Hi! My name is Jacinta Widjaja, and I am currently a year 10 student attending Abbotsleigh. This week, I am attending work experience at Eastside Radio, and I am so excited to work with the team. I chose to do work experience here because of my interest and curiosity in media including marketing, learning how to work in a professional environment and of course music.

Music has been a part of my life since I was six years old, and I prepare for clarinet and piano AMEB exams annually, as well as undertaking singing lessons. I am part of a range of ensembles at school, as well.

From listening to ABC jazz in the car to visiting jazz clubs in New York City, I love jazz. My favourite artists Ella Fitzgerald and Samara Joy who is a 21st century jazz musician. I love the rich tone of their voices and their abilities to flawlessly make such fun and suitable improvisations in their performances. As my love for jazz has grown, I’ve now transitioned from primarily singing musical theatre pieces, to learning how to scat, improvise and develop a soulful tone.

I love improvising to chords on the piano, and as a result I love writing music – I hope to produce a few songs in the near future. I hope my time at Eastside Radio will help me understand the behind the scenes of recording, perhaps not music, but people in general.

Apart from jazz, I also love listening to Indie, Pop, K-Pop, R&B and even rap. Some of my top artists on spotify include Pink Pantheress, Madison Beer, beadbadoobee, Coldplay.

So far, the team at Eastside Radio has proven to be so welcoming, friendly and informative and I’m looking forward to working with such a lovely group of people. As someone who is listening to music everyday, I truly do appreciate the immense love and care that Eastside Studio displays for the art, and I can’t wait to continue my work experience here!