Earlier this year, Aaron Rausch received a phone call from TVW, Washington State’s public affairs network, informing him he had won their composition competition. The 21-year-old percussion performance major’s composition would be played live at TVW’s 25th Anniversary Celebration as the new jingle for the network’s 2020 programming. 

In addition to having his composition featured on TVW, Rausch received a $500 music scholarship and was invited to the TVW 25th Anniversary Celebration Gala on February 13 in Olympia, Washington. Unfortunately, due to a commitment to a concert performance, Rausch wasn’t able to make it to the Gala.

“We loved it,” said TVW President Renee Radcliff Sinclair when asked about the winning composition. “It was chosen because it most closely conveyed what we were hoping to convey through auditory means about TVW.”

TVW’s composition competition asked for two small clips of music. The first was a jingle, and the second was a more fleshed out 30-second version of the jingle. 

Rausch originally found out about the competition through advertisements posted throughout some of the buildings on CWU’s campus. Radcliff Sinclair said that a big reason for the partnership between CWU and TVW was because of music professor Bret Smith, who sat down with TVW last summer and helped come up with the idea for the competition.

“It was really cool to hear that my work was selected,” Rausch said. “One of the adjudicators said there was a lot of competition, and to get mine selected out of all of that was really gratifying, especially because this was my first time doing any serious composing.”

Director of Percussion Studies Mark Goodenberger has fond memories of his lessons with Rausch. 

“A lot of our lessons are conversational, where he’s got a concept he’s working on and we kind of talk through it,” Goodenberger said. “He’s a lot more than just a percussionist, and so it’s been fun to help him develop that and just have those conversations with him. I enjoy him a lot.”

Goodenberger even remembers Rausch’s first audition to get into the music program in winter 2017. 

“He did a great job,” Goodenberger said. “I could see a lot of potential, so I accepted him into the studio.”

Rausch originally became interested in music at a very young age, taking a percussion and drumming class in elementary school. Eventually, his parents enrolled him in piano lessons as well. Currently, his focus is on percussion, piano and composition. 

“Obviously, I practice a lot,” Rausch said. “I play a lot of music. I study a lot of music. I just love to geek out over those sorts of things.” 

His favorite musical genres include funk and jazz. Rausch also participates in a few jazz ensembles in the Ellensburg area. 

“I’ve played drums in the past but I’m more of a jazz pianist in these groups,“ Rausch said.

In the future, Rausch hopes to use his talents to teach private lessons. 

“I want to own a small teaching studio. I’m unsure if it will be a drumming studio or a piano studio for piano beginners. One of those two is my goal,” Rausch said. “Teaching is one of my bigger passions, performing as well, but teaching is where I want to do the most inspiring of others.”