Oberlin

"Seriously, though, how many days until Winter Term again?" laughed Rachel Stanton while taking off her thick, winter coat and gloves before sitting down at the Slow Train Cafe. As one who was born and raised in Wisconsin, I am nothing but used to the cold weather. To Stanton, however, cold weather in December still comes as a shock: she hails from Honolulu, Hawaii. I sat down with Stanton over a cup of coffee to discuss life in Hawaii, her transition to Oberlin, and her plans after graduation.

For Stanton, music runs in the family. Her mother, Carolyn, is a piano teacher who runs her own music school in Honolulu, complete with lessons for piano, guitar, cello, voice, and more. Stanton's father, Timothy, is involved in the business aspects of the school. Before the school had a building of its own, Tim built an area for the music school within their home. "Yeah, my house is kind of big because a music school used to be run in it!" said Stanton. In other words, immersion in music was unavoidable. "I began at age four. It was sort of inevitable that I would become a musician." But when asked if her mom was her teacher, she gave me a quick dismissal. "No, definitely not. My mom kind of refused to teach me...I always wanted her to listen to me practice, though, because it would make me feel better." Stanton's mother also teaches at a local high school, where Rachel took lessons with one of her mother's colleagues instead.

Stanton continued her studies in piano throughout middle school and high school, becoming involved in the small "everyone sort of knows everyone" classical-music community of Honolulu. A highlight of her high school career happened in 2008, when she participated in the From the Top competition. "My whole studio went," she said. "There were five pianos and we did a bunch of group numbers, and we played this relay game on who could play their scales the fastest." More opportunities came, such as playing for guests at the Hawaiian Hilton Hotel. Stanton's playing progressed. "I just kept pursuing it...It was something I was naturally good at and I didn't want to stop."

When the college application process began, Stanton had a clear mind as to where she wanted to go. She happened to meet Oberlin professor Sanford Margolis through one of her mom's colleagues. Margolis apparently traveled to Hawaii annually during the winter months, and Stanton pursued meeting the esteemed teacher.  "I met Mr. Margolis and I really liked him. I mean, I think our first lesson was two and a half hoursI applied to Oberlin to work with him...Oberlin was always in the back of my mind. Once I found out I got in, I withdrew all my other applications!" 

Stanton is now a senior at Oberlin and looks forward to opportunities ahead. For this Winter Term, Stanton is headed back to Honolulu to work with Hawaii Opera Theatre as an intern, as well as helping out at her mom's music school. She looks forward to gaining experience in marketing, education, and development -- things besides piano. While continuing her love for the piano, Stanton has instead decided to pursue an arts administration degree in graduate school and as her career goal. "I think that having piano skills definitely gives me an advantage...Not having a music background is something that some administrators lack. But I really feel like I can make the most difference being part of an organization and helping others with their music." Stanton returns to Honolulu in a few days and couldn't be more excited to start. I'm more so excited, however, that she's going into administration. The music scene could use more people like her: ambitious and charming, with a bright future ahead.