“I wanted to get some experience and see if that’s the kind of path I want to pursue,” Arky said. “I feel like I would develop the skills better having the experience in the field rather than through academics.”
Arky is learning how recording in a studio works and the various equipment and processes involved. Some days, he even helps set up recording and music equipment for clients. This job puts him in the heart of the action: surrounded by talented musicians and with a unique opportunity to listen to them play. As he works, he sees how small changes in mic placement change the sound or how a certain effect might alter the way sound travels into the console. It’s a creative process, he said, and it’s influencing how he views his own music.
“I’m being exposed to a lot of new things — music that I wouldn’t listen to on my own and a lot of equipment I hadn’t even been aware of,” he said. “I think it’s definitely impacting the ways I want to write and just the creative building process in general.”
When he’s not learning through his work, Arky is learning from the people around him, all of whom are just as interested in music as he is. One of his favorite parts has been seeing the various paths his coworkers have taken. Many didn’t go to school for music, and others didn’t realize until later in life that they wanted to be involved in the industry.
Julian Arky ’25
Major: Undecided
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
High School: Waverly High School
“It’s crazy to find people who are so knowledgeable and whom I can learn a lot from,” Arky said. “And a lot of these people just started working in a studio and then got better and better. I think that’s probably the most inspiring thing.”
Arky is eager to continue spending his summer immersed in music and all the processes involved in its production.
