Simply Belle

New York, London, or Gay Parie? Hardly. Stephanie Mae grew up in a small town in rural Arizona. There,  in the rarefied mountain air, she composed many of the tunes you find on her CD, Pokerface.

It started one afternoon while life guarding at the municipal pool. She discovered that the melodic splashing of all the twittering, laughing children somehow instilled in her mind the basis of the tune, “At The Edge.” Then, While washing dishes one evening, she put together a few bars of ” Crazy” to the musical background of pots and pans scraping against the sink. And as a president of the high school Key Club, the tune Poker Face found its way into her assembly while she was listening to the clanking of donations dropping onto assorted piles. On these occasions, she would rush home to her piano and finish composing her new songs while they were still fresh in her mind.

As time went on, her passion for music gripped her so deeply that at any moment, she might set the piano to jumping and the walls to shaking when she pounded away at the ivories. Members of the family would have to flee to the far corners of the house to protect their ears. Are those signs of a genius?

It is often said that music and mathematics are interrelated. And when a person is exceptional in one branch of knowledge, she might do well in the other. So it is true with Stephanie Mae. Her aptitude for mathematics earned her a scholarship at Stanford University where she is currently pursuing, of all things, a degree in Bio Mechanical Engineering! Well, a girl has to earn a living, doesn’t she? But you can bet that she crams in plenty of music appreciation courses into her busy schedule. And she spends quality time with her friends in the Every Day People A Capella choir.

Stephanie Mae is now in her senior year and can’t wait to graduate. She plans to start her own recording studio where in her free time after work, she can sing and burn CDs to her heart’s content. Bravo! We expect to see and hear a lot more of Stephanie’s extensive talents in the near future. That is, unless she plans to go to grad school. Stay tuned.

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Yet another of my shameless plug:

My daughter, Stephanie, has recently pre-recorded a new song titled, When You Sing, via computer, and I would like to share it with you. You can listen to it by going to her myspace site. This is the kind of music that she wants to specialize in because it basically fits her personality, and it is the kind of music that she can easily do live without needing a band to back her up.

K was asking if she recorded an album for the holidays. The answer is No because she is currently finishing a degree in Biomechanical Engineering that is quite a demanding course by itself.
She will graduate in June of 2009. It is a good thing that engineering here only takes 4 years of rigorous and grueling study as opposed to 5 years in the Philippines. And another good thing is she doesn’t have to take an engineering board exam to be a licensed engineer, which I find hard to believe. Why is that?

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I have been busy these days because my girls are with me for a short visit and I wanted so very much to maximize my time with them so I haven’t had a chance to think of a topic to write about. Instead, I thought I would share a preview of a song that Steffi recorded just a few days ago via computer. It is called “Every Song.” This song will appear in an upcoming album that she wishes to record sometimes this fall, time permitting.

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I poster earlier a cover of Bon Jovi’s song Livin’ on a Prayer by Stephanie, but for some reason, it was no longer available and for that I apologize.

Here’s another video of one of Stephanie’s songs that I found on YouTube. Yes, I came across the video on YouTube so she doesn’t have any idea I am posting it here in my blog. It is called “Trust.” The video is composed of several images that came to her mind during the writing, arranging, and production of the song- currently her favorite from her repertoire.

Here it is:

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Thought I would share with you a cover by Stephanie Mae of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer.

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Sharing with you Stephanie’s live on-air interview with Kit McGuire on Kit’s Korner - KRIM-FM 96.3 in Payson: Interview

She sang a new song titled “When You Sing” toward the middle of the interview which made me cry. I was in the studio when she sang the song and I had to face the wall the whole time while she was singing, with tears flowing down on my face.

I took this picture of Kit and Stephanie during the live interview. I quietly hung out at the far corner taking pictures. This was my first time to be in the studio while an interview was going on. I tell you, it was an awesome experience! Now I am reaping the benefits of hanging around and rubbing elbows with the celebrity…hehe. (Kit, by the way, was an actor during his heyday.) He is single and looking for that special someone. I have known him for some time and I tell you he is such a fun loving person, and an awesome radio announcer. Ohh, I just found out that he blogs here.

Stephanie Mae preparing to sing live on the air.

Stephanie and Suzanne Michaels (station manager of KRIM-FM 96.3)

She was the one who screened Stephanie’s CD when I brought it over to her station. She told me only a few CDs out of the many submissions make the grade, and I honestly thought Stephanie’s would not make it but I was wrong. Suzanne, as you can see in the picture is a happy, outgoing person and has the best smile which depicts, humbleness, decency, love, and friendliness. Visit her site at KRIM-FM 96.3 and if you can, try to leave a message.

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Here are some pictures of the finished product Stephanie made for her ME203 project. It’s called “Lap-a-Desk” and it’s the kind that folds up into a mini-desk. It’s ideal for using when you’re lying in bed and want to keep the laptop in an elevated position. It’s also designed to use as a lap-desk so it blocks the heat that comes from the laptop. The desk revolves 360 so you can use the other side as a flat desk surface.  The blue stuff silicone was supposed to help grip the laptop, but it doesn’t work very well so she inserted those wooden pieces you see that hold up the laptop. She made everything except the hinges.

Her proudest accomplishment of the moment! It took her 6 weeks plus about 4 weeks of lab where they learned how to use the equipment. She also had to make a magnifying glass from scratch. She made the wooden desk by using the sanding machine to make the curves. She said, it was hard to get all the curves symmetrical and even. But, the hard work paid off.

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Finding her harmony
Junior singer-songwriter releases debut album

March 5, 2008 by Roxna Irani

Pop — Six — Squish — Uh-uh — Cicero — Lipschitz!”

Dorm lounge, Thursday night.

A game of beer pong under way; the persistent sound of a hollow plastic ping pong ball trying in vain to land inside the cup. Two long-lost friends catching up on life, their chatter adding to the indistinct haze of music playing in the background. Another student in a corner working on an essay; the backspace key speaking the loudest.

And then a moment of silence. Unwanted silence. But silence that put that random medley of sounds into a different light. In a unique way, these students were creating a different genre of music. It was their own Chicago Cell Block Tango: Pop — Six — Squish — Uh-uh — Cicero — Lipschitz!

And Monday evening at the Toyon Eating Clubs was the Pop — Six — Squish of Stanford’s own face of music, rising singer-songwriter Stephanie Hilliard ‘09. Hilliard, a biomechanical engineering major from Payson, Ariz., officially released her first CD this week. Called “Poker Face,” it includes songs she composed and sang.

Continue: Stanford Daily

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