College students are driven by a number of things. Many of them strive toward getting good grades and setting up their future. For these four students, those things ring true, but music is something that reins in their veins.

Here are their stories. From their beginnings, all the way up until their current lives as student musicians.

EllieMae Music – The solo artist

EllieMae Millenkamp, freshman in agricultural business, grew up on a dairy farm and music had always been a passion of hers. She sang in church and even wrote songs at an early age. Upon coming to college, her passion for making music has grown to new heights.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve fell in love with music more and more,” Millenkamp said. “It’s something that I want to pursue.”

College brought many new musical opportunities to her attention, including singing on the worship team at the Salt Company, open-mic nights and campus competitions like Cyclone Voice and Cy-Factor.

She has also received a lot of encouragement from friends and family about her music after coming to Iowa State. Millenkamp said she has friends who will sit down and listen to her music and give constructive criticism.

“They are always willing to listen to my songs and tell me if they are bad or good,” Millenkamp said.

One of those friends is fellow student musician Tyler Geiger. They jam and even write together.  He eventually introduced her to Forte Studios in Boone, Iowa.

Right now, Millenkamp is recording her first full-length album there. She wants to have about ten songs on the record. This will include original music, and her first single will be a song entitled “Russian Roulette.”

She said the single is special to her because it is a unique song about a personal experience. Having music come out is something Millenkamp has strived for in the last year.

“Last year I told myself, ‘My goal for the year is to have a song come out,’” Millenkamp said.  “I’ve reached my goal.”

But what about the challenges of being a student musician? While school is a top priority, Millenkamp said she is easily able to make time for music in her schedule.

In fact, between all of the classwork and other stresses that come with college life, it is her getaway.

“When you’re stressed out, it is always nice to just go and play a few songs,” Millenkamp said. “It’s a good coping mechanism.”

Funding the album could be a challenge on the horizon for Millenkamp. Releasing music can be expensive in general, and even more so on a college student’s budget. But she has a lot of determination, and uses advice from her father to help back her dream.

“My dad has always told me that it takes money to make money, and if it is something that you really love, do it,” Millenkamp said.

Millenkamp said she is excited to have the album in her hands upon completion. Perhaps the most rewarding part of it all though, will be having a new way to share her music with others.

One of her favorite things about music is the way it can help people who are struggling with issues in life. She wants to inspire people through songs during tough times in the way other artists have affected her.

“You know when you get sad you just listen to music? That’s like what I want to be. I want to be the person people listen to when they are sad or happy,” Millenkamp said.

At the end of the day, Millenkamp said being a musician is not about becoming rich or famous. To her, it is about helping people. In the past, she has worried about doing the right thing with her life, but she feels music is keeping her on the perfect track.

“If I know I can encourage and help other people, then I know I am doing something right,” Millenkamp said.

Tyler Richton Geiger – A man and his band

It was a big summer for Tyler Richton and The High Bank Boys. They entered NASH Next, a nationwide music competition, and received the chance to perform at its local finale during The Iowa State Fair.

Not only did they show their music off to many new faces that day, they also became the Des Moines winners of the competition.

Right now, the band is busy working on an EP and have a lot of exciting opportunities on the horizon. Richton, junior in agricultural business, said they have received constant bookings for shows since the competition.

By looking at their lives as musicians right now, one could say they are living in a milestone.

The band has been together since high school. In fact, their first show was drummer Sid Roorda’s graduation party.

When college came knocking, the guys went to different schools across the state, including Iowa State, UNI and Central College, but distance has not stopped them. They all make sacrifices to make music work with their busy schedules.

“I’m very fortunate to have the great group of guys that I do because there are a lot of people in this world that wouldn’t make those kind of sacrifices,” Richton said.

Richton’s connection with music started when he was very young. His grandma taught him how to play piano at the age of eight.

In high school, he picked up guitar and played in a punk-rock group, but later moved to country and found his High Bank Boys.

School comes first right now, and on-campus clubs mean a great deal to him. But music is intertwined into it all.

Even though he may be away from his band during most of the week, there is a time where they can all shine together, the weekend.

Richton tries to make the most of his days off from school by always doing something music related, whether that be with the band, as a solo act in an acoustic show or through church. In his mind, there are no weekends off as an artist.

While practicing with the band can be hard because of time and distance, the love of performing keeps the group together. Richton said music does not feel like work to him and his guys, it is actually more of a break from the hustle and bustle of life.

“At this point in our lives, it feels like something that is more of chance to get away from the school environment and for us to just be ourselves, and I think that’s kind of what keeps us going,” Richton said.

In the future, there will be more hurdles for the band to overcome. Richton mentioned something like internships might affect the band’s summer schedule.

But for him and the High Bank Boys, it all goes back to that love of putting on a good show. He said even if a gig is far away, the idea of performing gets him excited and a good live show makes everything, including the long drive, worth it.

“It’s never been about the pay for us, it’s about making music on stage and the rush of hearing people scream back at you,” Richton said.

Similar to Millenkamp, it’s not about becoming famous for Richton. He said even if music does not work out, he will not regret anything he has done or is doing. Even if hard times come about, he will not give up.

Being a student and a musician at the same time has given him skills that will last a lifetime, including multitasking. Perhaps the most important lesson he has taken away from performing is that you cannot take discouragement to heart.

Because he and his band are young, sometimes people do not always listen, and shows do not always come to be. Richton does not think that is a reason to slow down. In fact, it keeps his band going.

“We don’t take personal offense to that,” Richton said. “We understand that we are a good band, but we have things to work on, and that just gives us more motivation to keep going forward.”

Lucas Brandt – The music producer

Music is like a day-to-day companion for Lucas Brandt, senior in advertising. For every new stage in his life, a new musical endeavor follows.

Brandt picked up violin, piano, trombone and cello before and throughout elementary school. But in sixth grade, his passion for music went to a new level because of a talent show.

“I had always wanted to do something for that sixth grade talent show, and I did,” Brandt said.

He said his performance at that particular show was not very good, but a couple of his good friends, which he would later make music with, played a rendition of “Crazy Train” that he liked a lot. 

After that, his love of music grew side by side with his friendships. In eighth grade, he returned to the talent show with his friends and performed two Blink-182 songs to an excited crowd.

“We played the final act of the talent show and kids were crowd surfing,” Brandt said.

In high school, Brandt was in an array of bands and he performed at several venues around Des Moines. During that time, he said his taste in music and performing style changed. He wanted to produce an album on his own. That idea fleshed out more after he entered college.

Everything Brandt did in the past has led up to his current endeavor, and possibly his most passionate pursuit yet, electronic music production.   

The layout of his room is much like a typical student’s would be. Except he has turned it into a music studio.

After class, Brandt comes home to work with his audio equipment and instruments. Every afternoon he sits and creates, hoping to make the right sounds that will lead to great music. 

He said music of this type is something he finds easier to work on with a college student’s schedule.

“I haven’t been playing live because I feel like I haven’t had time, being a student,” Brand said. “But I do have time to learn everything I need to learn about music production and everything that goes down when you are trying to make a song sound good.” 

When looking at all of Brandt’s equipment, one might think learning how to use it would be intimidating. He said while there is a lot to learn, more than anyone would imagine in fact, the process can be simple because it all depends on how someone looks at it.   

Last year, Brandt produced and released an indie-rock project titled “EP True.” He is very proud of it, but he feels much more could have been done with the album because of the knowledge he has gained since.

He said electronic production has changed how he looks at music immensely. His synthesizer and DJ Deck have added a lot to his creative process as a musician. Since March, he has produced 20 electronic songs.

Making a song perfect can be tough. It can take a lot of time, but Brandt loves the feeling of completing a song. Something that starts out as an idea in his head and turns into a physical product he can present to people gives him an amazing feeling.

“I have so many good memories of just standing up after I feel like I’ve finally hit that threshold where the song is complete … It’s the best feeling ever, there is nothing that compares to finishing a song for me,” Brandt said.

Joshua Petefish – GENRE club leader

Joshua Petefish, senior in management information systems, had been into music for a long time before coming to college. During his sophomore year at Iowa State, new creative doors were opened and he discovered a whole network of student musicians.

It all started when Petefish met fellow student Michael EnTin. He described their meeting as by chance; they connected over talking about an old funk song called “Release the Beast” by Breakwater.

“He knew it and he was aware of it, and I thought, ‘There’s something to this kid, right?,’” Petefish said.

That common tidbit started their friendship, and, before long, EnTin asked him to join his band Truth Machine, a group that was intertwined with GENRE club.

Since Petefish joined the band, there have been changes within it and some members have moved on to other things, but the group is still going strong to this day. They have played local shows at venues like DG’s Tap House and Morning Bell Coffee Roasters.

On top of that, they are currently recording their first album. The band had been together for so long, that making something physical felt right. Petefish said a completed album would help keep the band alive no matter what happens in the future.

“I think Truth Machine has made it far enough for us not to keep this alive in some way would feel like a waste,” Petefish said.

None of the band’s success would be possible though without one big thing, GENRE. Petefish said the club gave Truth Machine places to practice, skills to use in the music world and the overall confidence to take off.

“Without Genre club, I don’t know how many shows we would be able to play or how often we would be able to practice,” Petefish said. “We wouldn’t have been able to talk to DG’s in the way that we did, we wouldn’t of had that relationship, and it would’ve taken us a lot longer to get off the ground.”

Today, Petefish is the president of GENRE. After getting on the executive board, he said becoming president was always in the back of his mind.

Petefish said there is no way he could handle all the work on his own though, and he owes a lot to other members of the executive board. Much like his band, they are a team too. Their skills combine together and make something special.

“I’m grateful for what GENRE club is, but I’m really thankful for the people who make it possible,” Petefish said. 

As president, Petefish hopes he and the executive board can offer the same assistance to up-and-coming bands that he received. He loves having a chance to share something that has been such a special part of his time at Iowa State with others.

“Being in charge of that is cool, giving people the opportunity that I had,” Petefish said.

Petefish said he did not really expect to fall into the life of a student musician in the way he did before coming to Iowa State. A club dedicated to students who love music, and a thriving music scene in Ames were both pleasant surprises.

At the end of each GENRE show, Petefish feels a sense of accomplishment because he gets to help carry on a special tradition for students who love music.

“Someone had the idea for GENRE club years ago and people have stuck around and have been proud of it and worked hard,” Petefish said. “Being apart of that and keeping it running feels incredible.”