It started with an electronic piano and turned into an entire career. At 20 years old, Brandon Larocque moved from Inuvik, Northwest Territories to Edmonton to attend Pixel Blue and learn how to be an audio engineer and musician. He’s also done sound design. For a decade, he has collaborated with musicians and filmmakers. He mixed and mastered music for independent artists including singers, reggaeton artists, and Inuk rappers until he moved back to Inuvik to become the Communications Coordinator at the Inuvaluit Regional Corporation.

He was inspired along this career path to avoid the cold and to have something productive to do indoors. Lacrocque and his friends bought a MIDI piano one winter, plugging the electronic piano into the computer and making all sorts of music. Ultimately, he fell in love with making music and didn’t want to stop when the summer came. He went on to become a musician and went to school to become a better one.

His advice for Inuit students considering taking a similar program is “branch out… play some guitar, pick up a fiddle, learn how to throat sing, all of that stuff. But at the same time, don't just stick to that… I like to have hands in different pots all over the place. Explore, experiment, don't stay in a box.”

Thinking of the obstacles he’s faced, Larocque has struggled most with networking given the field is driven a lot by who you know and face to face interaction is one of the easier paths to connection. Living in a remote Northern community can make networking challenging as you are often not in the rooms where you can meet the right people. Going to school to learn technical skills was one way he was able to meet people but he found himself DMing people on Twitter to meet musicians who needed help with their sound. Commitment has been key to success for Larocque, following through with his education, and with his outreach strategy.

If Larocque could have received any advice to help him along the way before he left for school it would have been to save more money.  He was fortunate to have found work one month into his program and be able to go to school while working in the evenings and at night. He also struggled with homesickness but was fortunate to see people from home who were also in town for school. Having a good support circle was helpful, as were calling home and video calls. Spending time with friends was good for balancing his mental health and wellness and having a roommate was also helpful since they had known each other since they were teenagers.

When it comes to inspiration, Larocque looks to his culture. He’s been working on an album of Inuit house music and enjoying reconnecting with his culture since he’s moved home. “I came home and I was immediately inspired, just from being physically home” he beams. Being part of an elders storytelling gathering filled up his cup creatively. It’s come through in his work, too. Where in past albums he’s felt some restraint, he’s let it all out this time. “I'm up to my neck. I'm letting it take over the music, the rollout, the culture behind it, I'm completely submersed, and this is the way to create. This is the way to make art,” he confides.

An electronic piano and a desire to stay warm in the winter sparked his entire career and now Brandon Larocque has spent over a decade making music. Learning to rise above the challenges of networking from the North, of homesickness and financial struggle, he’s come out on top with new tunes and inspiration. Committed, creative and culturally connected, he’s found his way back home and to his next level of music.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.