"You're creating something when you play an instrument, so it allows you to block out other things. It's a good escape," Chen said.
Chen developed a passion for music at a young age. She began playing the piano in kindergarten and the clarinet in third grade, though she chose to focus exclusively on the latter after coming to Dartmouth.
"I had a band teacher that I really connected with, and I felt like I could really learn from her," she said. "She motivated me to start auditioning for more advanced bands."
Chen's motivation clearly paid off. In high school, Chen was a member of the honors band and the New Jersey all-state band, and played in the pit for school musicals. At the College, she is a member of the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and previously played in the Dartmouth Wind Ensemble. She has also taken clarinet lessons through the music department, and is now preparing for her upcoming senior recital.
Though Chen admitted that it is sometimes hard to balance practicing with schoolwork and other obligations, the challenge makes her successes all the more rewarding. She cited the incredible support she has received from the music department at Dartmouth as a reason for her continued success, especially her clarinet instructor, Jan Halloran and bands director, Matthew Marsit.
"They have both been helpful in refining my technique and inspiring to think more deeply about what I am playing and bring passion into the music," she said. "Since they are so passionate about the music, it is very infectious and makes me become more passionate."
Chen hopes to continue playing the clarinet once she leaves Dartmouth, perhaps in an orchestra in graduate school, and take up the piano once more. Her senior recital will be held at Faulkner Hall on April 5.
