BEN: (SINGS) MUSIC IN THE LIBRARY

BEN: ALRIGHT HI MY NAME IS BEN HEBER, I AM A JUNIOR HERE AT CARMEL

HIGH SCHOOL AND I AM A SINGER-SONGWRITER. I WRITE MY OWN SONGS AND

I'M ALSO PART OF CHOIR, YEAH PRETTY MUCH JUST YOUR AVERAGE MUSIC

GUY.

[“FEELING GOOD’ PIANO FADES IN AND OUT]

BEN: UM, LET’S SEE…I STARTED OFF WITH LOS ANGELES BY PETER BRADLEY

ADAMS FOLLOWED BY YESTERDAY WHICH IS AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION

AFTER THAT I DID BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL BY LABRINTH AND I FINISHED UP

WITH FEELING GOOD BY MICHAEL BUBLE. WELL, UH, IN CHOOSING MY SONGS I

WANT TO FIND THINGS THAT I THOUGHT REFLECTED KIND OF WHO I AM,

OBVIOUSLY MY ORIGINAL COMPOSITION IS A PRETTY GOOD REFLECTION OF

WHO I AM BECAUSE I WROTE IT ABOUT A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT TIME IN MY LIFE

WHERE I WAS JUST KIND OF GOING THROUGH A LOT OF CHANGES. BUT THEN

ALSO I CHOSE LOS ANGELES BECAUSE THE LYRICS ARE JUST REALLY KIND OF

BEAUTIFULLY HAUNTING

[“FEELING GOOD” FADES IN AND THEN OUT]

BEN: HOW DID I COME UP WITH THE IDEA TO WRITE YESTERDAY? I GUESS I

CAME UP WITH THE SONG YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS I WAS STRUGGLING WITH

MOVING. AT THE TIME I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO MOVE TO MICHIGAN AND IT

KIND OF REFLECTS MY THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW SOMETHING THAT MIGHT HAVE

SEEMED ONE WAY YESTERDAY IS NOT GOING TO BE THE SAME TODAY AND

THEREFORE YOU CAN'T PREDICT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TOMORROW YOU CAN ONLY HOPE THAT IT GETS BETTER SO THAT'S BASICALLY THE BASIS OF

YESTERDAY.

[YESTERDAY FADES IN AND OUT]

BEN: WELL I THINK AT THE POINT THAT I WROTE IT WE HAD RESEARCHED

ABOUT 5 OR 6 PLACES TO LIVE AND IT WAS JUST A LOT AND I THINK THAT THE

LAST PLACE WE LOOKED AT WAS THIS PLACE CALLED YPSYLANTI, MICHIGAN.

IT WAS JUST KIND OF TALKING OUT HOW YESTERDAY MIGHT’VE THOUGHT

THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE LIVING IN ANN ARBOR OR ANOTHER SUBURB OF

DETROIT BUT TODAY ITS YPSLANTI, WHAT WILL IT BE TOMORROW TYPE OF

THING.

RACHEL: DID YOU HAVE ANY SONG LYRICS THAT REPRESENTED THOSE

THOUGHTS, LIKE SPECIFICALLY IN THE SONG?

BEN: WELL, I MEAN FOR SURE THE CHORUS I THINK IS PROBABLY THE

BEST, “WHAT YOU WERE YESTERDAY IS NOTHING BUT THE PAST” YOU KNOW,

YESTERDAY MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT TOWN DIFFERENT TIME BUT NOW

IF WE TRY TO MAKE IT LAST “IT'LL SLIP OUT OF OUR HANDS” AND THAT TALKS

ABOUT HOW IF YOU TRY TO AND TAKE THAT AND HOLD ON TO IT IT'S NOT

GOING TO LAST BECAUSE IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE. TRYING TO MAKE SOMETHING

WORK JUST DOESN'T IT DOESN'T WORK. THE PAIN IT HURTS BUT IT'S JUST

TALKING ABOUT HURTING BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO COME

NEXT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING BUT IT'S WHAT WE FEEL THAT

MAKES US STRONGER YOU KNOW TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT YOU GO

THROUGH AS A PERSON A LOT OF THE TIME THOSE THINGS SUCK AND MOVING FOR ME IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL FOR SOME PEOPLE AND FOR A LOT OF

PEOPLE THEY GO THROUGH A LOT HARDER THINGS BUT FOR ME AT THE TIME

MOVING WAS THE MOST MONUMENTAL THING THAT HAPPENED IN MY LIFE

THUS FAR AND IT ALLOWED ME TO BE ABLE TO MORE FORWARD, I THINK IN A

LOT OF WAYS.

[“YESTERDAY” CHORUS FADE IN AND OUT]

BEN: TYPICAL WRITING PROCESS IS I START OFF WITH AN IDEA OF SOMETHING

AND IT’S NORMALLY A CHORUS. IT’S USUALLY JUST A FEW CHORDS, A

PROGRESSION OR SOMETHING THAT'S ONLY KIND OF EVOLVED INTO SOME

VERSES WHICH IS A VARIATION OF THE CHORUS USING SOME OF THE SAME

CHORDS BUT KIND OF IN JUST A DIFFERENT WAY. NORMALLY I ALSO INCLUDE A

BRIDGE AND THAT’S KIND OF HOW THE THE MUSIC STARTS FORMING. THE

LYRICS NORMALLY GOING TO COME OUT AFTERWARDS AND IT’S SOMETHING

THAT I'M FEELING OR SOMETHING I'M STRUGGLING WITH.

BEN:THE SONGS I CHOSE I THINK REALLY REFLECT MY STYLE NOT WITH

NECESSARILY HOW THEY ARE WRITTEN ORIGINALLY BUT WITH MOST OF THEM,

FOR INSTANCE, LOS ANGELES THAT’S ONLY ABOUT 50% OF WHAT IT ACTUALLY

IS WRITTEN AND SO I GO THROUGH BUT I WOULD ADD THINGS TO IT. IT’S IN LOS

ANGELES THIS PART WHERE IT'S LIKE “YES YOU WILL KNOW WILL KNOW YES

WE’LL KNOW WILL YOU WILL KNOW THAT YOUR WORK IS DONE” AND THAT IS

MOST DEFINITELY NOT IN THE ORIGINAL RECORDING OF IT, THAT IS SOMETHING

THAT I ADDED IN BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT IT NEEDED SOMETHING THERE A

BUILDING MOMENT THERE WITH THE PIANO AND THERE REALLY WAS A GOOD BUILDING INTO THE CHORUS ANY KIND OF ACCENTUATES THE OVERALL

MEANING OF THE SONG.

BEN: AND I KNOW FROM AT LEAST THE AGE OF 3 I WOULD ALWAYS BE ON THE

PIANO WITH LITTLE STUBBY FINGERS AT THE KIDS AND THEN PROBABLY THE

BEST EXPOSURE TO MUSIC WAS WITH CHURCH CHOIR AND STARTED THAT WITH

MY MOM IN ABOUT 2ND GRADE AND THOSE WHAT KIND OF MY FIRST EARLY

PERFORMANCES AND LEARNING HOW TO EXPRESS MYSELF THROUGH MUSIC

AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED PIANO WELL I GUESS I STARTED PIANO IN

ABOUT KINDERGARTEN TECHNICALLY BUT I GUESS I PICKED IT BACK UP AGAIN

WHEN I WAS SIX OR SEVEN IN SECOND GRADE.

BEN: IT’S INTERESTING BECAUSE CHOIR PROVIDED A WAY TO LEARN ABOUT

MUSIC IN WAYS THAT I DON’T THINK I NORMALLY WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO.

ACTUALLY, LEARNING SOME OF THOSE, UM, WACKY RHYTHMS THAT YOU

DON’T ALWAYS SEE IN STRAIGHT PIANO MUSIC IS A GREAT WAY FOR ME TO

STRENGTHEN MY SIGHT READING AND ALSO MY RHYTHMIC ABILITIES. BUT

ALSO CHOIR HAS IMPROVED ME OVERALL SHOWMANSHIP ABILITY. MY ABILITY

TO CONNECT WITH AN AUDIENCE AND OVERALL, I DON’T KNOW, JUST KIND OF

GROOVE WITH IT.

JOHN BURLACE: YEAH MY NAME IS JOHN BURLACE AND I HAVE TAUGHT BEN

HEBER IN CHOIR FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. I AM ONE OF THE THREE CHOIR

DIRECTORS HERE AT CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL

RACHEL: SO HOW HAVE YOU SEEN BEN IMPROVE FROM COUNTERPOINTS MEN

ALL THE WAY TO AMBASSADORS? JB: SO BEN CAN CAME IN WITH JUST A REALLY STRONG FOUNDATION OF

TALENT, HE HAS SO MANY GIFTS AND IS SUCH A SMART MUCISIAN. SO

CERTAINLY I HAVE SEEN HIS SKILLS GROW BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY WITH BEN

I HAVE SEEN HIS CONFIDENCE GROW AND HE’S REALLY BEGUN TO PUT HIMSELF

OUT THERE.

BEN: FOR SURE HIS TALENT HAS SO, SO MANY AFFECTS ON THE CHOIR AND ME

TOO. I KNOW I HAVE IMPROVED BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN MY SIGHT READING

ABILITIES AND MY SINGING ABILITIES AND MY DANCING ABILITIES, THE LIST

GOES ON AND ON. HE’S JUST A REALLY INCREDIBLE PERSON AND I’M SO

THANKFUL THAT I’VE GOTTEN TO LEARN FROM HIM. I JUST THINK I’VE

LEARNED SO MUCH THAT I NEVER WOULD’VE THOUGHT THAT I WOULD’VE

LEARNED FROM HIM COMING IN AND I THINK I WILL TAKE ALL OF THAT WITH

ME EVEN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.

[BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL FADES IN AND OUT]

BEN: OH I DEFINITELY KNOW WHO MY MUSE IS ALRIGHT MY MUSE IS THIS

SINGER SONGWRITER NAMED BEN RECTOR - OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE BEN

RECTOR SO MUCH. ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT HIM IS THAT HE

INCORPORATES PARTS OF HIMSELF INTO EVERY SONG SINGLE [“FEELING GOOD”

FADES IN AND OUT]

[END OF “FEELING GOOD” FADES IN AND OUT]

BEN: WHERE DO I SEE MYSELF GOING IN THE FUTURE? IN THE FUTURE I WOULD

HOPE THAT MUSIC IS STILL A PART OF MY LIFE, I DON'T THINK THAT MUSIC

WILL BE THE MAIN THING THAT I DO FOR A CAREER. I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT MUSIC BUT I THINK THERE A LOT OF OTHER AVENUES I WOULD LIKE TO

EXPLORE BUT WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO IS TO BE ABLE TO PLAY

FOR, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS KIND OF THINGS LIKE

THAT AS A SIDE JOB BECAUSE I THINK I WAS WRITING MUSIC AND I LOVE

PERFORMING MUSIC TOO MUCH TO JUST COMPLETELY STOP HAVING IT BE A

PART OF MY LIFE. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW FUNNY ENOUGH I THINK THAT I WOULD

LIKE TO GO INTO THE MOST IS COMMUNICATIONS OR JUST SOMETHING THAT I

LOVE TO PURSUE AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I SEE MYSELF IN THE FUTURE

BUT YES MUSIC WILL MOST LIKELY BE A PART OF MY LIFE.

[CHORUS OF “YESTERDAY” FADES IN AND OUT]

RACHEL: BEN’S FULL EPISODE OF MUSIC IN THE LIBRARY CAN BE FOUND AT

CHTV ON YOUTUBE. TUNE INTO MY NEXT EPISODE WHERE WE DIVE INTO THE

MUSICAL LIFE OF MATTIE TOM. FOR WHJE RADIO THIS HAS BEEN RACHEL LACY.

FIND MORE STORIES LIKE THIS AND MORE OF MY EPISODES, ONLINE AT

WHJE.COM.