While Anderson says he regularly followed his mother’s advice when it came to his education and career choices, there is no denying that the career he has built as an internationally recognized storyteller, folk musician and educator differs from what either of them could have envisioned while he was a math student at IC.

College often provides transformative experiences for students as they discover their passions and make decisions about which path to follow. For Anderson, it was picking up a $25 guitar during the summer before his junior year at IC that proved to be life-changing.

“I discovered I had a knack for music that I’d never known I had. It caused me to wonder how many people are walking around who are really great musicians, but have never been handed an instrument,” he said.

Anderson started organizing coffee shop performances with a group of fellow students who were already involved in the area music scene. He was self-taught; it would be decades before he considered learning to read music. Eventually Anderson changed his major to psychology and decided that earning a teaching certificate would be a wise move to ensure employment after graduation.

“When I started student teaching, I brought my guitar along and started writing songs for the kids. That really connected things for me and pushed me toward where I am today,” said Anderson.

Anderson remembers taking a wide range of classes at IC, gaining experience in public speaking and being involved on campus — as editor of Forté literary magazine and working for the IC radio station. He credits his experiences at IC as getting him out of his comfort zone and giving him the confidence to forge his own path.

Today, Anderson is retired from teaching, where music was a learning tool incorporated daily in his classroom, but he still performs 200 to 300 shows each year. He has earned the moniker “Dulcimer Guy” for the simple stringed instrument that has become his signature, replacing his guitar. Anderson advises students who are passionate about following his footsteps toward a career in music to “get off the road and walk in the ditch.”

“Look around and see where few people are walking. Figure out your goal and how you can fit music into your life,” he said.

Marina Verenikina Baker ’01, professionally known as Marina V, has also found international success by embracing her unique musical talents. The singer, songwriter and international pop star can Focus on the Arts Special Feature recall her own life-changing experience as an IC student, which happened during the annual Homecoming Follies talent competition.

“I would probably not be here, except for that amazing evening,” she said. “It was the first time I decided to play an original song in public to anybody.”

Baker, an international student, had studied music growing up in Moscow, Russia, but she had no plans to pursue a career in music. Her decision to attend IC was influenced by now-retired high school history teacher Gary Willhoit ’69, who recommended IC for the liberal arts education and mentorship she could gain pursuing a career in international politics.

She was offered a scholarship for music as a member of the choir, which encouraged her to continue practicing her musical skills and helped her build confidence for the Follies.

“I ended up getting the first prize. People came up to me afterwards and told me how much they loved the song. I remember a couple of students said they cried during my song,” said Baker. “I was so moved that somebody could be that affected by what I created. That was a turning point for me.”

Baker then worked with IC administrators to email the campus asking if anyone was interested in pre-ordering her album to fund her studio time and production costs. Her plan worked and she was able to produce thousands of copies for her supporters and to sell more at her first shows, which were held in Jacksonville.

“It really changed my life. I started performing and recording because of that. Before, I wrote songs and I sang them for myself in my own time, which I really loved,” said Baker.

In her career, she has played over 900 shows worldwide with her husband and co-writer, Nick Baker, and received numerous awards including the Los Angeles Music Critic Award, a Hollywood International Entertainment Award and an award from Sir Bob Geldof. She has written multiple songs for video games, films and ads. She has also been praised for her work as a cultural ambassador and credits some of her ability to be successful in multiple countries to her diverse, global studies at IC.

For Stephen Tharp ’92, a career in music always went hand-in-hand with a career in the church. His path to becoming a successful organist, performer and teacher began when he was in high school serving as an organist for Edgebrook Community Church in Chicago.

A choir member at the church had a son at Illinois College, so the IC choirs included Edgebrook on their regional tour to Chicago. Tharp was introduced to Rudolf Zuiderveld, who later became his organ instructor and Garrett Allman, his eventual piano and conducting teacher.

After visiting the College, Tharp made the decision to come to Illinois College, which he called his first real “musical home.” As a student, he continued to be a church musician in Jacksonville and Springfield, but says the most meaningful experiences came in opportunities to play for distinguished visiting artists, through the type of master classes still offered at IC today. Most notably, Tharp had the chance to perform for one of his idols, William Albright, an extremely distinguished organist and composer.

“If I had to define what pushed me to perform and constantly amplify my musical thinking, it would be how those master classes underscored whatever music I was studying,” said Tharp.

Another career-defining opportunity came after he was awarded a scholarship that allowed him to study for two weeks at the International Academy for Organists in Haarlem, Netherlands. Tharp took part in classes and concerts, and was exposed to a rich history of the music he was performing. He says the experience permanently changed the way he thought about music.

Tharp lives in Manhattan where he is the artist in residence at St. James Church in New York City, and travels internationally performing and giving masters classes several times a year. His most recent album, “The St. James Recital,” was considered for a Grammy Award. He said that the rigors of IC academics helped prepare him for his career in music, where there are no shortcuts to success.

“The best thing I could have chosen as an undergraduate student was a liberal arts college. Certainly, I knew what my passion and ultimate professional focus would be at an early age, but there’s nothing quite like learning one discipline through the eyes of another,” said Tharp. “The diversity and perspective possible as the result of a broad range of study at Illinois College has proven invaluable throughout my life and work.”