Funnily enough, my musical journey began against my will. When I got into 6th grade, I was told that all of the honors students had to join the band program for a year. I wanted to join the school's broadcasting class, so I was really mad about being forced into the band instead. I swore to myself that I was going to quit as soon as possible. But when I tried the saxophone on the first day of class, I had my "sword in the stone" moment. I got an awful-sounding goose squawk instead of a cool sword, but it didn't matter—I was totally hooked. I stayed in band for the rest of school, and music became something really special to me. I had always loved listening to music as a kid, and now I was the one making the music.

Steven Fukui.

The musical lightbulb had switched on in my brain and I couldn't stop. In high school I signed up for AP Music Theory. I was slightly worried about souring my appreciation for music with complicated theory nonsense (no one really wants to know how the sausage is made.) But to my surprise, that class would change everything for me.

I felt like I was seeing music in three dimensions for the first time. I realized that my beloved saxophone melodies were just one staff on the conductor's score—a cog in this beautiful machine of music. But now I didn't want to just be a part of the machine anymore... I wanted to make the machine myself. So I started writing my own music, and the cycle was complete.

I was the listener, then I became the performer, and now I am the composer. I find myself drawn to music composition because it blurs the lines between me and my art. My music becomes an extension of myself, and it's really cool to share my thoughts and feelings with others through my compositions.

The thought of college always felt like a doomsday clock looming over my high school years. I was trapped in the rat race of college applications and SATs as the seconds ticked down toward the unknown of what I thought would be disaster. My vision of the future was cloudy and uncertain, but as it turns out, the solution was right in front of my eyes—and in my ears—the whole time: music.

And that's how I ended up at SFCM. I'm currently a Technology and Applied Composition (TAC) sophomore. I'm studying music composition through a mixed media lens and learning about the technology and equipment the industry uses to make films today. I don't know where my music journey will take me next, but I do know that I'm going to see my name in the credits on the big screen one day.

As SFCM's new student blogger, I'm looking forward to sharing my experience studying music here. I never knew that I would end up at a music conservatory, but I'll always be grateful for the path that led me here. My “sword in the stone” moment came to me in the form of a sax, but for others, it could be a concert, a museum, a competition... anything that guides you closer to your destiny.

Stay sharp!
– Steven