Name: Heather Bey
Year: Junior, Class of 2017
Hometown: Merrick, Long Island
Major: Audio production, Digital Media Production, History
Relationship Status: Single
Birthday: September 7
Organizations: Soundgirls.org
HC: Why did you choose New Paltz?
HB: “I thought that New Paltz would be the school for me, and when it wasn’t, I made it into the school for me.”
HC: What do you mean by that?
HB: “I came here with the intention of doing sound, but also wanting to do more in the production field, and as I’ve been here, I find that I am really drawn to sound, and everything else has kind of taken a backseat. I made up my own major so I could stay here with my friends and in the New Paltz college environment.”
HC: Why did you make up your own major? You can do that?
HB: “I made up my own major because, like I said, I really want to do sound, but as far as the production department goes, the only class they offer is “audio production” which isn’t enough to teach you the different forms of sound. I love the professors here and the friends I made are great, so it would be hard to leave New Paltz to find a new school that I can afford that has the same close-knit groups and feel as New Paltz. For example, I went out on a limb and took audio engineering in the theatre department, which normally doesn’t happen, but since I’m so passionate they took me in and made me one of their own. The people in that class were so friendly that by the second week, I felt so welcomed and comfortable, I wouldn’t want to leave such great people. So I made my own major so I could stay here! Regardless, I was going to take these classes outside of my major, I just wanted them to count for something and to have the degree to prove that I know what I’m doing.”
HC: Can you define “sound”? And what got you into it?
HB: “The term sound refers to both ‘recorded media,’ audio, and ‘live sound,’ as in performance. When I was younger, I always really liked music but didn’t think that flute would get me very far into the music world so I decided to try production (not to shade flute players or anything). I also go to concerts all the time and I want to be a part of the behind-the-scenes aspect of live music since I’ve been in the audience for so long.”
HC: Can you list your top five favorite bands/singers of all time?
HB: “No! This is so hard! Okay: Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, Great Caesar, Walk the Moon, and Prince.”
HC: What’s your dream job?
HB: “A touring live-sound engineer for a band that I really like.”
HC: Like Walk the Moon?
HB: “Oh hell yeah, I think I would pass out!”
HC: I know you said that you made New Paltz into the school for you, but what is your favorite part of New Paltz?
HC: “The friends I made along the way! I’ve made friends in my department, and in the theatre department, there are so many really dedicated people here, including professors. I’ve had a bunch of professors that I think are amazing, and kind of go beyond just teaching, and I think that that’s really cool.”
HC: What is one thing that you want to accomplish before you graduate?
HB: “I want to be known as ‘The Sound Person’ in the production department, because I’ve had people come up to me and ask me about sound and fixing problems in the studio, so I feel like it’s only fair that I am the go-to sound student for the production department.”
HC: Who has inspired you to do what you do?
HB: “Hayley Williams from Paramore, but also I’m part of “Sound Girls” which is an organization that inspires women to pursue a career in audio. Being someone who is just starting out in this field it’s nice to have an older generation of women who have already been through this experience and have paved the way for women in this industry, even though the industry has a long way to go.”
Speed Round!
Favorite TV shows: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The West Wing, Mad Men, The Walking Dead (she couldn’t pick just one)
Celebrity Crush: Josh Dun (of Twenty One Pilots)
Favorite Food: Nutella brownies
Three words to describe you: Hysterical, dedicated, and clearly, very humble.