Arthur Stanley, 20, of Narragansett, Rhode Island, knew music was his passion from a veryyoung age. When he was 10-years-old, his mother signed him up for piano lessons. Stanley began torealize how easy it was to learn songs on the piano and he knew he was naturally gifted.

 

Stanley is originally from Torrance, California, and he moved when he was 15-years old.Stanley and his family resided in Barrington, Rhode Island, for his middle school and high schoolyears. According to Stanley, the move was extremely hard because students in Barrington were not that accepting. “It was my passion for music that helped me keep a positive outlook on life,” said Stanley.

 

While living in California, Stanley played several piano recitals at his elementary school. “I spent hours on top of hours practicing. I never felt like I was good enough. I drove myself crazy because I am such a perfectionist,” said Stanley. At the age of 13-years-old, Stanley began to expand his musical horizons and learn guitar. Stanley was now playing both guitar and piano at his schoolrecitals.

 

The move from California to Barrington had a heavy impact on Stanley's parent's relationship. According to Stanley, they had moved because his father's job had been relocated. However, his mother would have to leave her job if she decided to move to Barrington, which she did not want to do. There was a lot of arguing between Arthur's parents at this time, and their relationship was dampened overall, but his mother decided to move. After living in Barrington for a short period of time, Stanley's mother decided to move back to California, and asked for a divorce. Stanley and his father would now

reside in Barrington by themselves. Arthur's father would have full custody of him. “This was perhaps one of the harder times of my live. My mother had gotten me into music originally and was a source of inspiration. I was also having a hard time making friends in school and I really missed her. I couldn't

get over the fact my parents were not together anymore,” said Stanley.

 

As Stanley grew older, he began to book small shows for himself mainly at local restaurants/bars. In addition, he would play at any concerts, recitals, or talent shows, that would occur at Barrington High School. When he was 17-years-old, he realized the music industry was becoming fully digital. Stanley decided he needed to expand his horizons even more and master musical

production. He spent many hours learning how to operate the musical softwares Logic Pro and Pro Tools. “Really what I did was spend a lot of time watching tutorials and reading the instruction manuals for these softwares. It was a lot of learning through trial and error,” said Stanley.

 

When he was 19-years-old and a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island, his father had to unexpectedly move to Hong Kong. Arthur's father's employer gave him a very short notice, but the pay would be good, and he had to leave. As Arthur finished up his sophomore year at the University of Rhode Island, he made the venture to Hong Kong to live their for the summer with his father. It was inHong Kong that Arthur's most prestigious accomplishment in music would occur.

 

Arthur's father was at a bar late one night, and began to have a friendly conversation with a man named Brendan McReynolds. Brendan McReynolds is the owner/operator of Freestate Sound and has produced music for several famous artists. Some of the artists he has worked with are, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalaea, plus more. McReynolds and Stanley's father became good friends after chatting at the bar, and McReynolds would allow Arthur to drop by the studio frequently.

 

“Working alongside McReynolds was the best learning experience I have ever had in music. He taught me how to record, edit, produce, and master songs. He also taught me a lot about the industry in general and how corrupt it is. Making a decent living as a music engineer is not easy,” said Stanley.

Stanley was able to learn what goes into making a mainstream song, which he found very interesting.

 

Today, Arthur Stanley is a business major and jazz minor at the University of Rhode Island. Stanley wants to take everything he has learned on his own and from McReynolds, and make a career out of it. “I hope to own my own music production company one day when I am older. I also want to

teach piano and guitar lessons, and of course perform for people every once in awhile,” said Stanley.