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Making Beautiful<br />
MusicAN Inverview by<br />
Anne Drouet<br />
In <strong>2018</strong>, three HKA students graduated from HKA into their dream careers in music. Leo Lee signed a recording contract with one of<br />
Hong Kong’s legendary music managers whilst classmates Ben Hiley and Dylan Halbroth are beginning new adventures in England<br />
and Germany. Director of Performing Arts Anne Drouet caught up with Dylan and Ben this autumn on a visit back to HKA as alumni.<br />
Dylan Halbroth — A Bigger Goal in Mind<br />
Ms. Drouet: Hello Dylan, you’ve done really well with your IB<br />
Diploma. Congratulations! You’re off to the dBs Music School in<br />
Berlin to study Creative Music Production and Sound Engineering,<br />
right? When people think of Dylan Halbroth, they often think of<br />
someone who’s an awesome guitarist. Your band, Asyndeton,<br />
played to thousands at Clockenflap last year, and people still<br />
talk about your amazing virtuoso performances at HKA’s coffee<br />
houses. Can you please rewind and tell us how you got here?<br />
Dylan: I think it all started when I was really, really young. I think<br />
having my dad be a DJ and being really into music helped a lot<br />
because I was exposed to all styles of music as a child. I learned<br />
a lot playing with a lot of different people in different contexts,<br />
and having different teachers also helped me explore more than<br />
one genre or one technique. It helped me expand my playing, and<br />
I think that ultimately led me to be able to play at festivals like<br />
Clockenflap alongside some really talented musicians.<br />
Ms. Drouet: You also did really well academically. How did you<br />
balance the hours and hours of rehearsing with the rest of your<br />
IB Diploma?<br />
Dylan: I was always trying to find the right balance. So there were<br />
times where I would maybe play play a bit too much guitar and<br />
not really, you know, do enough. But then there were also times<br />
when I knew that I needed to do certain things academically, like<br />
homework, and revising or studying or anything like that. I knew<br />
I needed it because I had this bigger goal in mind to go off to<br />
university, to study at dBs. I was just telling myself that if I don’t<br />
sit down and do this, then I’m not going to end up achieving my<br />
goal. And then that’s really going to open new doors for me. So if<br />
I don’t do this right now, even though it may or may not be exactly<br />
what I want to do, I still have to do it. Because it’s going to lead to<br />
much better things.<br />
Ms. Drouet: There are many people out there who play<br />
instruments to advanced levels, but somehow, they tell<br />
themselves they’re not good enough to pursue music for further<br />
study or for a career. What helped you to believe in yourself?<br />
Dylan: I still don’t know, if I really do... there’s always that voice<br />
of doubt in the back of your mind. But when I compare myself to<br />
how I was five years ago, I feel pretty happy about my playing.<br />
All these pieces I never thought I’d be able to play. I’m pretty<br />
sure I’ve never thought that I’d be playing this. And so I mean,<br />
it’s kind of looking back to where you were, and seeing that the<br />
goals that you set for yourself five years ago are not completely<br />
unattainable. It might take a while, but I feel it’s definitely<br />
possible to achieve.<br />
A lot of people, or even you, yourself, will think that you’re not<br />
good enough. And then a lot of people are going to tell you on top<br />
of that, that you’re never going to make money off of it, whatever,<br />
it’s going to be really hard, you’re going to be broke, you’re going<br />
to be homeless. But it’s going to be something that I love. And<br />
I’d rather be studying production every day and be working in<br />
the studio and be working with creative musical people than be<br />
stuck in an office just because it’s a safe gig. So for me, it’s about<br />
taking life right on and then saying, even if this might not work<br />
out, it’s still going to be something that I love doing. Nothing<br />
else matters.<br />
Ms. Drouet: What does success look like to you?<br />
Dylan: Our new album Is being released, hopefully before<br />
December this year. The hope is that this goes really well. We’re<br />
hoping to pick up a label and then do tours and stuff like that. But<br />
also continuing university, learning more about music production.<br />
That’s the ultimate goal, right? Going on world tours — that’s not<br />
always achievable. Some people do it.<br />
Ms Drouet: Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap<br />
up?<br />
Dylan: Don’t let people tell you that you can’t do it and that you’re<br />
not gonna make any money. That might be true, but it doesn’t<br />
matter. Your life could be spectacular.<br />
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