Elle Yormak is a sophomore from New York, N.Y. majoring in finance with a minor in psychology. She is a member of the Case Competition Club, Women in Economics and serves as a virtual tutor. She is also a member of the club squash and club pickleball teams and a member of Delta Zeta. Outside the newsroom, Elle enjoys skiing, going on coffee runs and watching Modern Family.
Catherine Major always knew music was key to her life.
“It’s always been a passion of mine, and I love playing with other people,” Major said. She expressed that creating music allows her to connect with her peers differently than she would through merely speaking.
Coming from Illinois, just outside of Chicago, Major was drawn to Wake Forest by the opportunity to play in the Spirit of the Old Gold and Black (SOTOGAB) marching band. Now, as a senior, Major is not only a trumpet player for SOTOGAB, but is also an active member of the orchestra, the jazz band, a brass quartet group and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
Major’s passion for music helped her swiftly pick her course of study. Despite having another major in economics, Major finds that she feels a greater sense of belonging in the music major. Major particularly enjoys the small, supportive community of the department.
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“The faculty have been really good to me,” Major said. “The people in the music department have always been really welcoming.”
Professors like David Geary and Megan Francisco contributed to Major’s positive experiences in the department. Major said Greary is “very energetic and passionate about what he [is] teaching.”
“He showed me a different side of what pop music looked like,” she said.
While working on her senior honors project on The Beach Boys, for instance, Major learned about the relatability of pop. Though she initially believed it was a simple genre, her studies in classes like Introduction to Modern Popular Music and Introduction to Modern Jazz have taught her how pop music can effectively explain what it feels like to grow through one’s teenage years.
“It’s a good point in my life [to be studying The Beach Boys’ music],” Major said. “I feel like I can relate.”
Not every aspect of the music major is a breeze, however. Composition lessons have challenged her this year, but Major enjoys learning the craft of writing music.
Beyond Wake Forest, Major sings in the choir at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church. She said singing in church has been a rewarding experience; Major finds meaning in the well-written music and matching words to hymns. Many people flock to St. Leo’s specifically to hear the music, so knowing that she is a part of that public motivation has also made the choir a powerful activity for Major.
“I’ll hear people who go to my church say, ‘The music brought me here, that’s why I chose St. Leo,’” Major said.
Through church, Major said, she can actively contribute to society with her music.
With graduation looming, Major aims to find a job that can incorporate her knowledge of music, perhaps by working in recording and production. Luckily, she’ll stay local this upcoming year as she continues with the Master’s of Science in Management program at Wake Forest’s School of Business.
“I’m looking forward to staying in Winston-Salem,” Major said.
Despite some nerves about finding ways to keep music an active component of her life, Major is grateful for what communities like SOTOGAB have already given her thus far.
“They kind of took me in,” Major said of her marching band friends. “Being able to find my people felt really nice, and that’s something I’ve always appreciated…they’ve always taken care of me.”