Devon Kilburn ’17, gap year student and member of the band Psymon Spine
Her Campus: What did you do over your gap year?
Devon Kilburn: I spent my gap year serving with City Year Boston at an elementary school in Jamaica Plain. I worked alongside the most fantastic teacher I’ve ever met helping our kids improve their reading and writing skills and redirecting negative classroom behaviors into positive outlets. City Year also completed a bunch of Civic Engagement projects, including the repainting of the Boston Arts Academy, the only performing arts school in the Boston Public School System. Dispatch played a concert in the cafeteria and helped paint afterwards, before heading out to play for a few thousand people at their sold-out show. It’s cool that there are musicians that popular who are still down to give a few hours of community service when they have time off.
HC: Why did you choose that specific program?
DK: I applied to serve with City Year Boston because I knew it was centered on schools and community outreach/engagement, which I’ve been drawn to since I was about 14 or so. I’ve been working with kids since first becoming a CIT at the Munroe Center for the Arts in my hometown, and the idea of becoming a teacher had always sat in the back of my head during high school. City Year Boston gave the chance to work with kids and solidified my desire to become a teacher, so I came into college knowing exactly what I wanted to study. City Year corps members are so passionate about the work they do and it was a humbling experience to be surrounded by so many fantastic people that treated me like family even if we’d never met before. City Year is a big happy family that gets big things done.
HC: Do you have any advice for gap year students?
DK: My advice to prospective gap year students? DO IT! Taking a year off gave me a new perspective and kept me out of the college bubble, where a lot of us can get trapped before being unceremoniously dumped into the real world after graduation. At the same time, it’s important to have a cohesive plan for your year off. I knew several people who didn’t and they slowly lost their minds because they ran out of interests to pursue while their friends were living a completely new life at college. With City Year, I had something to keep me busy all week long that I was also passionate about so I never felt like I was missing out on anything the way some of my gap year peers did.
HC: We hear you’re in a band here at Skidmore. Could you tell us more about it?
DK: I play guitar, percussion, and sing for Psymon Spine, the music project created by my friends Peter Spears and Noah Prebish. Our sound is super eclectic and mixes live instruments and vocals with electronic samples. Chris Beckett plays drums; Katie Martucci sings and plays violin and keyboard; Noah and Peter sing and play guitar, bass, synth, and samples; and I do my thing. The creative process is unique because of the variety in instruments. Any one of us can show up with a tiny idea and the rest of the band takes it and crafts a new, multi-faceted piece that sounds great. That’s the joy of having so many great musicians packed into a tiny band trailer; good things are always bound to happen.
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Devon (second from the left) and his fellow members of Psymon Spine
HC: How did you get involved in your band?
DK: On the first day of my Pre-O trip, Noah walked up to me and said “Hey man, I’m Noah and I’m in a band called Psymon Spine. Amir (our mutual friend) says you’re a good guitarist, you should play with us sometime. Also, do you like the Dirty Projectors?” I assumed he was just a friendly guy looking to jam and I do indeed like the Dirty Projectors, so I gave him my phone number. Two months later, I’m part of a signed band that just released a split EP with Karate on iTunes. It’s totally nuts and I can’t wait to see where this goes. I’m so stoked to be a part of the project.
HC: When is the first show?
DK: Our next show’s a secret, shhhhhhhhh don’t tell anyone about it.
HC: What is your favorite part about being a musician at Skidmore?
DK: Best part about being a musician here? Everyone is so friendly and happy to play with whomever regardless of skill level. I’ve found peer observation is the best way for me to pick up new musical skills and the musicians here are wonderfully accommodating. The music area of my brain has expanded exponentially since getting here and it keeps growing. My head will probably look like Jimmy Neutron’s before too long but I ain’t even mad…