Meet Chris Janson

Meet Chris Janson!  

Chris Janson, class of 2016, was born and raised in Darien, Connecticut. People on campus know him as the sweet and ridiculously talented guy that everyone wants to befriend. He plans to major in Japanese and possibly music. 

Everyone knows music is a big part of your life. Could you tell us the music instruments you know how to play, starting with the first one you learned and ending with the most recent one?

 Cello-I only did it for a year though so I’m not sure if it counts-bass, guitar, piano, violin, ukulele, and this summer I picked up the trumpet.

How old were you when you started playing bass and how did you come about learning it?

 I was 9 years old and I started playing bass by my own choosing. However, I almost quit after learning “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” because it was too hard for me at the time, but my parents and grandma pushed me through it and I’m very happy they did. 

 Where does your love for music come from?

Music sort of came out of nowhere. As much as music is social, it also is therapeutic to sit alone in my room with my instrument and chuck out an idea I had earlier in the day. It’s intensely personal and at the same time intensely communal.

Do you ever feel pressured by your upcoming performances?

It’s less of a pressure to do well, but there is an internal voice that says “You need to get better at this or that.” So sometimes it’s just straight up pleasure, but sometimes it’s this work I just can’t escape from because I feel like I have to do it or I should do it. Since it can be so time-consuming, I’m trying to make more of a conscious effort to put more time in the day with other people because I think really that’s the happiest you can be, spending time with your friends. 

Just like the number of instruments you know how to play, the number of languages you speak seems to be quite a few. Could you please tell us what these languages are?

I speak English; French as well as an American student could; I speak enough Japanese to discuss my inner most feelings in, and enough Chinese, Armenian, Swedish, and Swahili to make people laugh at my ineptitude.

Where does your love for languages stem from?

I think that language really is the most powerful way to create a bond between people from very different backgrounds and that just by showing you made the effort to study a language, you gain respect from the people who speak it. There’s nothing more amazing than being able to have a conversation with someone from a completely different world even if it’s stuttered and conducted over an open-phrase book.  

Music and languages aren’t the only things that captivate you. Actually, it seems like many things, if not everything, grab your attention. How are you so genuinely interested in so many different things?

Sometimes one of the things I think about is lavishing. If you are just sitting somewhere and you’re bored and there’s nothing going on, just take a second to think about every single sensation you’re feeling on your body, from your toes to your shoulders, you can really see some fun stuff. Basically, if you look close enough I think there’s always something there to pick you up. Sometimes we’re too tired or too busy to see it. I also like skipping. 

You’re quite the busy person. Could you share one of the things you do whenever you feel like you need to relax?

When you get that creepy crawly feeling you just need to do some exercise, whether it be walk, run, or swim some laps, even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete. I definitely function better when I get a little exercise here and there.  

What is your favorite thing at Williams?

Right now? I would have to say my room. And my own bathroom that no one but me and my roommate ever use. 

What is something that no one else knows about you?

My great uncle went to Williams and lived in the room down the hall from my freshman dorm, and my grandfather played the bass too.