Hawkeye Reporter

Coe College issued the following announcement on June 16.

Shayla James ’13 can’t imagine her life without music. Afterall, she’s played the piano since she was 6 years old. In fifth grade, James picked up a viola during a presentation from a string quartet visiting her school. She stroked the strings with the bow and immediately decided to join the school orchestra. Naturally, she also began playing the violin shortly after. Fast forward to her senior year at Coe College and James was asked if she was interested in conducting the college orchestra for a show. 

 “It was special because it was the orchestra I had been a part of for the last four years. I will always have the memory of conducting the ensemble I was a member of,” she said. 

 Her talent and musical and academic experiences paved the way for a thriving career. As a teaching artist, she’s composing music, collaborating with artists, researching, advocating for the arts and running her own business in San Diego, California. 

 “I would have never imagined that I'd be doing some of the things I'm doing. Music and the arts have always been in my life in some way so I knew I wanted to keep music present,” she said. 

 James double majored in piano performance and political science. Her two worlds collided in a Cuban politics class where James was introduced to ethnomusicology, the cultural and social study of music. This encouraged her to pursue graduate studies at the University of California San Diego. 

 “I had no idea this world existed. I knew I had an interest in research because I loved looking up the history of the composers and pieces I was playing, but it was really awesome to learn that you can talk about music and culture. I was able to explore a different area of academia at Coe,” James said. 

 This academic background propelled James to be civically engaged while managing her career as a professional musician. For the past two years, James has been a research analyst with Rise Research & Evaluation. The firm focuses on arts assessments to support grant funding for nonprofit organizations. She advocates for the arts with a coalition of artists and organizations as the chair of Rising Arts Leaders San Diego. Most recently, she spoke with the San Diego city council to stop budget cuts for the arts. 

 “We wanted to make it clear the arts matter. It was fascinating and energizing to speak in front of the city council about my experience as an artist. The arts are people’s livelihoods, and cutting budgets not only affects the programs people participate in, but it affects communities, too,” she said.  

 The thrill of the experience is only shadowed by her collaboration with the dance company Disco Riot. Last year, she composed original music for two videos in a social and racial justice dance series called Move American. 

 “This project was really special to me because I was able to collaborate with a fellow Black woman to create one of the videos. It centered around Black women and our intersectional identities,” she said. 

 When James isn’t composing or performing, she’s providing private lessons for students across the country as the owner of Sempre Music Studio. Her multidisciplinary career with music is precisely why James chose a liberal arts education versus a conservatory or state school. 

 “Coe felt like home. I really enjoyed the one-on-one interaction with professors. I felt like I could really breathe and focus on the things I wanted to focus on. Coe allowed me to experiment with my different interests and ultimately gave me a path for how I can use music and politics in my life,” James said.  

 She was the chair of music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon and performed with the symphony orchestra, chorale and handbell choir. She was a diversity mentor for new students and a conversation partner for international students. 

 James doesn’t plan to slow down. She has her heart set on composing more music and collaborating with more artists. Ultimately, she hopes to continue advocating for the arts and start her own nonprofit organization. She wants to inspire fellow artists with a philosophy she shares with her students. 

 “Think of your voice. It doesn’t matter if you're playing someone else's composition or you're playing your own music. It's good to learn from other performers, but don't forget that your voice matters,” she said. 

Original source can be found here.