Luke Walker is the College's first-ever Electronic Music minor.
'Composing is a progression. It's building on the piece every week. There is a solitude to the process.'
Professor Hulen and Walker prep for the first electronic music concert at Wabash.
'It’s been a nice experience getting to know the role of artist a bit more and making electronic music, I can recognize the different conundrums that come up: whether or not you want to appeal to yourself or the different people who are going to listen to it, and what really matters at the end of the day.'
'For me the (composition) process is trial and error, going to town on the keyboard and seeing what I like and what would fit with what I already have. Collecting an ensemble of sounds that sound good together that won’t necessarily work against each other.'
'A lot of people go into (electronic music) thinking, 'Oh, I’m going to be making all of these club hits,' but you realize that this is more about art.'
'Composing this type of music, especially with the software that is available, you don’t need a background in computer science.'
Hulen on Walker: 'Luke is a bright, thoughtful, persistent student with a natural bent for the creative aesthetics and technical interests that apply to electronic music.'
'I finally got electronic music on my transcript. I’m proud of it. I think it’s a really neat thing to be the first one.'
Audio and Video Technician Phillip Merriett goes over the lighting cues with Professor Hulen.
'There is an instant feedback loop with electronic that let’s you hear it right away. It gives you access to more sounds to tinker with without being an expert at playing.'
Carlos De La Cerda ’15 and Professor Hulen soundcheck the senior's piece for the concert.
Professor Hulen and Carlos De La Cerda
Walker and first-year electronic music composer Daniel Thompson adjust sound levels for the concert.
Garhett Cook checks sound levels for his piece, '717-B2.'
Checking sound levels, pre-concert.
The concert was possible thanks to an amazing new sound system which drives eight speakers (close-up), enhancing the audience experience and giving the students a great 'orchestra' for which to compose their music.
Professor Hulen provided some context for electronic music during his introduction to the concert.
For the concert, the sound is operated by the composers from the center of the audience seating.
The Salter Hall audience applauds Nathan Muha ’18 and his piece, 'Sadayatana.'
C. Brian Wittman ’16 hears applause for his piece, 'Stuffed Escape.'
'I like being in on the ground floor of getting the community to appreciate electronic music.'
Professor Hulen hears applause for his piece based on the College's Gentleman's Rule.
Walker talks with friends and family after the concert.
He’s a trailblazer of sorts, cobbling together classes just as he would sounds on his computer keyboard. After editing and review, Luke Walker ’15 is Wabash College’s first-ever electronic music minor.
Walker understands how his hard work, developing interests, and a supportive environment combined to give him this unique experience. Not only has the Wingate, IN, native created his own minor and studied abroad, but he’s come as far as any Wally ever has in the electronic music genre. Not bad for a kid who grew up 12 miles from campus.
“Wabash has served me well,” Walker said. “The promises have held up. I’ve studied abroad, created a minor, and that’s not bad. You can’t do things like this everywhere.”
Wabash showed Walker that electronic music is as much linked to art as to the composition of sounds. Professor Peter Hulen taught him that in an Introduction to Electronic Music class two years ago.
“It was very interesting, but not exactly what I knew as electronic music,” Walker recalled. “A lot of people go into it thinking, ‘oh, I’m going to be making all of these club hits,’ then you learn the ropes and realize that this is more about art. This isn’t about making these really catchy tunes you listen to.”
The artistic side – the practice of finding and connecting the sounds – appealed to the French major and computer science minor. It moved him from curious to serious.
“I appreciate the process more because of the experience,” he said. “It opens you up to more forms of art. I don’t consider myself a composer. I feel like there are fewer rules when it comes to electronic music. You just have to let it go, appreciate it, and take it in stride.”
Walker has taken every electronic music class available: history, theory, composition, and performance. All that was left was an independent study to cover the ensemble requirement and approval from the Academic Policy Committee. With the support of Hulen, Walker’s advisors, economics professor Christie Byun and mathematics professor Will Turner, and professors from computer science, that approval came through.
“Luke is a bright, thoughtful, and persistent student with a natural bent for the creative aesthetics and technical interests that apply to electronic music,” said Hulen, associate professor of music. “He is also a serious enough student that his computer science professor and his advisors were willing to get behind the minor proposal.”
Electronic music first hit Wabash four decades ago, dating back to a University of Illinois Experimental Music Studio performance in 1970, and the College has enjoyed a dedicated electronic music studio in the Fine Arts Center for 20 years. The minor continues to develop as new courses are offered and new equipment and technologies added to support the pursuit.
Walker takes pride in his place in the Wabash electronic music community. From his position, he also sees interest building.
“I like being in on the ground floor of getting the community to appreciate electronic music,” he said. “I know that there are other students out there that would like to do it.”
Two of Walker’s compositions, “Z” and “(s)ombre” were featured at “Soundscapes,” the College’s first-ever electronic music concert in Salter Hall on Feb. 11. Looking back, Walker is well aware that his interests allowed him to self-direct his academic pursuits.
“It’s about discovering the interest,” Walker concluded. “It’s something that develops over time as you take these courses and do these things. I finally got electronic music on my transcript and I’m proud of that. I think it’s a really neat thing to be the first one.”