Music is commonly referred to as the “universal language.” It is a medium of art that is able to connect with everybody. If this is true, then senior Nate Arnstein is fluent.

Arstein primarily focuses on playing the drums and guitar but is also competent at bass, keyboard, and singing. With his musical talent, Arnstein focuses on writing his own music, either solo or with his bands, The Brookline Community Teen Band and The Nate Arnstein Band. Arnstein works hard to improve his technique and skill in all areas of his playing and hopes to take his music to the next level.

Since a young age, Arnstein has been drawn towards music and instruments. Arnstein said his obsession with music began in his early childhood.

“My dad was a drummer, so when I was a kid I had a drum kit in my house, and he would teach me how to play,” Arnstein said. “When I was two I had this guitar, which was something I was always playing with like a toy. And when I was five my parents got me lessons for guitar and I haven’t stopped since then.”

Although music has always sparked his interest, he said it wasn’t until 8th grade that he realized music was not just a hobby, but it was also something that could make a difference in others’ lives too.

“When I was in 8th grade I did a benefits concert for my neighbor’s grandparents who had Parkinson’s disease. We raised several thousand dollars for Parkison’s research and that inspired me a lot,” Arnstein said.

Since then, Arnstein has released some of his own music, such as his EP from last February: A Larger Scale. Recently, however, Arnstein has put a lot of time into improving his own musical technique. One of his fellow band members, senior Nathaniel Baron said the time Arnstein puts into simply practicing helps separate him from other musicians.

“He works very hard, and he is very diligent when it comes to practicing. He wants it really badly and manifests that. He puts in the hours and it shows,” Baron said.

Arnstein said he not only wants to expand his knowledge of playing, but also his knowledge about different genres of music.

“I try not to be defined by music genre walls. I’m not going to only do jazz or rock. I’m trying to learn as much about each genre as I can, and then put my own spin on it.” Arnstein said. “This can mean the different techniques and ways that you can play the guitar. That can be chord melodies with jazz or blues and funk where rhythm is way more involved.”

In a normal world, Arnstein said he would share his new music through performance at gigs. Due to COVID-19, this is not possible, so Arnstein said he is now focusing on releasing music through his Instagram account @natearnstein.

However, Arnstein said he looks forward to the days when performing in front of crowds is a possibility again. His friend and lead guitarist, Thomas Reuter talked about the performance aspect of music and said that it is something that helps Arnstein stick out.

“From a performance perspective, he knows how to get the crowd involved. He has a fun stage persona, and he has a lot of fans,” Reuter said.

Until then, Arnstein said he remains working diligently trying to perfect his music. Despite all that is left to learn, he said he always enjoys himself and looks forward to the future. According to Arnstein, he will be attending Berklee College of Music in the fall but hopes to be involved in music long after.

“I feel like I don’t know what I would be doing right now if music didn’t exist,” Arnstein said. “Music is really something that lifts your spirit and helps lift people’s spirits and I want to be a part of that.”