A Passion For Music
Life as a college senior preparing for finals week can be tough. This is especially true if school is not your main priority. Just ask Penn State senior Skyler Scholl, he is an electrical engineering major who is only going for the degree as a safety net. Skyler’s first true passion is music.
Skyler began dabbling with drumming when he was a senior in high school. His style was and still is heavily influenced by the music his father would play for him when he was a kid such as Neil Young, Tom Petty and Rush. By the time he got to college, Skyler’s love of music was merely a hobby. That is until he met the people that would help him turn his hobby into a passion.
Skyler quickly became friends with three other musicians in his freshman year at Penn State Altoona. They decided to form a band called “The Roof.” Up until this point, Skyler had not had much practice on the drums, so was used as a timekeeper to help the band stay in rhythm. As the band continued to play and his skills on the drums improved, Skyler became an integral member to the band.
Once The Roof made their way to State College as transfer students, they began to play a myriad of shows at downtown bars such as Zeno’s and Doggie’s Pub. The band also recorded their first EP titled “Tangled Lives.” on October 31st, 2018. It was at this point that Skyler realized that electrical engineering was becoming a backup career. He realized that music was his passion and was something that he wanted to pursue.
As a final semester senior on the cusp of graduation, Skyler has stuck to this plan. He says that when finals week rolls around he is going to be incredibly stressed and recognizes that the band is probably going to get on his nerves. Despite this, Skyler says he is happy with his decision to pursue music and has said that The Roof plans to move out to Pittsburgh after graduation as a way to fully commit to the music. According to Skyler, the band has already played shows in Pittsburgh in the past, and decided that a city where they already have fans is a great place to start.
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
Despite stress put on by finals week and graduation rapidly approaching, Skyler continues to put forth most of his effort into music. In his own words: "Wouldn't trade it for the world, I'll take everything that comes along with it."
