Making Waves: A Q&A with Atcheleh Aryee

Atcheleh Aryee is an 18-year-old trumpet major and multi-instrumentalist in her first year of Humber’s Bachelor of Music program. Already a veteran of the Ottawa music scene, Atcheleh is quickly building a name for herself in Toronto with appearances such as her featured performance at the Musicians Helping Music Teachers Making Waves event. We caught up with her via email to learn more about the event and why she wanted to be involved with the cause.

Describe your involvement in the Ripley’s Live Stream. How did your participation come about?

Kelsley Grant reached out to me back in February about the live stream and asked if I was interested. Soon after, I met with Christian Overton (who has been helping in organizing this event) over Zoom, and we started talking about what the whole event was and how it would work. It was something that I was really interested in, and so we talked some more about what tune I would be playing and all the dates and times. At that point, I knew that I wanted to go the whole distance.

In your opinion, why is it important for musicians to find ways to support elementary and high school music education?

I had always liked music, but it wasn’t until I first joined my school band back in grade 7 that I discovered my passion for live performances. To invest more into the high school and elementary music education programs would mean giving young musicians a stronger starting point. It’s important that we help younger students explore the various pathways in music that are available to them, as well as giving them as many opportunities to experience the world of professional music in their early years.

Additionally, music helps increase a person’s ability to learn, so even for students that don’t follow the path of a professional musician, increasing their interest in music can help them in their own pursuits.

Outside of the Ripley’s Live Stream, what other projects are you working on?

I have no particular projects in the works -- at the moment, I’m focused primarily on getting my stuff out there and building a relationship with the music community.

To learn more about Atcheleh and her music, follow her on Instagram