Tyler Burks and Bennett Josephs are two talented seniors here at Lakeland, both with this college chapter of their lives soon coming to a close. However, their time at Lakeland has been nothing short of extraordinary, filled with many accomplishments and personal growth. These two individuals will be performing senior recitals at the Bradley Theatre as a tribute to their musical studies, skills and dedication over the past four years. 

Josephs, performing a vocal recital on April 23 at 3 p.m., originates his love of music all the way back to middle school. It’s one thing to love music, but it’s another to find a community within it as well. Josephs says: “I ended up enjoying the people I met through music, and they’ve always continued encouraging me even to this day.” 

Josephs certainly deserves all of this support and encouragement, as he is preparing for his recital, staying up to date with his classes, working, and performing in the recent musical, Mission Haus to the Stars. He mentions how memorizing his vocal music is sometimes difficult, but given his ability to perform so well in so many different activities, there’s no doubt that his recital will be perfectly memorized. 

After college, though Josephs will be pursuing a career in computer science, he still intends on keeping music in his life during his free time and taking any musical opportunities that are presented to him. No matter what he does, Josephs will be sure to take the drive and motivation that he has embodied all throughout his college career and find success in his future life. 

Burks will be performing a trombone recital on April 22 at 1 p.m. Similar to Josephs, he recalls all the way back to sixth grade as to when he first started band, a class that he found challenging and fun. Burks states: “I was also able to express myself in ways that I couldn’t in my other classes”. 

Burks’ upcoming performance, a requirement for his Music Education degree, has been four years in the making. He feels confident about what he will present, but also grateful for the wide range of styles his chosen pieces allowed him to explore. Burks and his instructor have spent countless hours perfecting each note and style, so his performance is bound to be spectacular. 

In line with his Music Education degree, Burks hopes to carry on his love for music and instill it in younger generations. He hopes to teach band at the middle or high school level, and looks forward to the new challenges running a classroom will create. He says: “I want to spread the joy of music to the younger generation and be a role model for my students.” 

It seems Burks is already ahead of the game, because both he and Josephs are inspirations to us all. Come support these two hardworking seniors and get a front row seat to see not only their talent, but years of passion that have paid off in creating two accomplished musicians.