Proving that music bonds people, Jacob Head and Owen Hill have formed a friendship over jamming out together on the Boca Raton campus. 

The Florida Atlantic University freshman student-musicians use their passions for music not only for their own fulfillment but also for the community by playing their guitar and viola around FAU’s Boca Raton campus. 

Head has been playing in public areas around his neighborhood since 2020. He also posts Youtube videos under the account “Velvet Midnight.” Hill has been performing in orchestras throughout middle and high school. He is currently part of the FAU’s Symphony Orchestra.

“Symphony orchestra is much more cut and dry; you do your part, and you’re part of a bigger whole. When I’m playing with Jacob, it’s very different in the way that I can just let loose,” said Hill.

The two of them have only recently started playing together this spring semester. However, Head has been playing on campus since this previous fall semester, and he does so to pass the time in between classes as a commuter student from Coral Springs. Now, whenever it feels like “the right vibe” outside, Hill, who lives on campus, will join him outside to jam out together. 

“We kind of just introduced ourselves to each other after one of the music at noon sessions…I saw him with his guitar, and I asked him general questions because [I was] curious. Eventually, I asked him if I could bring my instrument out and jam, and he said, ‘Yeah, let’s do that,’” said Hill.

Head knew at a young age that he wanted to do something creative when he got older. Writing songs as a kid and then getting a guitar for his tenth birthday made him realize that he wanted to pursue music. 

“I write songs, and it’s really therapeutic. Even if no one necessarily hears the song, it’s just nice to get those feelings out there,” said Head.

Head’s passion for music has “changed the trajectory” of his life. Without it, he wouldn’t have made most of his friends or gone to university to study music performance with a focus on classical guitar. 

For Hill, music has also been a part of his life for years, starting his orchestral journey in middle school.  

During his senior year of high school,  he went to an event hosted by FAU’s Orchestra where high school seniors were able to come in and play alongside them. 

Hill shares that following the experience, he was impressed by FAU’s unique music programs, from their symphony orchestra to the university’s very own record label known as Hoot/Wisdom Recordings. This led Hill to commit to FAU later that year. 

“I’d never heard of anything like that [having a record label] on any other campus. So, when I heard about that, I knew this would probably be the one, if not the only college I’d go to, just for the program,” said Hill.

Hill and Headare majoring in commercial music technology, a program that gives insight into the business side of music and allows them opportunities to produce music at Hoot/Wisdom Recordings. He is familiar with playing multiple instruments, but his favorite to play is the Viola, an instrument he has been playing for seven years. 

“[The viola] is my primary because it’s the one that I’m the best at. Just being on the instrument for as long as I have, I have a knack for it,” said Hill.

Although Hill grew up around music, he explained that he never really listened to or learned to play in a wide variety of genres, yet through working with Head, he has been able to expand his knowledge.

“Just being able to try different styles and just doing new things with him, I just love playing with that man,” said Hill.

By playing together, Hill has been able to branch out of his comfort zone and try new things. He is grateful, not just for the friendship he found with Head, but for the motivation that Head brings him to just have fun playing his instruments. 

He doesn’t ask for money, he is simply out there to just play music and have a good time. Head explained what the reactions are typically like from passer-byers

“Some people will just ignore you, some people will be like ‘Hey, good job’, and some people will give you money; some give you food,” said Head.

When Hill approached Head asking about his major in classical guitar one day, Hill didn’t expect he would start playing alongside him.     

Bryce Ponnudurai, an FAU senior commercial music technology major, met Head in a school hallway, and they quickly bonded over cuícas, known as Brazilian friction drums. He would soon get to meet Hill and eventually watch them play around campus. 

“What Jacob and Owen, what they’ve been doing, it’s just super admirable…there’s not a lot of people here in the music department that are getting outside and playing music together in that way,” said Ponnudurai.

Isabella Mandoeng is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, contact Mandoeng at isabella.mandoeng24@gmail.com.