The end of college is near for Emma Taylor, but she’s not letting that stop her from enjoying her time at Millikin and pursuing her goals for after. Aspirations as bright as the sun and expectations as bold as the horizon have allowed Emma to become who she is today. A passion for music has fused her soul into a Jazz and Funk machine. Gaining a vast knowledge of the thing she loves most only increases her chances for success.

Since she is not from Decatur, but rather Macon, Illinois, Emma describes herself as a “local native” to the Decatur area. Millikin has become her home the last four years and she loves each and every experience it has given her. The opportunities the music department has given her over the years have shown that Millikin is the real deal. Emma loves the fact that she can be in the recording studio one hour and the next be playing the string bass for the orchestra. The variety of options that Millikin allows students to be involved in has really captured Emma. She believes that being able to explore each field of interest here has and will help her achieve past and future dreams.

No one knows how it feels to be busy like Emma does. A double major in Music Business and Commercial Music, Emma sure has her hands full, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to pursue her interests. She is a member of Pi Beta Phi, the string bassist for Jazz Band I, MDSO, and the vocal jazz groups One Voice and Blu Bop, President of the Millikin University Concert Committee, and is a member of First Step Records. You must be wondering how she does it? Her days are filled, but she still finds time to practice and live her life.

A string bassist by trade, she also plays the electric bass on occasion and enjoys to sing from time to time. The Jazz Band I has featured her bass playing skills and her quite talented vocals on a few junctures. With the flexibility to do multiple things someday, Emma has carefully narrowed down and examined the questions for her career. She hopes to attend a graduate school in the fall and has already auditioned for those. At graduate school, Emma will receive her Master’s in Jazz Studies. After schooling, she would like to dive into the artist management department where she hopes to work for artists and help them on their journeys toward fame and fortune.

When thinking of the future, Emma sees cities such as Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee as possible destinations for her career in performing and artist management. She feels that New York isn’t really her scene and Chicago is just too cold. If she can’t land in Austin or Nashville, she said “I would really love to just travel the United States.” Traveling the world has even surfaced as a possibility for Emma as she strives to accomplish her goals.

Originally, a Dance and Music Business major, Emma changed her mind during freshman year and chose Commercial Music because she realized how much she truly loves to perform. Nowadays, Emma is constantly involved with the worlds of Music Business and Commercial Music. That’s exactly how she likes it. It seems that Emma has made the right decision on her career and will achieve big things one day. Expect to see the name, Emma Taylor often in the world of Jazz, Funk, and the department of artist management. She is going to change the way we view and listen to Jazz. Emma Taylor will be a star. All we have to do is wait.