Jennifer Shields | Contributor
Featured Image: The first experience of playing with a band triggered Stover’s deep affection for music. | Jennifer Shields
Sean Stover, York alumnus and band member of the group Silus, is a virtuoso who celebrates the communal power of music.
While at York, Stover was president of the York University Musician Society. After graduation, he continued to promote social connection through music.
Stover has an aptitude in a plethora of instruments including, but not limited to: the mandolin, drums, bass guitar, banjo, and alto saxophone. He is well known as a talented guitarist, focused primarily on jazz guitar, while also branching out into folk guitar.
At age thirteen, Stover fell in love with music. In his words, it was, “the first experience of playing with a band,” that triggered his deep affection for music.
In elucidating his passion, Stover says music is a language, and takes time and discipline to learn. He explains that structured classroom teaching is always best supplemented by social interactions with other people.
Stover praises musical collaboration and is enthusiastic over its potential to inspire and foster learning. He says that, “the best way you learn music is by immersing yourself into a community, and an environment, and by playing with other people.”
During his time at York University, in classes and at Frosh week, Stover met the majority of his Silus bandmates. Stover chose to study at York because of its concurrent education program, and for its focus on jazz, in the music department.
Silus is an instrumental/ambient, post-rock group. Their music is adventurous and unusual. For example, in their compositions they will often reintroduce themes throughout the piece, shuffling the forefront and background of melodies. This loans the music a sense of familiarity.
What has been Stover’s biggest challenge musically? Stover notes that meeting other skilled musicians remains a tough go. Often, a musician will emerge from a high school within which they were amongst the cream of the crop. Entering a university, these same students may often feel discouraged and more ‘run of the mill.’ This may hinder their musical development.
Stover offers a friendly word. Rather than being discouraged, he motivates the importance of “defining your own voice, understanding your skill sets, and how that separates you from everyone else.”
Stover, as many students end up doing, became a teacher. He fills that role passionately. “You see a lot of yourself in students,” says Stover.
Stover’s advice for aspiring musicians who seek success is to: “Involve yourself in a music community whether it’s at home, whether it’s at school, wherever. I think learning to speak music through other people is what will instill the passion necessary to develop the craft, learn to play better, and communicate more eloquently as a musician.”
