American Tonic
Harvard Senior Thesis, awarded high honors
About
American Tonic is a suite of original music stemming from interviews, self-reflection, and research about the chronic illness experience – specifically type 1 diabetes. In a culture that so heavily emphasizes medical cures and the capitalist-defined role of the productive citizen, this piece explores how a once-lethal illness unfolded both within me and within the broader context of American society with its stigma and cruelties, even in the face of such medical miracles as insulin. Bombarded with language surrounding "overcoming" and "triumph" since my diagnosis, I strive to complicate these potentially harmful and able-bodied-defined narratives. Instead I ask: what would true wellness look and feel like? Music has proved to be uniquely suited for this inquiry, as it has an unprecedented capacity for building empathy and nuance, especially in a sphere that is so generally misunderstood. Above all, American Tonic is the culmination of a healing journey and a plea for connection and understanding. Through song, guided improvisations, and interview clips interwoven throughout, American Tonic puts sound to an experience that cannot be seen.
Its first performance was in Holden Chapel at Harvard University. The project began as my senior thesis, which received highest honors. My thesis advisor was Dr. Vijay Iyer.
