Despite his young age of fourteen, Uday Singh ’12 has already proven himself more than able to play music with Phillips Academy’s best. After taking up the guitar, Singh discovered that he has an unusual talent. He can listen to a song once or twice and then immediately play it on either the guitar or the piano. Singh became quite skilled on the piano after only one month. Many musicians share this talent, but for most it takes years and years of study and exposure to music to learn. Singh shared interests, secrets and stories regarding his music and the beginning of his music career at PA in an interview with The Phillipian. Explain your talent. I have the ability to hear sounds and replicate them, kind of like a parrot. When I look at a piano, I see sounds, not notes. Once I play one note, I will memorize its sound and then apply it to different songs. I also play guitar and then picked up piano later. I also like to DJ, just not at PA dances because kids complain a lot. What genres of music do you play? I love to play jazz and contemporary music, definitely not classic. I usually just listen to the radio or my iPod and just play it on piano or guitar. I recently learned “Apologize” in one hour by listening to the notes and replicating them. It takes a lot of focus. How long have you been playing your instrument? I’ve been playing guitar for three years and piano for about a month. How do you hope to continue with your music at Andover? I am currently taking guitar lessons with Mr. Cicco and practicing piano a lot (I have a 88-keyboard in my room). I’ll also probably take AP music. Are you involved in any PA music groups? Not yet! I tried out for Jazz Band, but Mr. Cicco told me I have to wait until next year because I can’t apply music theory just yet. I also want to be in a band and am currently looking for band mates. Is music something you would want to pursue after PA? As a hobby on the side, but not as a career. Is it harder keeping up with your art at PA than at home? It is a bit tougher because we have to try hard at everything here, so we don’t have time to excel at one thing. How do you feel PA accommodates the artistic interests of new students? I think they do pretty well. Graves is a pretty cool resource with really good sound. It’s also a good place to find other talent. I guess it’s kind of like networking just by walking down the hall in Graves. The music diversity is great. How long do you practice a day? I used to play piano for nine hours a day during the summer summer and learned it. I realized it is the easiest instrument because all the notes are laid out in order. At PA, I play around an hour a day for guitar and piano. Anything else you want to add? PA didn’t know that I could do this when I applied as it was a completely new talent. My favorite songs to play are “Apologize,” anything by Coldplay and basically anything on the radio. I also learned the entire August Rush Soundtrack in a few hours on guitar after watching the movie. What would you tell other PA students who are interested in music? I would definitely advise everyone to try an instrument, because there’s something for everyone. I mean, I don’t have talent, it’s just a little bit of work goes a long way. Anyone could do it!
