Image provided by Wilhelm Scholz.
With a variety of talented individuals with their own specialties Washington High School never fails to disappoint. Wilhelm Scholz, best known for his appearance on WHTV, is a man of many talents. In addition to WHTV and the Performing Arts Club he creates “jazz-like music… stuff like lo-fi (low fidelity) hip hop” using a digital program, Cubase 10 Pro.
I interviewed Wilhelm to find out what makes an artist. Wilhelm had a unique path to making music. As a child he took piano lessons for 6 years, which he says, “helped a lot in learning how to use the software [for making music.]” In his high school years he joined the jazz ensemble, which he encourages the musically inclined to join, where he got the experience of playing and interacting with a band.
When asked about his future plans with music, he said he only sees it as a hobby for now, as it takes a lot of time to make even a single song. However, one of his interests is making music with friends, rather than just alone.
Wilhelm’s music, as he described, is not filling a gap in the market: “actually [it’s] quite the opposite.” Wilhelm found his niche through watching the Youtube channel “Shady Cicada”, who is one of his greatest influences. Shady Cicada would showcase making music and doing challenges using the same sort of program Wilhelm has. These challenges showed a deeper level of making music that was not only fun to hear once done, but also an enjoyable experience to make.
The music is quite good. Wilhelm publishes it on Soundcloud where anyone can hear his songs. Some of his favorites are Bossa de Somewhere Nice, Cloud Hopper, and Night of the Ball. Wilhelm described it well: his music fits in the lo-fi genre and really works to listen to while studying or relaxing. He uses elevator music, video game soundtracks, and sometimes even bits from other songs. His process involves getting a “vibe,” incorporating instruments into the vibe, and then adding a bit of his personal touch. He says it boils down to “[playing] musical notes until it sounds nice.” Using a piano plugged directly into his computer, he can get a riff, add it to his program, and play around with it. A characteristic of his music and other lo-fi music is ambient noise always playing, so the music flows better. Things such as ocean waves or fire crackling fill the noise in between high points in his music.
The creativity does not end there. Alongside being a musician, Wilhelm is also the News anchorman for WHTV, and co-president and an actor in the Performing Arts Club! He says his skills from making music have helped him in these other roles he has taken up at school.
Support your local artists at Washington High School and give Wilhelm’s music a listen. Throw a compliment if you see him in the halls: maybe we can have more artists like Wilhelm at Washington High School.
Venya Karpelevitch is a junior at Washington High School. He has lived and grown up in Fremont, California. This is his first year at The Hatchet. His journalistic interests are politics and Jewish issues. His hobbies include video games, biking, and debate. He plans on pursuing chemistry in college, as well as learning at a yeshiva.