Profile; Ben Tan

His cell phone rang.

“Yo, what’s up?”

A muffled voice is heard on the other line.

“Yeah, I can be there right now,” he said, as he headed to his dorm room on the sixth floor of the Little Building at Emerson College. His book bag sat on his back, books protruded from the seams. It looked over 50 pounds. Ben Tan always lugs all his books around.

“If I don’t I’m gonna end up forgetting, I can be really, really forgetful,” he said taking a sip of his coffee. Outside his door, his roommate was waiting. He forgot his key.

“This kid is the best roommate,” said Mike Riv, who lives with Tan, an 18-year old freshman at Emerson College.

It’s a typical college dorm, music and movie posters on the wall, striped towels hung over the bed, dirty clothes overloaded the hamper, and a messy desk in the corner. Underneath this representative look however, was where Ben’s true self appeared.

Tan grew up in a town 10 miles outside Boston called Wakefield. While living there he constantly visited Boston’s North End and Chinatown. He knew this was where he wanted to go to college. Once he visited Emerson, there was no doubt that this would be his ideal school.

While Tan is still considering his choice in career, he currently majors in Broadcast Journalism and eventually would like to be a part of the television and video world.

“I really haven’t planned that far ahead for my career, we have four years to figure that out,” said Ben as he walked over to his desk and took a seat behind his computer near a harmonica.

An array of instruments were scattered around his dorm room. A guitar out of its case sat atop a tall brown cabinet, and a black keyboard sat behind his desk.

Tan has already taken a course on the history of American music, and hopes to minor in Music Appreciation in the years to follow.

“I try not to get too mathematical about music though,” he adds. Besides playing music, Tan continues at WERS Radio Station at Emerson, currently working as a D.J. and a reporter.

“They don’t play nearly enough jazz on the station,” Tan says. As a member of his middle and high school jazz band, Tan grew to appreciate jazz. In high school Tan and his friends began a garage jazz band, playing at their school as well as local gigs. He also writes music for the band and himself.

He turned around toward his keyboard wiped the dust off the keys and began to play, “I wrote this summer of 2007,” his fingers stood stiff over the keys, his back straight and his glasses just falling to the edge of his nose. He started with a few cords.

“It’s a simple melody, that’s kind of my style,” he says. “It’s called ‘Trying not to be in Love.’” His fingers loosened as they moved up and down the keyboard. His white and blue Reebok sneakers tapped below him. At first he seemed a little nervous to play, but he chuckled as he noticed how into the song he gets.

“I want to use his music in my movies,” his roommate interrupted. “He is such a good piano player.”

Tan and Riv have been friends their entire life. After they found out they were both coming to Emerson, they decided to become roommates.

“We will stay close friends for ever,” Riv says.
In the midst of it all, Ben hopes to double major next year in Political Communications. Whether it is playing music, becoming a radio show host, or his dream to be broadcast on television, Tan is constantly motivated by his surroundings and his friendships.