in private guitar lessons as well as the skills she acquired in electronic music and recording. From her program notes: “Combining my work in music recording, my developing guitar skills, and my experience in flute performance together provides a means for me to demonstrate the integration of my music curricula as a prelude to my recital.”
After graduation, Ella plans to continue working as a Kindermusik Educator at Kathy’s Music in Mt. Lebanon. This fall she will be attending Duquesne University to earn a Master of Music Therapy degree, with the goal of working with pediatric and adolescent populations in a clinical setting.
Ashwin Dukkipati is finishing a research paper about music in video games, exploring the considerations that go into writing music and designing sounds for games. The paper investigates the narrative function of music, as well as how music can function as a cultural indicator within game worlds. The heart of the project is an analysis of technological advances in video game hardware, and how that shaped the development of video game music, primarily using the Pokémon franchise and its soundtrack as a case study. The series is a remarkable example in the video game industry, as few franchises have evolved, let alone survived, the span of 25 years. In that time, video game hardware has gone through incredible technological advancements.
After graduation, Dukkipati has plans to attend law school, with a focus on intellectual property, trademark, and copyright law. Though he did not initially begin his collegiate journey in the music department, he quickly fell in love with composition and performance, undertaking the composition track after taking Fundamentals of Western Music. “The biggest thing I've learned is to be open to whatever opportunities are made available, and a path will open up to better things given time. Also, it's definitely never too late to learn something new, even if you feel like you're too old to change lanes. I came into the department when I was already 20 after picking up the guitar for the first time earlier that year. I started taking Fundies just to learn how to read music, but then I ended up doing the whole composition track because I fell in love with writing and playing. I still have a lot more to learn, and nothing will beat having more years of experience, especially when it comes to playing an instrument, but I'm endlessly grateful for the opportunities I've had while in the Music department at Pitt.”
Finally, we have Jacob Fisher and his incredibly innovative capstone project: an EP of original electronic music entitled ‘Breakfast & Beats’. As a student on the composition track, he produced an instrumental album that best represents his musical tastes and abilities, incorporating songs accumulated throughout his four years of undergraduate experience. Over the course of its 12 tracks, the album combines elements of funk, hip-hop, and jazz. Fisher has requested first-time listeners to wear their best pair of headphones while enjoying the best meal of the day.
“As a graduating senior, my plan is to apply to and attend dental school, and my dream is to become an orthodontist! While I will not pursue further music education, I plan to use music as a form of meditation throughout dental school and future endeavors. I am incredibly thankful for the experiences Music at Pitt has given me, and the mixture of smaller and larger classrooms cultivated a well-rounded music education for me. I believe Breakfast & Beats reflects my creativity and best encapsulates what I have learned as a music composition major. I hope all who listen enjoy it!”
The University of Pittsburgh Music Department has the privilege of celebrating the diverse talent and creativity of Ella, Ashwin, and Jacob. Each of the three senior capstone projects exemplified the culmination of their dedication and passion for music and reflected their unique journeys. We wish them every success in their future endeavors, and as they embark on new adventures, may they always inspire others with their musical talents and abilities.