A career in notes
Student of the Week: Eddie Zamora
Eddie Zamora had an electric guitar before joining a formal music class in high school. Once he did he built a deep appreciation for classical guitar, reading music, and the history behind it all.
Now he’s a student at STC playing and pursuing music full-time.
“I started to pursue music at STC last year because I felt like music is just easier for me to understand and very, very fun. I like to learn things face-to-face,” Zamora said.
In just two years of traditional music classes, he earned a trip to UIL State for guitar at Edinburg North High School. Now Zamora is under the direction of a fellow guitar lover, professor Jaime Garcia.
Zamora is also a part of the newly formed Flamenco Club which plays arrangements of the style popularized in Spain.
“I like to see my teacher,” Zamora said. “I like having someone to look up to and with that being said, I like the contact that I have with a real person, instead of a computer.”
Music is more than a hobby at this point. Zamora, who is pursuing his Associate in Music, plans to go after numerous degrees.
“My long-term goal is to get a bachelor’s in music,” he said. “I really want to pursue music until my master, I really want to get a master’s in music and teach at the college level.”
“I started to pursue music at STC last year because I felt like music is just easier for me to understand and very, very fun. I like to learn things face-to-face,”
The Associate of Arts in Music Degree will focus on establishing a solid music foundation in music theory, music literature, applied instrumental and voice lessons, piano proficiency, and participation in solo performances as well as various music ensembles.
“The reason I want to get that far is that there are a lot of opportunities to perform,” Zamora said.” You’re not only doing music theory stuff, but you are also performing for example."
His message to other students was a reminder that there are no easy paths to a career in music, not with passion and dedication.
“It would have to be not to give up during musical studies because music theory is not easy. It's also not very complicated. You have to understand the rules, outside of just the basic rules to get higher,” He said. “Same with your music performance as well, you have to practice and practice, there’s no way around it. You just have to commit your life to music in general because you have to learn music and you have to perform it if you want to become music educated or a musical performer.”