Many musicians travel across the world to pursue their dreams. For one USC student, there was no need to move far from home to continue his music career. Lexington native and first-year jazz studies student Morgan McGee found all the guidance he needed at USC’s music school.
McGee began playing the piano in the first grade at the will of his parents. He didn’t like going to lessons and learning the basics, but his family encouraged him to continue.
“I hated music for the longest time,” said McGee. “My parents were always like, ‘you can’t stop, you’ll thank us for it later.'”
When he was around 12 years old, McGee heard "Vienna" by Billy Joel and was interested in learning the introduction to the song on the piano. He sat down and taught himself the song, and it was the turning point in his pursuit of music.
“I think that’s when it kind of hit me. I don’t have to just play what they’re giving me that I need to play,” said McGee. “I can play stuff that I enjoy.”
As his love for music began to blossom, he started becoming more involved in the music community. He attended a jazz summer camp at USC Aiken where he met Wycliffe Gordon, a prominent jazz trombonist. His coaching resonated with McGee, and remains one the most influential experiences in his time playing piano.
McGee also attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, a residential arts school, for his final two years of high school. After witnessing the talent of his classmates, he started to set more goals for himself musically.
As the college decision process grew near, McGee wanted to keep his options open. He applied to and auditioned for multiple schools, including the University of Miami and New York University. While he was applying to schools, he was also taking piano lessons with instructors at potential programs. It was after lessons with Bert Ligon, the director of jazz studies at USC, that McGee began to see himself in Columbia.
“I had never had a lesson where I just clicked with someone,” said McGee. “We had an hour long lesson that ended up being two hours long.”
While finances did play a role in his college decision, Bert Ligon was a significant contribution in McGee's decision to enroll at USC.
While McGee has been practicing music for a long time, he contemplated choosing a different path prior to beginning his college career. With the election in 2016, McGee thought that political science may be a timelier choice in terms of majors.
“It was a very intense and frustrating year,” said McGee. “Call it what you may, call it a carnival or whatever. It got a lot of people interested and a lot of people motivated to keep up with it and it did for me, too.”
McGee is still interested in politics, and is considering studying political science as a minor.
McGee’s family is also musical; his father's love of jazz inspired McGee's own interest in the genre.
“I could go on and on talking about what attracts me to the sound, but I think the reason that I got into it initially is 'cause my dad,” said McGee. “He definitely helped instill the love for music in all of us. I have three other brothers, and they're all great musicians as well. ”
USC’s Left Bank Big Band, the jazz ensemble McGee is a part of, will be hosting their recital at the School of Music Recital Hall on March 28 at 7:30 p.m. The recital is free to students.