A student tapping a pencil doesn’t carry much significance, but senior Chris Baylaender carries this beat home where he records and produces under the name CrankJ.

Baylaender has been a musician for five years, mastering the piano first before proceeding to new instruments.

“I got an old piano from my friend and I just started teaching myself, going on YouTube and doing that,” Baylaender said.

Baylaender took several guitar courses at South under the guidance of Music Teacher Kristin Meyer.

“He just has a very natural ability in music,” Meyer said. “He’s really creative, talented and he’s also very motivated.”

According to Baylaender, even though he has been consistently putting out music, gaining listeners has been hard. However, people often give him compliments on his work.

“Every day someone says that [they like my beats] to me, and I think, ‘Where are the views then? They need to show up on my view counter,’“ Baylaender said.

Baylaender intends to continue to develop his skills after high school. He believes will continue making beats no matter what, but intends to keep his future open.

“In terms of college, I’ve been looking a lot at Columbia, where I could learn audio arts,” Baylaender said. “It would be nice, because right now I have confidence in my abilities, but I’m still not a professional.”

As of the past two and a half years, Baylaender has also been making hip-hop beats. He produces from his studio at home, utilizing the studio software Logic Pro, two keyboards (one Yamaha and one Korg), and a host of guitars in order to create and edit his music. After gathering the necessary resources and equipment, he started to focus on his beat-making.

Baylaender’s dream is to produce hip-hop beats for high-profile rappers. He displays his work on a music-sharing website, Soundcloud, and hopes the exposure will attract artists who will want to work with him.

Even if his dream as a music producer doesn’t work out, Baylaender still intends to have a career in music. For him, making beats and being a producer is the dream, versus a regular career in the music industry.

According to his mother, Sally Baylaender, Chris expressed an interest in music from a young age. At the age of three, Chris had a birthday party involving music in which they built drums. Sally acknowledges that Chris wants to pursue a career in music and fully supports him.

Chris’s inspiration to make new beats everyday comes from within. He wants other people to hear his beats and enjoy them, but it’s also something he does for himself.

“When it comes down to it, I just like creating, and it’s a good escape,” Chris said. “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t like that.”