Barrett Honors College student Séarlait Green’s thesis will be music to people’s ears

Séarlait “Charlie” Green, a senior music theater major in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, has long loved her craft.

“I grew up in a very musical family. I’ve always loved singing, dancing and acting, and listening to musicals like “Annie” and “Mary Poppins,” Green said.

“I loved to participate in all of the school talent shows growing up, and really fell in love with musical theater in high school. Since then, I’ve always known that I want to pursue a career in the music industry.”

She is using that love of music to complete an honors thesis that any Christmas music enthusiast will love.

 Green is recording an album of her singing nine covers of popular Christmas songs, including “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas,” “Santa Baby,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Silent Night,” and “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.”

Green plans to release the album on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify on December 1. She will use the name Séarli Green on her album and will promote it using @_charlie__green_ on Instagram.

We asked Green to share some insights into her thesis. Here is what she had to say.

You are taking a creative approach to your thesis. How did you decide to do an album of Christmas songs for your project?

I got this idea from the third member of my thesis committee Phoenix Theatre Casting Director and ASU Music Faculty Associate Chelsea Anderson. She mentioned it to me in class during my junior year, and I thought it was such a cool idea for a thesis. I knew that Barrett and the ASU School of Music would provide the perfect resources for me to complete this project. 

There are thousands of Christmas songs. How did you decide on the nine songs for your album? Are these your favorite Christmas songs? If so, what makes them favorites?

These nine songs are some of my favorite Christmas songs. I love these songs because they remind me of the feeling of Christmas and bring me so much joy when singing them. These are the songs that I have always listened to every year during the holiday season, and I wanted to find a way to foster a deeper connection with them. 

What challenges have you faced in doing your thesis and how have you overcome them?

The biggest challenge I faced was figuring out logistics of rights for recording and releasing music. I have been in contact with several ASU resources, including my voice teacher and second member of my thesis committee Stephanie Sadownik, Barrett Advising and ASU Library, which have all helped me figure out how I can properly secure rights to release cover songs on streaming services. I also reached out to my recording studio, Mind’s Eye Digital Recording Studio, and the rights-holders themselves which has been a huge help in finalizing these agreements. 

Have you received thesis funding from Barrett? What did the process to apply and get funding entail?

I have received thesis funding from Barrett. It was a super easy and straightforward process that included writing a summary of the project, obtaining receipts/invoices, and getting a letter from my thesis director, Toby Yatso, to approve the project.

What advice would you give to students who are starting their thesis?

Do something fun! Look for something that makes you excited about your thesis. Creating an album has been such an interesting process and I look forward to working on this project every day. Barrett also provides so many resources to you throughout the thesis process, so take advantage of everything that you can and don’t hold back! 

Green sang in the ASU School of Music Junior Cabaret. Hear her performance here.

Story by Barrett Honors College student Rebecca Smalley.