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Looking for some inspiration?
Students have contributed some suggestions for you, below! (Note: to invite your students to submit suggestions, direct them to this page.)
| Suggested by | Musician’s Name | What Inspires Them About This Musician |
|---|---|---|
| Gina (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | Nic Gareiss | He tap dances on a saw dust covered board to make drum music. His body and shoes are his instrument along with the board. |
| Josie (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | The Okee Dokee Brothers | They are funny and they make really good music. |
| Chiara (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | Fleetwood Mac | They play music that inspires me to like music even more! They also inspire me with their songs that are calming, mellow and put me in a good mood. |
| Naima (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | Beyoncé | She has an amazing voice and that makes me want to have one. |
| Eric (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | OK Go | Their music is weird. |
| Lily (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | The Beatles | They have great songs. |
| Evelyn (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | Katy Perry | I like her songs. |
| Yarisa (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | MattyBRaps | I’m sad sometimes. |
| Leo (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | Imagine Dragons | I really like their songs. |
| Noa (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | Brian Johnson (from AC/DC) | He is WOW! |
| Maxwell (Grade 4, Massachusetts) | The Ramones | Their songs have a catchy chorus and make me want to dance and rebel. |
| Mariah (Grade 9, Ohio) | Bruno Mars | His music can tell you what he is feeling at the time. You can relate to Bruno on a personal level through his music. Bruno has inspired me to keep singing through my hard times and through the best too. |
| Jonah (Grade 6, Massachusetts) | Taimane Gardner | She combines so many different styles and makes ukulele super complicated (in a good way). |
| Avery (Grade 9, Texas) | Wilbur Soot | A lot of things inspire me when it comes to Wilbur’s music. Actually, I used to write songs of my own, and looking back at them, I think his music was a huge push for me to start writing and composing again. |
| Luka (Grade 9, Ohio) | Avicii | His music touches peoples heart. He sparks inspiration into others. Hopefully his legacy will never die in the hearts of those who have listened to his art. Avicii’s music has changed my life. |
| Josh (Grade 10, Ohio) | Joe Hisaishi | Everything. His music has connected with me from the very minute I heard it. Miyazaki and his films have become incredibly famous throughout the years, but without Hisaishi’s soul swaying soundtracks, there would be no Miyazaki films. The partnership between Hayou Miyazaki and Joe Hisaishi has revolutionized the animated world; Hisaishi’s entrancing music partnered with Miyazaki’s stunning visuals and storytelling truly creates magic. |
| Ashwin (Grade 10, Ohio) | A. R. Rahman | Incredible Singing |
| Michael (Grade 9, Ohio) | Barbara Strozzi | Strozzi was an Italian composer who wrote for her own voice during the early baroque era. She was a female composer during a time when men were much more encouraged to write music than women were. |
| Jonah (Grade 6, Massachusetts | Hiromi Uehara | She puts a lot of different styles together. Plus she is just super fun to watch! |
| Brooklyn (Grade 7, California) | Billie Eilish | She is weird in her own way and doesn’t care about what anyone thinks. |
| Alan (Grade 7, California) | Chalino Sanchez | He wrote songs about his personal life, instead of making them up. He Left the Latino world without his music, because he died. |
| Tyler (Grade 9, Ohio) | Pablo Casals | He worked for most of his life on something he loved with all of his heart and now he is considered one of the best cellists ever. |
| Devesh (Grade 9, Ohio) | Leonidas Kavakos | He is one of the only classical string players from Greece of international standing. |
| Bella (Grade 7, Pennsylvania) | Olivia Rodrigo | She is making her dreams come true. |
Musician of the Month Project 