The Studio Noah Llewellyn Wheeler

I step into the studio, a room dominated by a towering record collection and the flashing fluorescent lights of a soundboard. It’s a very small room, but its endless possibilities for transmitting different types of sound make it seem larger than it actually is. I turn on my microphone, and every ounce of stress and discomfort immediately recedes into the depths of my consciousness. My mind then becomes centered around three things, and three only: the music, monitoring the soundboard, and my commentary.

Growing up in a household filled with instruments and the unconditional support of my mother (a professional flutist and performing arts teacher) has made music a vital piece of my identity from an early age onward. I started playing the trumpet when I was eight, then joined the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra and began giving band lessons in high school. I’ve also always loved the field of broadcasting. As a child, I would sneak a radio under my blankets to listen to baseball game commentators late into the night. There was something about the announcer’s sheer excitement and ability to perform so well on the spot that captivated me. I remember constantly putting televised sporting events on mute and trying to emulate the...