Robert Fallen ’22 grew up with an innate curiosity about how music can impact both an audience and the player. Growing up in the lower Hudson Valley, Robert has had many opportunities to work and learn about the craft of playing the Violin. Marist has given him a myriad of possibilities to develop and mature both himself and his musicality.

From a young age, Robert had always known from family stories that his grandfather had played the Violin in Carnegie Hall. As a first-generation American, his grandfather had immigrated from Italy to New York City. Though he never got the opportunity to meet him, Robert wanted to continue this musical tradition in his family. Both he and his twin sister continued this tradition by involving themselves in their high school’s Orchestra, Choir, and Theatre program.

Robert knew he wanted an institution that allowed him to continue his academic studies while still pursuing his love for music. When considering where to attend, Robert’s high school Orchestra teacher had a strong connection to the Marist Music program, giving him reassurance and confidence in his decision. Once arriving at Marist, he soon felt at home with his new Marist Music family.

While at Marist, he has had many opportunities to learn about how music can affect both himself and the people around him. Teresa Tyce, the Orchestra Director at Marist, always reminded him and his peers that we never know what an audience member’s life is like outside of the performance space. That space becomes a distraction from the craziness of life for that period of time, giving the allusion of slowing down “time.” Reminding himself of this each time he plays allows him to become a player who is more empathetic and connected to his craft, digging deeper and deeper to express emotions he cannot describe with words.

Robert has also found this impact on music within his major. People often see how movies use music to set the mood within a scene, but advertising does this as well. Big corporations often use classical music within their advertisements to evoke certain emotions towards their product(s). The connection between art and psychology has interested Robert to conduct research with the Marist Honor Program to expand on these practices. With all these opportunities, Robert has found joy in all the opportunities he has had to grow academically, mentally, and musically at Marist.