Alexa Ford’s love for music performance has been a lifelong pursuit which has led her to be the only female singer in the jazz department at USC.
Ford’s passion for singing began at a young age when she would sing so loudly at church that people would turn around and look at her. After begging for piano and singing lessons, her mom finally gave in, and she began crafting her talent. From classical training at age nine to writing her own music at age 11, Ford’s future as a musician did not come as a surprise.
Ford chose to go to a private Catholic high school because of its music program. Her high school music teacher introduced her to jazz music, and she was encouraged to perform with the New York All State Jazz Group her senior year.
Ford's musical talent did not go unnoticed. During high school, she was offered a publishing deal with Airgo Entertainment, and even though she didn’t take the deal, she still recorded her personal music with them.
Ford also worked with HBO to create an online promotion for Game of Thrones while she was still in high school. Though her material got cut, working in that environment was a positive experience.
Opportunities such as this certainly came at a formative time, but Ford said she did not receive the criticism she needed to improve her work. Ford had to decide if she should stay home to pursue her career, attend a music conservatory, or go to a regular university. Even though college takes away four years of potential opportunities, she felt like attending college was the better option and what she wanted to do.
"After a while, being told that you’re so good at something is not a compliment anymore," Ford said. "It’s just you want to get better at it and that’s where I was when I came to college. I just wanted to perfect my craft."
Though Ford ultimately enjoys getting her education at USC, she says that it can be difficult to pass up bigger opportunities in favor of taking classes in a traditional university setting.
"Sometimes I get really frustrated and I want to drop out of school and just go for it," she said. "But it is what I wanted, and I just keep telling myself that."
In a way, USC has given her a “double life," allowing her to do what she loves while also having a normal college experience. Outside of singing, Ford enjoys going to football games and being involved in her sorority, Chi Omega.
Compared to her friends, Ford’s educational experience is much different as a music major. There’s no cramming for tests or spending late nights in the library, but her hours of classes are rigorous in their own way.
“With music you have to sit there and practice the same line over and over and over again until you can play it in every single key,” Ford said.
USC’s jazz program is a small group of dedicated musicians with Ford being the only female singer. Ford said she didn’t realize she was the only girl in the jazz department until someone mentioned it to her earlier in the year.
“They never made me feel any less, you know, so I never even thought about it,” she said.
Since she is the only female singer, she is given the opportunity to perform all the time, which gives her great experience. She says the one-on-one attention she receives is like a private lesson she should pay extra for, but instead she’s receiving college credit. She sees the tight-knit program as beneficial.
“It’s a small program, but the teachers are amazing and then also the students that are in jazz are very invested in it,” Ford said.
In the future, she wants to continue performing jazz and would love to sing her own music, but if it doesn’t work out, she still sees herself working in the music industry.
“In the real world most people don’t really want jazz all of the time," she said, "but any jazz gig I can get outside of college I definitely will take it."