Buehrer releases original music

Trine University senior Elyse Buehrer has released four original songs on online music services as her capstone project.

The EP, or extended play, is titled “Place” and is available through iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody, Google Play Music and others. It includes the songs “Bleeding to Death,” “I Want to Know You,” “Place” and “God’s Blessing.”

“I’ve been writing songs since before I can remember, just making up songs as a kid, and I have about 40 complete songs I’ve written,” she said Wednesday during a reception for her music in Taylor Hall’s Wells Gallery. “A lot of them are religious in nature; some less so. The ones that I’ve included in this project are a combination.”

“As a music major, I have to have a capstone project as a senior that incorporates both music and my minor, which is communications, so I thought about recording and then promoting an album,” she said. “I chose to do an EP, which is shorter, because of time constraints, but I’m hoping to record throughout the summer and into the fall and complete a full-length album.”

Buehrer grew up in a musical family and performs with her parents and five younger siblings, who all play instruments and sing, around the tri-state area. Besides singing, Buehrer plays the piano, the highland bagpipe, the organ and the ukulele.

On the album, in addition to providing the vocals, she plays all the keyboard parts and some of the percussion. Mark Kays, chair of Trine’s Department of Music, provides guitar accompaniment and students Ray Second and Isaac Nice add bass and drums.

After graduation, in addition to working on her album and performing with her family, Buehrer plans to continue serving as pianist at area churches and teach private piano lessons. Her long-term goal is to serve as a full-time church music director.

“I’ve really enjoyed my education here at Trine,” she said. “It’s been very personal and oriented toward my personal goals. I’ve really enjoyed the environment with the professors being very accessible, and I’m looking forward to using what I’ve learned in the future.”