23
Jun
2026
July 2026 Student Spotlight: Mykol Walters
We are proud to feature bass student Mykol Walters as this year’s July Student Spotlight!
Mykol was nominated by his instructor, Anthony Alletag, who says:
“I nominated Mykol because of his consistent dedication, positive attitude, and growth as a bassist.
He comes to lessons prepared, puts in the work between sessions, and is always eager to learn new concepts and challenge himself.
Beyond his musical progress, he’s respectful, engaged, and brings a great attitude to every lesson. It’s been rewarding to watch his confidence and musicianship develop.“
Congratulations, Mykol! We can’t wait to continue watching your musical and personal growth.
Read the article below to learn about Mykol’s inspirations, goals, and more.
The instrument I study is the bass guitar.
I play the bass because my uncle, one of the best bass players I know, gave me a bass when I was nine.
I remember that day vividly; it was Thanksgiving 2020. My uncle visited for a couple of days, and when he arrived, he brought a shiny red bass. It looked cool. Then, he said it was for me. I was surprised but happy. My mom asked, “Do you want to take bass lessons?” I said, “Yeah, sure.”
My teacher is Anthony Alletag, and what I like most about my teacher is how he is able to play the bass with such precision.
I’ve seen a lot of bass players in my life, and I’m not trying to overexaggerate this, but I think he’s truly one of the most precise bass players I know. Whenever he hits a note, it always sounds clean. It never sounds off or sloppy.
He even sounds precise when he’s playing fast, and that’s what I like about him so much. He is able to play the note so precisely, and his tone sounds amazing.
Another thing I like about my bass teacher is how he gives such great advice, and he’s helped me overcome challenges with the bass. He’s a really good teacher, and he’s helped me with my bass playing skills.
I would like to consider myself an appreciator of all genres, but the main genres that I do listen to are R&B, jazz, and hip hop, and sub-genres within those genres.
The type of music that I like to play is jazz and R&B. My recent favorite artist is this duo that plays the drums and keys, Domi & JD Beck.
My greatest musical challenge is finding the motivation to play the instrument.
You see, at a point in my life, I really wasn’t interested in playing the bass, and sometimes I still feel that way, but what helps me overcome that challenge is realizing that there are people who want me to succeed so badly with that instrument, and it helps me stay motivated to practice my instrument.
I want to be able to play with other people in a live band and start performing. I also want to learn how to get better at playing improvisation more effectively, start being able to make beats faster, and try to make an EP by the end of this summer.
My non-musical goal is to learn how to get better at basketball.
An interesting, fun fact about me is that I love computers, and if it weren’t for music, I would probably be learning how to build computers professionally or learning how to code.
I also like playing basketball; it’s one of my favorite things to do, other than music.
A piece of advice I would give to somebody starting out is that every problem has a solution, and the solution requires a certain amount of reps and repeated practice for any instrument, not just the bass.
Any problem that you have with an instrument, if you can’t play it right, it simply requires a certain amount of repetition of something.
That’s the best advice I think I can give at my current skill level.
My favorite memory from Stages is when I finished making my first beat in the Electronic Music Production course.
I understand most people know me as a bass player, but I’m also a producer.
When I was taking the Electronic Music Production course, learning how to make good-quality beats, it really made me happy. That’s something I like doing, creating something from the ground up, and it feels really fulfilling when you finish something from scratch.
One of my greatest musical accomplishments is learning how to play the bass at age nine, mostly using my ear in the beginning of that journey.
Another musical accomplishment is learning how to produce and make my first single. I did everything, including rapping, writing, producing, mixing, and mastering the vocals.
I will say that’s one of my greatest accomplishments, along with playing the bass.
I’ve been listening to music since I was born and I’ve started pursuing music seriously since I was nine, so it’s changed my life in multiple different ways.
If there’s one thing I could say, it’s that it has helped me connect with a lot of people. There are so many different styles and genres, and this diversity has allowed me to build friendships with people I might have never met otherwise.
For example, I know some Korean people who listen to K-pop, or Japanese people who listen to Japanese City Pop. I know people who listen to R&B and people who listen to heavy rock.
Music has changed my life because it helped me connect with different kinds of people, and that’s the best thing (not only just music, but also art).
Michael Jackson and Tyler, the Creator.
I understand those are two different people who are in two different music fields. The reason why I like Michael Jackson is not only for his singing and dancing capabilities, but also his musicianship and how he was able to convey the music that was in his head into a real-life song.
In my opinion (I understand this might be a hot take), Michael Jackson was the true essence of a producer.
I like Tyler, the Creator, because he’s not only a rapper. In my eyes, I see him as an all-around artist who can pretty much do it all. He can produce, he can play instruments, and he can rap.
Tyler, the Creator, is an example of what a producer should be.