Music Major Jobs and Graduate School Acceptances

Bishop was a member of the Sunderman Conservatory of Music Student Advisory Council, Senior Admissions Intern, and Badminton Club. The music and biology double major is most proud of completing her biology research capstone and senior recital capstone in music and has made lifelong memories studying tropical marine biology in the Bahamas. “From concerts, chamber ensembles, the musical, and the instrumental ensembles’ tour in the Baltic states, I have been able to share memories and music with my closest friends,” said Bishop, who has been accepted into graduate school for composition. “Being a Gettysburgian means being a kind and supportive community member, and using the knowledge and skills we have gained to do good in the world.”

“I found my niche in music during high school, but attended Gettysburg College to expand my musical opportunities. At Gettysburg, I participated in wind symphony, jazz ensemble, marching band, symphony orchestra, and brass quintet. I also got the chance to go on tour to China, Singapore, Nicaragua, Turkey, Italy, and France with these ensembles.

“During my senior year, I worked on band staff for Prof. Russell McCutcheon, and I very much enjoyed the responsibilities of that job. I remember toward the end of that year, I made a joke about working on band staff forever, and that was the first time I actually thought to do a search to see if there were other ensembles that I could serve in this capacity. Six months later, I was on staff at the Eastman School of Music supporting five of their large ensembles. They had an opening for someone who was well-versed in a wide variety of musical repertoire (orchestra, band, jazz, choir), knew what these ensembles needed to succeed, and had a passion for the intricacies of the behind-the-scenes work. My experiences at Gettysburg set me up well for my current position."

“My Gettysburg experience showed me what it is to have a life that is busy and fulfilling and happy. It sounds obvious, but I think it’s actually harder to find that kind of balance than you would think.

“When I graduated, I felt an enormous void where all that fulfillment used to be. It drove me to seek it out in my professional life. I found the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater writing workshop and started to feel the old familiar feelings of fulfillment and joy return. I became more and more passionate about songwriting, and more and more driven to make that my career.

“I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do. I’m very excited to keep working in this area, especially for Disney. Working in LA, writing songs, receiving feedback from the Disney-Pixar Braintrust—it’s just been amazing.

“I will never forget my voice teacher, Prof. Kathleen Sasnett, asking me what I wanted to do after college. She said, ‘If you’re not going to pursue this, then what are you doing?’ It made me really think about what direction I wanted to go in. I loved comedy and writing. I wrote parodies throughout my time at Gettysburg, and I eventually chose to do a creative writing minor. It all led perfectly towards a career as a songwriter and playwright.”

“My passion for composing began when I started playing piano at age 4, and I composed my first piece at 5. My parents aren’t particularly musical, it’s just something that I’ve always loved. At age 11, I realized that composing music could be a career.

 “At Gettysburg College, I participated in concert choir, college choir, camerata, and other musical ensembles. The Sunderman faculty, such as Profs. Buzz Jones and Jocelyn Swigger, encouraged me to seek out my love for composing—and they taught me a lot of life lessons, including how to practice, how to learn, and of course, time management.

“One thing that made the Sunderman Conservatory so special was having constant access to learning and growing musicians. As a developing composer, I could always ask, ‘Hey, can you play this on the French horn? I want to hear how it sounds.’ Sunderman students are all super helpful and so excited about what they do. I had 30 to 40 people involved in my senior recital alone—it was just incredible.”