Composing a Life

“I didn’t go to a conservatory, because I want to do more than play trombone in a symphony,” says Jonah Geil- Neufeld, a first-year student and accomplished musician from Chicago. “I want to do something for the good of humanity, and I’m trying to figure out how music plays into that.” Lewis & Clark felt like the right place to explore this notion.

In his first semester, Jonah loaded up on music classes, taking Trombone, Wind Symphony, Music Theory, Ghanaian Music and Dance, and Raga and Tala: Music of India. “The music department considers world music as important as that from the West. This is important to me,” he says.

While music was a given, Jonah is exploring new interests as well. “The coolest thing I’m taking is a sociology class called City and Society,” he says. “I’m drawn to the idea that you can make the world a better place by designing human environments that foster equality and interaction.”

The visual and performing arts floor in Platt Hall, where Jonah lives, is a microcosm of that idea. With a piano and a performance lounge, it brings together students with similar interests. “My neighbors are photographers, painters, and poets—we’re a very close community,” says Jonah.

Jamming with friends in this environment, he catches glimpses of a future that could combine his interests. Ethnomusicology is a possibility. But with three years at Lewis & Clark still to go, says Jonah, “I have a lot more exploring to do.”