Nashon Ash ’23 is an extremely busy student. He is a junior, majoring in Social Work at the Falk School of Social Work who spends his time working on school, at the school district for social work, and participating in seven different school organizations.
Ash is a man of multiple talents. Not only does he play the trombone, violin and a little bit of piano now, Ash has been playing the drum since he was three years old. Church definitely helped him spark an interest in music. Ash also played the drums at church sometimes.
“I always had something for music since I was young,” says Ash.
Eventually, the young drummer started listening to more and more music when he was in middle school and high school. One thing Ash noticed about himself was that he was listening more to the beat of the music instead of the lyrics. How the drums and the claps in the music are composed really amazed him.
High school sophomore Ash would then start producing music Ash started his production career by making beats on his phone for fun. As junior year rolled around, he upgraded and purchased an old used laptop to make his music using Garage Band and Logic Pro. These audio workstations shouldn’t be a stranger to music makers. Ash kept making more music and getting better at it. He learned through practice and “how to” YouTube videos.
As a college student, Ash produces music whenever he can. Music is Ash’s biggest hobby but he wants to make it his career. Getting to know more clients, making a consistent income through a music career is his goal. The Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries, located in Bird Library, has been helping Ash connect to some connections in the music industry. Ash wants to make the most out of his opportunities and want to make more connections.
Ash knows a lot of artists, but he is aware that there are a lot of artists he doesn’t know yet. He knows a lot of local artists and work with a few of them. He’s also worked with artists from New York City, Atlanta and New Jersey. His history of production can be traced on his Beat Stars Page, Youtube and his Apple Music Playlist.
Ash grew up in the south side of Syracuse and absolutely loves the city. However, after he graduates, he has plans to move to a bigger city, either Atlanta, Los Angles, Charlotte or Dallas, where music thrives in the energy and creative scene.
Story by LaunchPad Global Fellow Natalie Lui ‘22; photo supplied