Hinsdale South Grad Heads West to Pursue Music Dreams

One of Ryan Jarvis’ favorite songs to perform live is “La Ragazza”—“The Girl,” in Italian—a complicated acoustic track he wrote.

“People always seem to remember it,” he said. It’s a memorable track for him, too.

He intended a key line to read, “The girl who trips a lot.” With the help of a friend, he came to the Italian translation, “La ragazza que scatta molto.”

Very pretty. Except that it doesn’t mean “trips a lot.” It means “snaps a lot.”

But like any good songwriter, Jarvis, 18, said he saw the beauty in the error—“trips” in Italian wouldn’t have fit as nicely with the rhythm of the song. 

Such carefully crafted phrasings are a hallmark of Jarvis’ music. After making his mark locally with performances at such venues as the Abbey Pub and Heartland Café, the recent grad now heads to California to start his freshman year of college and continue his pursuit of a music career.

“Ryan Jarvis is an amazing talent,” said Hinsdale South Director of Bands Patrick Maag. “He is one the most accomplished guitar players I have ever encountered as a high school student.”

On Wednesday, Jarvis leaves for Citrus College in Glendora, CA. After a year, he said he plans on transferring to the University of Southern California to pursue the 3-year-old pop music major and possibly minor in film music.

Experience, Jarvis’ seven-man band, won Hinsdale South’s in February, and on Aug. 10 the group filmed an epic recording of their final performance. (Three of the seven members are heading off to college.)

Jarvis plans on editing footage from eight camera angles into a concert DVD.

He hopes the concert DVD will help his music be heard by an even larger audience. “That’s going to be my big freshman year project,” he said.

Jarvis admires the music of Jason Mraz, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, John Mayer (“Musically, not personality-wise,” he clarified) and The Eagles. Those influences are evident in Jarvis’ songwriting, which are filled with sunny melodies and optimistic lyrics. 

His list of music-related activities at Hinsdale South would make even supreme overachievers’ heads spin: Jarvis performed with Madrigals, Monday Night Ensemble, Tunutos (an a capella group), , jazz combo, marching band, concert band, pep band and in the pit orchestra for musicals. Oh yeah—and president of the guitar club.

“[H]e continued to grow as a musician over his four years at South,” said Katheryn Vukson, the school’s director of choirs. “He pursued any music-related class or activity, and any opportunity to perform.”

Beyond Darien, Jarvis has performed as a guitarist and bassist at numerous clubs in Chicago, as well as at the Grammy Museum and El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. For three years, he was one of 83 teens out of 2,500 applicants to participate in the Grammy’s music camp, also in L.A. 

“The cool part is every musician is there to pursue the same thing,” he said. “They’re not just dabbling anymore. It’s a different standard of passion.” 

Music is in the genes for the singer-songwriter. In his family, he said, you’re a black sheep if you don’t play an instrument. His dad performed in bands around the area, and his mom, a choreographer, always has music playing in the house.

Jarvis is the first in his family, however, to look toward music as a career.

“I think that the sky is the limit in terms of Ryan's future in the music business,” Maag said. “I am certain we will be listening to Ryan Jarvis CDs in the future.” 

With a presence on Facebook, YouTube, ReverbNaiton and MySpace, Jarvis is making good use of social media to spread his music.

“I want it to be accessible,” he said. “At this point, it’s about being heard rather than making money.” 

With Jarvis’ talent and determination, that kind of success surely can’t be far behind.