Gisselquist adds his own twist on popular music

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Gitanjali Raman

Freshman John Gisselquist arranges his music on MuseScore, a free composition and notation program. “My family is a very musical family and so I’ve been playing piano since first grade, violin for a while along with several other instruments, so I’ve been around music my whole life,” Gisselquist said.

Gitanjali Raman, Social Media Editor

Freshman John Gisselquist focuses on his screen, which has a series of music notes on it. Upon further look, the notes seem to form chords, and from those chords a song appears.

“My family is a very musical family and so I’ve been playing piano since first grade, violin for a while along with several other instruments, so I’ve been around music my whole life,” Gisselquist said.

But playing music is different from writing and arranging music. “I started arranging music the summer after fifth grade with my piano teacher,” Gisselquist said. So far, Gisselquist has arranged ‘Carol of the Bells’ for a cappella a few years ago and ‘Say Something’. “They are both pieces which I’m really proud of.”

Currently Gisselquist is arranging ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow-What a Wonderful World’ medley by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

“I really like making my own adaptations of songs so they will work better for whichever instrument(s) I’m working with and so I’m then able to make the song partly my own,” Gisselquist said.

Arranging music is also a learning experience for Gisselquist, “I’m also simultaneously learning chord structure and music theory because I have to look at the notes that will make up the chord in order for it to sound good.”

Spartan Beats is currently planning it’s performances and have so far learned two pieces, ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen and ‘Creep’ by Radiohead.

“Once [members of Spartan Beats] start taking suggestions for new songs I will show my pieces and hopefully get them performed.”