Gayathri Suresh/The Hofstra Chronicle
Music is everywhere, from the farthest corners of the Earth to the paths on Hofstra’s campus. Music tells a story. It allows for expression and creative freedom, but it also provides an escape from reality. Many people choose music, but for Justin Shah, music chose him.
Justin Shah is a senior music education major. From a cappella groups to statewide music conferences to Hofstra Safe Start campaigns, Shah is very involved in his community and has gained a truly unique music education.
“The Hofbeats and The Hofstra Dutchmen [have] helped broaden my horizons musically into the a cappella world as well as the choir and band world in which I was very, and still am, very familiar with,” Shah said. “I am in Hofstra ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) and Hofstra NAfME (National Association for Music Education), two pre-professional Music Education clubs where I have made many connections in the music education field through guest speakers and conferences in Rochester.”
However, like many students, Shah didn’t always know what he wanted to do in his future. For most of his childhood and middle school years, he did not know that music would become his true passion.
“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I always tossed and turned between all these different subjects I might be interested in,” he said.
Shah was involved in music from a young age, experiencing both the choir and band worlds. In the ninth grade, he was selected for the most elite choir in his high school. This was one of the most influential moments of his life. From the first day, he knew that he had found his place in the world and that music would be his future. His choir director, Brad Drinkwater, became his inspiration and role model.
“With an amazing director [whom] I still look up to today, I knew that music was where I was meant to be,” Shah said. “Mr. Drinkwater was the most sarcastic, funny and welcoming teacher I encountered all throughout high school. I have maintained a strong relationship with him from then all the way up until the present.”
“I know now that music is my passion and that I don’t belong anywhere else other than the music classrooms, teaching students everything they’re capable of musically and non-musically,” Shah said.
Shah chose Hofstra University to follow and explore his passion for music. At first, campus life and college classes were a little tough to navigate but this allowed for a truly unforgettable education.
“Hofstra has helped shape my interests in music in so many ways,” Shah said. “I learned more about music in my first year of college than I ever have in my life. And that goes with the wide variation of music Hofstra has to offer as well.”
The classes and music related activities on campus provided not only the fundamentals of music and teaching, but many precious life lessons.
“Music has also taught me that practice really does make perfect. I was the worst piano player, but I played for 20 minutes each day, and I got better. And that can be with anything – work, studying for math – anything. You can really do anything if you practice and put your mind to it.”
While it can be hard for students to get involved on campus, Shah used his love for music to create a truly valuable community in Hofstra, and he has made himself an indispensable part of this community, becoming president of two of the a cappella groups on campus: The Hofstra Dutchmen and HofBeats.
“Singing is obviously a huge part of my career and my life,” Shah said “So just being in a room with a bunch of guys, hanging out, having fun, laughing, cracking jokes, but also singing and making music … I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.”
