Brunoscapes STEM in Art Dreams Snapshots in... Ordinary Meets... Social Commentary Family Love Identity Search Still Life Miscellaneous Portfolio - Bree Zhang Click each work to see its description. Buy Artwork Brunoscapes To document my experiences at Brown University, I’ve painted memorable locations at Brown as a series of surrealistic dreamscapes, each associated with specific memories, feelings, and emotions. Commissions Time Lapsed Art STEM in Art These works are inspired by my STEM passions within chemistry, biology, physiology, and genetics. They also contain important messages related to the healthcare field: medicine, behavioral health, public health, and my future profession: 🦷 dentistry 🦷 Dreams These dreamscapes and imaginary lands are rendered spontaneously without any prior planning, sketching, or reference photos. Like lucid dreaming, I let go of my inhibitions and allow my imagination to fabricate the landscape around me as I revel in the unconstrained fields of my mind and the different variations of creativity it can manifest. Snapshots in Time The world as I see it is composed of snapshots of meaningful places, objects, and people that have emotional significance to me, no matter if they are happy, funny, sad, or tragic. I capture these moments in memory so that I can keep them with me forever, etch them forever in the molecular gaps between the threading of my canvas or paper. Without them, I wouldn't be Bree Zhang. Ordinary Meets Unordinary These pieces retain the structural integrity of the ordinary world but transcend the constraints of reality. Some works are simply funny humorous, some are bizarre and outlandish, some are inspirational, some may be sad or frightening. Social Commentary My social commentary functions as activism and investigation within the intersectionalities of race, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity. It ranges from calling us to take voting action, to raising awareness about Anti-Asian Hate, to encouraging us to stand in solidarity against COVID-19, to analyzing female idealizations and expectations in relation to objectification, clothing, body image, and sexual violence. Tributes to Love Art and Music Combination Pieces Returning Home These 4 pieces are made together with my guzheng composition dedicated to my grandmother, called "Returning Home ." Each piece shows a treasured moment with my grandmother: feeding fish above a pond in my hometown, blowing candles during my birthday, laughing together, and reuniting with her after 7 years of separation. Go to My Compositions for the song and a more detailed description of my relationship with my grandmother. A Mother's Love This series of 12 art pieces (paired with my music composition “A Mother’s Love ”) is a tribute to my mother and all the other beautiful mothers in this world who have given us irreplaceable support, wisdom, care, and love since the day we were born, from changing our diapers, to teaching us how to walk, to comforting us when we are sad, to cheering on our successes, to supporting us even when we leave home to explore the world. No matter how old I become, I will always keep my mother in my heart and remember all the sacrifices and hardships she endured to provide me opportunities to grow, learn, and love. I love you 妈妈. 🥰 Daydreams (listen on Spotify ) Search for Identity Art and Music Combination Pieces These pieces comprise the art background to my song, Daydreams (see music video ), which details my insecurities and self-loathing in my search for identity. "Daydreams" goes hand-in-hand with my art piece below, "The Sides of Me Your Don't See." To the girl in this song (Me Of the Past), she would’ve never imagined herself living the life featured at the end of this song (artwork which I paint in saturated beautiful colors), so it’s just yet another “daydream,” a beautiful lie she repeats to herself in hopes of seeing change. But someday, it will come true, someday ❤️ The Sides of Me You Don't See This 3-D interactive work, made in conjunction with Daydreams, explores my struggle to come to terms with my Chinese identity . Click inside the first picture for the description of this piece. This piece shows a 2019/2020 snapshot of my reflection. Read about my full journey at "My Asian Identity ." Still Life Practice pieces through direct observation using graphite or charcoal Miscellaneous A combination of contests, commissions, master copies, fan art, and other pieces that do not fit in any of the categories above. Follow my art instagram account at breez_art_ and deviant art account at bubba-bree for more updates! For more info about me (or my artwork), check out: About Me Time Lapse Art Music Compositions Commissions My Dental Journey My Asian Identity

Intro Teaching Event Planning Art Music Dentistry Contact Me About Me Introduction Hi I'm Bree, she/hers)! I recently graduated from Brown, receiving a degree in Psychology (ScB) with Honors, and I will be pursuing a DMD at Columbia College of Dental Medicine--read about my dental journey here ! My favorite animal (coincidentally my zodiac animal) is the dragon and I am the HUGEST fan of Studio Ghibili movies (Princess Mononoke is my <3). In my free time, I enjoy playing the guzheng ( 古筝), oil painting and digital painting, composing music, writing short stories, going on morning runs, learning Tiktok shuffles, and ​trying new sports like ice skating, frisbee, and ballroom dancing! Things I Like to Do! Teaching There's something magical about giving someone your knowledge and watching the crazily amazing things they do with it. I first fell in love with teaching in 2014 when I co-founded a guzheng class for children. Later, in college, I found an opportunity to work as a college counselor and essay editor with Princetonow Education Services, advising and helping students develop their passions. However, I always loved working with children. It's like planting a seed and watching it take root and grow up. So I joined a developmental psychology lab, Causality and Mind Lab at Brown, studying how children think, learn, and interact with the world. This past April, I finally finished my senior thesis on "Effects of Different Praise on Children's Motivation"!🦷 Event Planning They say you'll forget your grades, but you won't forget your people. Being on Class Coordinating Board and First-Year Orientation Programming gave me a wonderful and humbling opportunity toe be a "Matchmaker" to create spaces and chances for new friendships and relationships 👀 to form. Whether students are dancing, apple-picking, ice skating, exploring Providence, going on coffee dates, or "scrambling," I hope they can remember their moments at Brown! Art To me, art is dreaming of weird things. Art is believing in yourself when no one else does. Art is reflecting on your tragedies and successes. Art is growing as a human. Art is confusing and messy and befuddling. Art is harsh and unforgiving but it can be comforting and lovely. Art is cool! ​ View my artwork , watch my time-lapse paintings , or consider buying my artwork ! Selling Artwork at the Underground Market At the Create@Brown ArtMart Music I'm a musician and composer. Music has allowed me to connect with my culture. It has given me space to heal from my eating disorder. I'm always trying new ways to play my guzheng (古筝). Recently, I've discovered a new passion for music improvisation and spontaneous storytelling . Read more about my guzheng story or listen to my most recent compositions ! Spotify Dentistry Most people just see teeth, but I see dentistry as this glowing, overlapping, breathing ecosystem of all my passions: art, music, science, public health, global health, psychology, and education. Read more to find out about why I'm passionate about dentistry. Hunterdon Family Dental Care Rhode Island Free Clinic Dental Associates of Rhode Island For more info about me, check out: Art Portfolio Time Lapse Art Music Compositions Why Dentistry Music Arrangements My Asian Identity Contact Me Send Success! Message received. Spotify

Music & Dentistry Art & Dentistry Art and Music Meet Dentistry Bringing Music into Dentistry In 2019, I started providing music therapy to patients in the RI Hospital Cancer Center. Through my guzheng, I realized the power of music as a common language to connect us, heal us, bring out stories and memories, soothe our fears. I wanted to bring music therapy into the dental field. Dental fear (or dental anxiety) affects approximately 36% of the population, especially prevalent in trauma victims or survivors of domestic violence, and is a reason why millions of Americans avoid the dentist . Yet delaying dental care results in the progression of dental disease that requires more invasive and painful treatments, furthering the cycle of dental trauma. RI Hospital Healing Through Harmony Volunteer Many suffering severe dental fear or anxiety require nitrous oxide or general anesthesia in order to undergo a procedure. I believed music could function as a low cost alternative, so I implemented music therapy at the Dental Associates of Rhode Island , an office I had been working at as a Practice Coordinator/Dental Assistant. "Thursday Tunes" on the Guzheng Every Thursday, at the beginning and end of the hour, I played the guzheng 古筝, the 21-stringed Chinese harp, as patients entered the waiting rooms, incorporating elements of music therapy such as receptive intervention, re-creation, improvisation, and composition.⁣⁣ ​ Wireless Headphones, Customizable Playlists I set up an office Spotify account and wireless bluetooth noise-canceling headphones for each operating room. Rather than listening to a preset music playlist, patients had could select any songs they wanted through Spotify, or connect their own phone to the bluetooth headphones. Bringing Art Into Dentistry One day while dental assisting, I met a young girl who needed a root canal. Since she couldn’t understand English, I drew out the root canal procedure for her. I broke down the procedure into 4 simple steps, using arrows, check marks or x-marks, and happy/sad faces to convey meaning. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I believe a drawing can be worth a million. You can illustrate processes through time, distill complex pictures into simple components, combine elements while highlighting the most important parts. You can communicate across language barriers to increase health literacy and decrease dental anxiety, particularly for stigmatized procedures like root canals. ​ It’s not always convenient to draw the full process of a root canal. When I searched online for short video animations, I discovered that these animations were all longer than 1 minute or were too hyperrealistic. Thus, I decided to create my own animation , distilled down into a simple digestible form—all under 30 seconds. This video is the first of my series of hand-drawn dental education animations, focused on being easy to visualize and understand even without sound. After making this video, I also became inspired to create short educational infographics on other dental topics (cavities, plaque, gum disease, fillings, pregnancy) for patients and their families at the Dental Associates of Rhode Island, trying to distill dental education into short bite-sized pieces of information. Check out 57 panels featured in this gallery! Dental Artwork I used artwork as a channel to discuss and highlight oral health and public health concepts. Records of Our Oral Ecosystem The tooth is a birth certificate. Similar to tree rings, striations in our enamel carry the topography of the changes and transitions.... Read More The Iceberg of Our Oral Health Oral health is like an iceberg. We see teeth as the visible “tip” of the iceberg, but we often don’t see the multidimensional “branches” required to.... Read More Reproductive Justice and Oral Health Access to dental care is about reproductive health and birth equity. Hormonal changes greatly increase risk of gum disease, and nearly 60-75% of pregnant people have gum disease..... Read More For more info about me, check out: Art Portfolio Time Lapse Art Music Compositions My Asian Identity About Me My Guzheng Story Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more updates! Follow me on Spotify! Spotify

Miss Chinese Pageant Overview In summer 2018, I was selected as one of the 13 Finalists for Miss Chinese Pageant among hundreds of applicants. The pageant involved three months of training, a tour in San Fransisco, a talent show in Sand Castle, NY, a jewelry show in Flushing, NY, and the final show at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. My accomplishments in the Pageant include: ​ Winner of the Laihing Jewelry Show 2018: I won the best jewelry presentation award, which included: 14 karat gold necklace and the chance to wear and present the most expensive jewelry in the store, a Forever Mark diamond set more than 1 million dollars. ​ Miss Best Talent 2018: During the talent show, I made it into the Top Five Talent with guzheng and won the Group Talent Award with live acrylic painting. During the final show, I performed on the guzheng, a 21-stringed Chinese Harp, playing a self composition I wrote for my grandmother while featuring my digital art paintings on the large screen background. ​ Miss Second Runner-up 2018: I placed 3rd place overall at the Final Show in Mohegan Sun, which included several segments: evening gown, swimsuit and Q&A, Qipao walk, and the final five Q&A. ​ Pictures San Fransisco Tour Day 1: Napa Valley and Newton Vineyard Day 2: Palace of Fine Arts Day 3 and 4: City Hall and Golden Gate Bridge Talent Show Laihing Jewelry Show Final Show at Mohegan Sun Fashion Show Evening Gown Talent (Guzheng Performance) Qipao and Final Awards For more about Miss Chinese Pageant, you may follow them on social media! Website Facebook Instagram For more info about me, check out: About Me Time Lapse Art Artwork My Guzheng Story Music Compositions Other Performances Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more updates!

Banana Bree Love & Hate Not Like Other Asians Why am I Lonely? Claiming Soil What's Next? Just Like Other Asians My Asian Identity Banana Bree Phase Growing up, many children want to be astronauts, teachers, doctors. I wanted to be a “banana.” Yellow on the outside by default of genetics, white on the inside by choice. My mother always told me, “You can’t change your skin, but you can decide how you act." Living in a very white town, I took that as encouragement to push away my Asianness away. Asians = nerdy? I pretended to be stupid. My Chinese food = smelled "weird"? I ate school lunches. Asians = "unathletic”? I made volleyball my life. ​ I called myself Bree Zang, the Americanized pronunciation of my last name “Zh āng” 张 (pronounced: J āhng). It never occurred to me to say it any differently. Why pronounce it correctly when people make a weird face then ask “why do you spell it Zhang when it’s not pronounced that way?” Funnily, the closest an American came to pronouncing my last name was when they asked “Did your parents drop pots and pans down the stairs and listen to the sounds to name you? Ding dong. Ching Chong. Bree Jong ?” I don’t name this experience to get pity for myself because this is a common Asian American experience. (“Oh, you got the slanted eye jokes?” “I got the jokes about eating dogs.” “Oh! You wanted to have blonde hair too?” “Blue eyes for me.”) I name this experience because I want to tell the story of how I tripped, fell, and found my way to my identity. It started with the 古筝 (guzheng). Love, Hate, Gaslight Up until highschool, I was always ashamed to let others know I was playing the guzheng, but things changed in 2014 when I began teaching guzheng at my Chinese School. There, I realized that if I wanted my students to be proud of themselves, I first had to first at least accept my Chinese background myself. So I started playing the guzheng in front of white friends, bringing it out during volleyball sleepovers as they recorded me on their snapchat stories. But instead of fully accepting my Asianness, I weaponized my Asianness. I used “I’m so Asian!” and as a way to be funny—a knife against myself. I acted in ways to jokingly confirm Asian stereotypes because at least I was getting attention from people, and didn’t attention mean that I wouldn’t be alone? ​ Instead of fully accepting my Asianness, I commodified my Asianness. During college application season, I wrote my common app essay about teaching my guzheng students and spreading my Chinese culture. I painted myself as a girl who celebrated herself and the Chinese heritage sung by her students’ guzheng strings. ​ I wasn’t lying. Everything written in the essay was true. But it’s funny how I could simultaneously love my Asianness yet be ashamed of it. I embraced my Chinese culture—calligraphy, music, history, language—but I was ashamed that my parents had accents or that I watched anime. I loved my guzheng, but still, I avoided performing solos in “Qipao” or traditional chinese wear because I thought Western gowns fit me better, made me look more beautiful. It was as if I selectively compartmentalized my Asianness into different drawers, rejecting, accepting, and hiding different slices of myself. "I'm Not Like Other Asians" This simultaneous self-love and shame led me to adopt a “I’m not like other Asians” attitude in college, similar to the “I’m not like other girls” attitude. Yes, I was proud of my Asianness, but no —I wasn’t like those other Asians who just hung out with their own Asian friends. I thought was different , I was “special.” I played the guzheng, not the piano or violin. I was heavily invested in arts and humanities, so not the typical Asian STEM pre-med (reflecting back, this fixation is extra r idiculous because almost every Brown pre-med I know is so multifaceted and eloquent in science and humanities). ​ To assert my Asian-but-not-Asianness, I talked often about my guzheng, but I avoided large Asian gatherings and parties. I gravitated towards friends who were either white or other people of color. I even told myself “I can't have more than 1/5 of my close friends as Asians, but I can’t have 0 or else I’m too blatantly white,” as if my identity was a calculation, rather than an existence. Perhaps this is why, as a first-year, I started to feel a bit alienated and distant from my fellow Asians. "Wait, why am I lonely?" It took little steps. ​ It took reflecting on myself through art and music composition. Why I was lonely. Why I felt compulsions to avoid or seek out certain people. Recognizing these compulsions. Acknowledging that I was still on a journey to find peace with my identity, that I wasn’t the proud girl I wrote about in my common app essay. Daydreams, 2020 It took meeting friends who were genuinely interested in not Bree Zang but Bree Zh āng. who were willing to venture beyond the tasty flavors of my culture but also the deeper grittier, darker parts. Who found pride in parts of me that I wasn’t proud of. ​ It took meeting inspiring peers who were unapologetically wearing their own skin and identity. Listening to their struggles. Their realizations. Claiming Soil That's Not Solid One of my proudest moments in college was sophomore year when I made an artwork . selected for Brown University Science Center’s Annual Art Exhibit. At the exhibition’s opening talk, I decided—for the first time in my life—to say my last name 张 “Zhang” the real way. ​ What does it mean to claim your name? To claim your space that—yes—you can belong here. Sides of Me You Don't See , 2020 But what does it mean to return home every semester break and watch my mom trying to decide what food she can’t bring to work because 香菇 and 猪耳朵 “smell weird” to her American co-workers? What does it mean to still fight feelings of shame when my parents take too long pronouncing the words on a restaurant menu—and to remind myself that they’re not stupider because they have an accent. In fact, their accent makes them wiser and stronger. What does it mean being catcalled on the street and yelled at to “Go back to china?” and to be asked “do you eat bats?” while still feeling pressured to fit the model minority myth, which upholds a system that pits us against other people of color? What's Next? I still have a long journey ahead of me. While I fight for space, I must simultaneously recognize the space I take up . Being Asian, I have privileges that have been used to perpetuate racism and fabricate a racial hierarchy in America. Being East Asian, I have privileges that allow me to be represented and portrayed in the majority of the “Asian” experience, which tends to erase and marginalize other subgroups within the pan ethnic Asian narrative. I must continue to grapple with a history of colorism that persists in my own culture. I must continue to grapple with the concept of being Asian American not as a singular story but in a web of gender, sexuality, class, neurodiversity, generational trauma, and more. It’s a long journey ahead, but for now, I just want to focus on how far I’ve come. I no longer think “I’m not like other Asians .” ​ Stop Asian Hate, 2020 I Want to Be Like Other Asians I want to be like every other Asian because we’re all so cool, different, talented, inspiring, unique--and none of us are the same, and we can be hurtful, and we can be cruel, but we should be appreciated as human beings who encompass all these intersecting qualities. ​ I know many of us are at different stages with our identity. I still struggle. Oftentimes, I feel the creeping fear as I slowly lose my language, as I forget certain words on my tongue because I haven’t used them in a while, and because I’m no longer speaking Mandarin with my parents as often. I try to remind myself to hold onto my words, to play the 古筝 more often, to savor my parents' cooking. ​ Sometimes, I realize that my beliefs do not always align with some of the traditional Chinese values of our parents' generation. I realize I cannot deny their traumas and struggles that solidified their beliefs about conflict, social mobility, and equity. I realize I also cannot easily change their beliefs about mental health, gender, and sexuality. But I continue to have conversations to unpack, communicate, and translate. To understand them and have them understand me. ​ It's an honor to be Chinese American, but it takes effort and intentionality to exist within both the "Chinese" and "American" without losing one or the other. ​ That's the beautiful part of it as well. Leveled Up! 😊 For more info about me, check out: Art Portfolio Time Lapse Art Music Compositions My Dental Journey Music Arrangements Buy Artwork Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for art/music updates! Follow me on Spotify! Spotify

Reflection 1 Reflection 2 Reflections of Brown 5 Big Takeaways from my Brown experience #1 The Best Teachers Are Bandages, and the Best Bandages Come From Our Friends. College can be a journey of figuring out how to patch myself up from falls and scrapes but oftentimes not even knowing where these scrapes and cuts are. Throughout college, I struggled with binge eating disorder, which triggered depressive episodes after binges and manic episodes when I starved myself in punishment. ​ There were moments when I felt invincible and so productive so no sleep and keep going because your creative juices are flowing and no--you can't stop--you can't sleep anyway--stomach empty--you're so light you could fly away-- Then, moments when I struggled to get out of bed and do basic things like wash my face. Moments when I didn’t want to wake up from sleep. Moments when I hated myself so much and felt so useless for hating myself and not being able to do the simplest daily things, then hating myself all over again and thinking I did not deserve people’s admiration. ​ The scary thing about falling is that it’s sometimes not the injury that hurts the most but the painstaking process of trying to get to your original pace. There’s an insidious voice that keeps comparing yourself to your best version and reminds you’re so much slower and wobbly and graceless. ​ But the beautiful thing about falling is that the journey of crawling up teaches you so much. It’s taught me that friends and loved ones have always been my best bandages. They give me shoulders to cry on and hands to hold when I don’t feel grounded. They remind me that I’m still Bree. ​ Sometimes, learning how to be vulnerable means allowing your friends and loved ones to see you under a spotlight when you haven’t put on your protective skin, so you feel flayed and disgusting and ashamed because this version of you will always exist in their memory. ​ But sometimes, learning to be vulnerable means that you have hands that can put bandages in places you can’t easily see or reach. And unlike your bandages, these bandages come without self-contempt and are so purely filled with love and care that you start to feel like everything’s going to be okay. ​ Because it will be <3 #2 Inspiration is everywhere in the community, and everyone has a Mary Poppins Bag. I believe that I am a collection of the wisdom of each person I’ve met at Brown. ​ The beauty of the Open Curriculum is that no two people are taking the exact same track of courses, meaning that there is less room for competition/comparison and more room for vicarious learning, exploration, and super cool conversations. ​ I don’t need to take 20 classes to obtain knowledge from 20 classes. I just have to know 6 different people (outside of myself) who take at least 3 different courses from each other. Together, we provide each other “TLDR” glimpses of the most thought-provoking topics, and we can mix-and-match these glimpses across our collective span of courses. ​ If what people are studying is cool, what they are doing is even cooler. Everyone seems to carry around a Mary Poppins bag: a bottomless pit of talents and accomplishments that they usually keep humbly hidden but pull out on special occasions, ceaselessly surprising me. ​ Like just when I thought this person couldn’t be cooler as a STEM icon, but wait—they also won an award for their cutting-edge research—but wait—they’re also a kickass dancer—but wait—and they’re also involved in acapella and have a voice of gold? ​ My admiration for my peers has only solidified after seeing everyone's senior theses, capstones, and extracurricular final projects. After all, the spark in someone’s eyes is most beautiful when they talk about something they love, something to which they’ve devoted so much time, tears, and energy. ​ It’s why I love my Brown community: they’re always inventing, deconstructing, designing, collecting, fighting, advocating, teaching, learning, providing—-and inspiring me to do better. #3 It’s never too late to start a hobby, or to revisit one that you’ve tucked away. I’ve always been very goal-oriented, but over my 4 years, I started to realize that success is not exactly accomplishing a goal but enacting an intention to start something. ​ This past semester, I joined frisbee, ice skating, and ballroom dancing as a second-semester senior. I can say with certainty that these 3 communities were some of the warmest, most empowering, and nurturing communities I’ve experienced. ​ Ballroom dancing was completely new to me. Even when I started out as one of the worst dancers, these people gave me a home and never judged me, only uplifted me. Frisbee and ice skating were sports I’d tried as a first-year (but then stopped for 3 years due to time commitment). The fact that I felt welcomed so warmly despite my hiatus showed me that it’s okay to step back from things, to leave for a few years, and it’s okay to join again when you’re ready. ​ When time is ticking, it’s easy to get caught up in the end. I only had 2-3 months to enjoy these communities before graduation. While sometimes I lamented how I should’ve joined/re-joined these sports earlier, the experience taught me how to savor each moment because it’s happening (and not because it’s disappearing), to be comfortable with not knowing things and asking for help—because help is always there. ​ Three of my most exciting and proudest moments were when I performed in the Bronzie Cha Cha group number at the Phoenix Ball, when I performed a solo at Brown Figure Skating Club’s Annual Ice Skating Show, and when I played in my first Frisbee Scrimmage with another college team. I am proud of these moments not because I was the best performer/player (in fact, in ice skating, I was the worst) but because I went out and tried my best. ​ And I found a community—or two, or three. #4 No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy, so learn to have fun while the plan fails. Lots of us are perfectionists who try to avoid perfectionism but unwittingly stray towards perfectionism if left unchecked. Perfectionism is what makes us good at what we do because we hold ourselves to high expectations. However, it can also lead to worry, dissatisfaction , and stress, especially if the work is not what we expect. This is why my involvement in CCB (Class Coordinating Board) was such an amazing learning experience for me because no matter how much you try to perfect your "battle plan," unexpected problems arise. ​ Perhaps the weather is freezing, and the crock pot you need to melt the caramel (for caramel covered apples) doesn’t heat up, so someone on your board needs to run to the Blue Room with a tub of Boiling hot water to get the caramel to melt. Perhaps there’s glitches with a platform you’re using, and you embarrassingly have to send out a classwide email again apologizing for good-old “technical difficulties.” Perhaps delivery costs increase. The power fails. A few staffers get sick. A vendor backs out. Equipment doesn’t work. ​ The question isn’t a matter of “if” but “when” and “what” will go wrong—whether it’s a mistake you made or an uncontrollable external factor. So an important lesson CCB taught me (and something I’m still striving towards) is how to creatively adapt to sudden changes, go with the flow, laugh and bond over our failed battle plans, and accept that no one is going to ever be completely satisfied with your event, or you—and that’s okay. ​ After all, the enemy of a “battle plan” is just life, and life will always give you unexpected lemons and things to be salty over. But if you stop seeing life as an enemy, you can slice up the lemons, gather some salt, and have fun taking tequila shots. #4 No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy, so learn to have fun while the plan fails. Lots of us are perfectionists who try to avoid perfectionism but unwittingly stray towards perfectionism if left unchecked. Perfectionism is what makes us good at what we do because we hold ourselves to high expectations. However, it can also lead to worry, dissatisfaction , and stress, especially if the work is not what we expect. This is why my involvement in CCB (Class Coordinating Board) was such an amazing learning experience for me because no matter how much you try to perfect your "battle plan," unexpected problems arise. ​ Perhaps the weather is freezing, and the crock pot you need to melt the caramel (for caramel covered apples) doesn’t heat up, so someone on your board needs to run to the Blue Room with a tub of Boiling hot water to get the caramel to melt. Perhaps there’s glitches with a platform you’re using, and you embarrassingly have to send out a classwide email again apologizing for good-old “technical difficulties.” Perhaps delivery costs increase. The power fails. A few staffers get sick. A vendor backs out. Equipment doesn’t work. ​ The question isn’t a matter of “if” but “when” and “what” will go wrong—whether it’s a mistake you made or an uncontrollable external factor. So an important lesson CCB taught me (and something I’m still striving towards) is how to creatively adapt to sudden changes, go with the flow, laugh and bond over our failed battle plans, and accept that no one is going to ever be completely satisfied with your event, or you—and that’s okay. ​ After all, the enemy of a “battle plan” is just life, and life will always give you unexpected lemons and things to be salty over. But if you stop seeing life as an enemy, you can slice up the lemons, gather some salt, and have fun taking tequila shots. Favorite Guzheng Memories For more info about me, check out: Art Portfolio Time Lapse Art Music Compositions My Dental Journey Music Arrangements My Asian Identity Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more music updates! Follow me on Spotify! Spotify

BREE ZHANG ABOUT ME My Artwork To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. COMMISSIONS SEE MORE TIME LAPSE ART Sneak Peek Into My Portfolio Dreams These dreamscapes and imaginary lands are rendered spontaneously without any prior planning, sketching, or reference photos. Like lucid dreaming, I let go of.... read more Snapshots in Time The world as I see it is composed of snapshots of meaningful places, objects, and people that have emotional significance to me. I capture these... read more Ordinary Meets Undordinary I elevate seemingly mundane situations and objects into their bizarre and outlandish counterparts. These pieces retain the structural integrity of the... read more BREE ZHANG Aspiring Artist, Musician, and Dentist ABOUT ME Spotify My Music Compositions See all my different compositions, ranging from guzheng solos to vocal and orchestral pieces. more Arrangements See my arranged guzheng pieces that include songs like "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" and other Chinese folk songs. more Traditional Songs See a wide range of traditional Chinese songs I have performed on the guzheng, both for solos and ensembles. more Check out my Guzheng Story Watch my TedX Talk My Dental Journey Answering: "Why Dentistry?" Merging Music with Dentistry Tackling Global Oral Health Researching and Educating Miss Chinese Pageant See More Contact Me Thanks! Message sent. Send

Anterior Crossbite Research Prevention & Education Oral Health for Children Oral Health for the Elderly Patient Education Infographics Global Health Starte Kit Co-author My Work in Dental Prevention and Education A Timeline Anterior Crossbite + Bottle Feeding Research From 2017 to 2020, I conducted research on early correction of anterior crossbite through bottle feeding. Early correction, initiated at least after age 3 when a fixed or removable appliance can be worn, encouraging proper development of the maxilla and mandible. Our initial Case Study, published in the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry , describes an instance of exceptionally early intervention of a bottle-fed 10-month-old boy without use of an appliance. Correction was achieved in 5 months by changing the bottle position to a counterbalancing feeding angle. This technique needs further investigation but has potential to reduce future costly orthodontic procedures, improving psychophysiological development. Although we got IRB approval to start the next step of research to expand our study to a much larger sample size, we were unable to continue this project due to the pandemic. I hope to continue it in dental school. Brown Pre-dental Society Initiatives Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of children. Over the pandemic, I started an initiative “Oral Health Education for Children” teaching local elementary schoolers about the importance of oral health, proper oral hygiene & dietary habits, and fluoride benefits through virtual games like kahoot and jeopardy. Concurrently, I was working with children and conducting research on praise at the Causality and Mind Lab. Praise is important in motivating children to maintain good oral hygiene and diet, so my research was informative in how I developed and delivered presentations to children. ​ During my last semester at Brown, when I handed this project off to our Community Service Chair, I was delighted to see that we were finally able to present in-person at schools, and even set up tables at their science fairs! ​ Oral Health Education for Children Prevention is just as important for our elderly, whose oral health often goes unnoticed and uncared for. In 2019, I developed oral hygiene training sessions to be delivered to caretakers at nursing homes. Communicating with Dr. Zwethckenbaum, Director of RI Dept Oral Health, I worked on a powerpoint on causes of gum disease & tooth decay, proper set-up and maintenance of teeth, dentures and partials, dealing with residents with dementia, parkinsons and paralysis, and identifying 10 types of oral pathologies. Once Brown pre-dental society members were trained to give presentations, we divided into working groups and obtained floss, toothbrush, and toothpaste donations from local offices. With the help of Adderlin Bailey, Dental Program Manager of Carelink Collaborative, we were put in contact with 46 nursing homes and worked in groups to present our content. Oral Health for the Elderly Dental Associates of Rhode Island Infographics From 2021-2022, I made these infographics to educate patients about basic oral health concepts. Topics include: plaque, tooth decay, gum disease, fillings, sealants, halloween tips, types of dentists, infant oral health, pregnancy oral health, and the oral systemic link! View 57 panels in the gallery below: HSDM Global Health Starter Kit Co-author From 2021-2022, I worked with Dr. Seymour, Global Health Discipline Director at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, to spearhead the development of two new modules "COVID-19: Global Lessons for a Global Profession" and “Global Health for Pre-dental Students.” HSDM's Global Health Starter Kit is a competency-based global health ‘starter’ curriculum designed for dental educators and students. "COVID-19: Global Lesson for a Global Profession" (Module 7) is meant to equip all learners with the ability to: 1. Describe the reciprocal links between oral health and COVID-19 risk and severity 2. Evaluate the impacts of the pandemic on the dental workforce and global oral health in the syndemic context. 3. Identify shortcomings within the oral healthcare system and opportunities for growth highlighted by COVID-19. For more info about me, check out: Art Portfolio Time Lapse Art Music Compositions My Asian Identity About Me My Guzheng Story Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more updates! Follow me on Spotify! Spotify

Dental & Healthcare Experience Leadership and Outreach Research Experience Teaching and Education Music Accolades Art Accolades Resume This information can also be found on my Linkedin . Education Brown University Pyschology Sc.B. GPA 3.97 Providence RI (Graduated with Honors) ​ Courses : Abnormal Psychology, Children’s Thinking, Behavioral Neuroscience, Brain Damage and the Mind, Personality, Artists and Scientists as Partners, Statistical Methods, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry 1 & 2, Physiology, Basic Physics, Theory of Tonal Music, Jazz and Pop Harmony, The Psychology of Teaching and Learning, Healthcare in the US, Visa 100 Dental and Healthcare Experience Dental Associates of Rhode Island, Dental Assistant & Practice Coordinator Johnston RI (2021) Provided quality chair-side assisting while spearheading new practice innovations: Integrated music therapy to reduce dental fear and anxiety. Transitioned practice to paperless operations to increase efficiency. Redesigned website, created graphics, optimized SEO. Implemented social media strategy, featuring therapy dogs, teambuilding and staff interactions, community-based involvement and partnerships, and patient engagement. ​ Mercer Oral Surgery, Surgical Assistant Hamilton NJ (Summer 2020) Chair-side assisted in oral and maxillofacial surgeries such as general anesthesia, bone grafts, implants, wisdom teeth extractions, biopsies, alveoloplasty by suctioning, irrigating, preparing sutures, retracting, and more. Sterilized and disinfected instruments and operating rooms, maintaining a clean environment during COVID-19. ​ Hunterdon Family Dental Care, Dental Assistant Lebanon NJ (2015-present) Provided quality care to patients through chair-side assisting, sterilizing and disinfecting operatories, preparing procedures like crowns, bridges, veneers, root canals, implants, Invisalign. Also assisted in operating new CEREC 3-D scanning and milling technology. Handled phone calls, scheduled appointments, ensured proper flow of the office. ​ Rhode Island Free Clinic, Dental Assistant Volunteer Providence RI (2019-2020) Volunteered in newly established dental clinic to provide service to uninsured low-income adults through chair-side assisting, sterilizing and disinfecting dental operatories, charting medical records and treatment plan options. ​ Rhode Island Hospital, Music Therapy Volunteer Providence RI (2019-2020) Performed palliative music for patients at the Cancer Center through the Hands Through Harmony Program and fostered creative expression in children coping with illness or injury by providing therapeutic arts and crafts. Leadership and Outreach Experience Brown University Class of 2022, Co-President Providence RI (2018-2022) Planned class-wide events, focusing on inclusivity and accessibility to promote class spirit and unity, sustaining traditions while creating new ones that represent the ever-changing student demographic. Also served as resource channel for academic, social, and extracurricular support for students during the virtual semester. ​ Brown University Pre-dental Society, President Providence RI (2018-2022) Spearheaded the “Oral Health for the Elderly” initiative to provide oral hygiene training sessions to caretakers at nursing homes, working with the Oral Health Program at RI Department of Health. Organized community service RI Mission of Mercy, inter-school conferences, and panels inviting dental students and dentists to inspire pre-dentals. Brown University First-Year Experience, Orientation Leader Providence RI (2019-2022) Mentored groups of first-years by providing the guidance on academics, extracurriculars, and social life needed to successfully adapt to the University & the student community. Planned and executed fun, active social programming. Research Experience Harvard School of Dental Medicine Global Health Starter Kit Author Boston MA (2021-present) Working with Dr. Seymour, Global Health Discipline Director at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, to spearhead the development of two new modules "COVID-19: Global Lessons for a Global Profession" and “Global Health for Pre-dental Students,” within Harvard School of Dental Medicine's Global Health Starter Kit, a competency-based global health ‘starter’ curriculum designed for dental educators and students. View the previous five modules here: https://hsdm.harvard.edu/global-health-starter-kit ​ Bottle-Feeding Case Study Research, Second Main-Writer Annandale NJ (2017-2018) Studied anterior crossbite correction through bottle-feeding under Dr. Zhu and Dr. Rosivack at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. Contacted hospitals, collected data, obtained reference photos, generated diagrams, wrote and revised drafts of published case report “Early Correction of Anterior Crossbite Through Bottle Feeding.” Sobel Causality and Mind Lab, Research Assistant Providence RI (2020-2022) Investigating children’s reasoning and social cognition by designing and drawing digital storyboards for experiments, coding, transcribing, and interpreting data, creating graphics and diagrams for research papers with photoshop and powerpoint, and recruiting child participants between ages 0-7 by cold-calling and emailing parents. ​ Harvard School of Dental Medicine ASDA, Dental Advocacy Fellow Boston MA (2020-present) Researching links between oral and mental health such as eating disorders and depression, creating educational materials on ways for HSDM students to get involved in community-based dental clinics, spearheading project on children’s oral health education to increase accessibility for families with language barriers and poor internet access. Education and Teaching Experience PrincetoNow Education Services Inc., Senior Essay Specialist Princeton NJ (2018-present) Guided students in developing, editing, and polishing application essays. Interviewed students about talents and interests, helped formulate extracurricular activities and career goals. Provided mock interviews. Children’s Medical Foundation, Fellowship Associate Summer Intern Hong Kong, China (2019) Implemented and executed CMF 2019 Social Impact Fellowship through curriculum and logistical development. Generated and managed communications and social media strategy through platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Salesforce. Designed promotional material, signage, and invitations for branding and marketing. Huaxia Bridgewater Chinese School, Guzheng Class Co-Founder and Teacher Bridgewater NJ (2014-2018) Co-founded the first guzheng (21-stringed Chinese harp) class at Huaxia Chinese school for children age 6-13. Led students to perform in Bridgewater Rehabilitation Center, Somerville Heritage Festival, Patriots Baseball Stadium. Music Accolades Performance Locations Carnegie Hall (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) The First Baptist Church in America (2022) Metropolitan Museum of Art (2015, 2016) McCarter Theater (2015) Drew University (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) New Jersey Performing Arts Center (2019) Westminster Choir College (2016, 2017) Rutgers Nicholas Center (2014, 2018) Awards and Honors Gold Prize, Sinovision Television Teen's Talent Competition (2017) ​ Self-composition "Journey" and "Dancing in Snowflakes" performed by MFCYO Orchestra at Drew University (2017-2018) ​ 4th Place, Central China TV Talent Competition (2017) ​ Grand Prize, National League of Performing Arts Young Musician's Showcase Competition (2015) ​ 1st Place, Princeton International Chinese Music Competition Award (2014) ​ 1st Place, New Jersey Music Teacher's Association Young Musician's Competition (2014-2016) ​ ​ Art Accolades Brown University Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs "Time Capsule" Exhibit (2021) ​ Brown University Science Center Annual Art Exhibit "Exploration" (2019) ​ Winner, International Fund for Animal Welfare Competition U.S. Winner: selected for publication in the yearly calendar (2016) ​ 2nd Place, National Arts Program Competition Rutgers (2018) ​ Celebrating Art Publication (2015-2017) ​ Selected in Hunterdon Art Museum Young Artists Showcase​ (2018) ​ Selected for Participation in Congressional Art Competition (2018) Skills Fluent in Mandarin (writing, reading, speaking) Digital art (Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint)Music composition and mixing (Studio One 3, Musescore), Filmmaking and Video Editing (Adobe Premiere), Excel and Powerpoint For more info about me, check out: Art Portfolio Time Lapse Art Music Compositions My Guzheng Story Music Arrangements Other Performances

Music Bio - Bree Zhang My Guzheng Story How it all began... When I was 5 years old, I heard beautiful plucking sounds coming from a next door classroom. Discovering that the music was produced by the guzheng 古筝, I begged my mother to let me learn how to play. Unfortunately, I was too young at the time to be accepted by the teacher, Yang Yi 杨艺, so I eagerly waited for three years and finally got the chance to learn at 8 years old. L ittle did I know that 古筝 would become one of the most formative parts of my life. ​ With any instrument, no one starts out a master. Sometimes I practiced a lot. Other times, I got frustrated and didn't practice, leading my mom to sign me up for performances, which often forced me to practice since I didn't want to embarrass myself onstage. My teacher was wonderful. High expectations yet so caring and kind. Slowly, I improved. As clumsy plucking strung together, my performances locations gradually improved from cramped local churches to concert halls. As I learned about each song's history, culture, symbols, and emotions, I learned how to express myself. My 古筝 became a safe space where I had control and agency over each note, where I could de-stress and release emotions. Local Church 2011 Young Musician's Showcase Grand Prize Showcase Carnegie Hall 2015 Music From China Youth Orchestra In 7th grade, I joined Music From China Youth Orchestra (MCFYO). My time at the orchestra was marked by a series of firsts. It was my first time playing under a conductor, Wang Guowei 王国维. My first time being exposed to so many Chinese instruments, such as the Erhu 二胡, Yangqin 扬琴, Liuqin 刘琴, Zhongruan 中阮, Dizi 笛子, and Hulusi 葫芦丝, all with their own quirks and sound qualities. ( 二胡 is like a two stringed fiddle, 扬琴 is a hammered dulcimer, 葫芦丝 is like a recorder made from a gourd). Best of all, it was my first time meeting a community who were all passionate about Chinese music and their culture. MFCYO Carnegie Hall 2014 Teaching the Guzheng 古筝 In 2014 of my freshman year in high school, I co-founded a 古筝 class at Huaxia Bridgewater Chinese School with Joyce Lu. Being a first-time teacher, I went through rough waters, but the first times always do--that's what's special about them. Teaching is like taking what you know and translating it into 20 different languages . It's difficult when your students get frustrated or don't practice ( haha now I understand my teacher's pain ), but it's so rewarding see that spark in my students' eyes when they master a skill . Eventually, I got to bring my students to perform in places like the Somerville Heritage Festival and Bridgewater Rehabilitation Center. Even though I do not teach anymore (my mother has taken over the class), I still stay in contact with my students. Each year, we have an annual New Years Potluck event where all my old students (and their parents) gather at my house to eat, celebrate, and catch up. We also hold a performance in which everyone plays a 古筝 song they have been learning so we can see each other's improvement over the years. I always tend to premiere my new compositions on this day :) Bridgewater Rehabilitation Center 2015 6th Annual Potluck Gathering 2020 How I Started Composing In 2016 of my sophomore year in high-school, I took AP Music Theory. This class, combined with my experience in Music from China Youth Orchestra, jump-started my interest in music composition. Exposed to different time signatures, chord progressions, scales, music styles, and instrument capabilities of both eastern and western music, I decided to try composing my own song for MFCYO. My first song was called "Journey " and the whole composing process was a long journey. I learned to understand the limitations of each instrument, balance and maximize the each performers' dynamic capabilities, and convert western score to Chinese numerical notation. I am thankful for my conductor (Wang Guowei) who wholeheartedly support me. "Journey," which debuted in Drew University June 3rd, 2017. The next year, I composed another orchestral song "Dancing in Snowflakes " which debuted in Drew University during my final concert on June 2nd, 2018. Both songs mix western elements with traditional Chinese elements, combining not only two different styles but also two cultures. ​ The summer of 2017, I was also inspired to compose a 古筝 piece, "Returning Home " dedicated to my grandma. I used this song to compete in Central China Television’s National Talent Competition in Beijing and won 4th place, and I also used my piece to win Gold Prize in the Sinovision Television (Cable Channel 73) Competition: the first time since the competition started in 2010 that a non-western instrument was able to obtain Gold in the Teen’s 14-18 age group. ​ In 2018, I decided to try combining vocals with 古筝 (which functions almost like a guitar), culminating in a project called “In Ten Years ” about college rejection (ironic, yes, I know, but it was composed before I discovered I got into Brown ). I also began to cover modern pop songs such as “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever ” with guzheng. Drew University 2017 Sinovision Television Teen Talent Competition 2017 "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" Cover 2018 College, Spotify, and More! At Brown, I composed 2 new 古筝 songs, "Metamorphosis " (2020) and "Growing Up " (2021), both of which reflect on my growth as an individual over the years. I also have been looking to integrate more western classical elements and contemporary jazz and blues elements into my music, which led me to take "Theory of Tonal Music" and "Jazz and Pop Harmony" at Brown. During the Spring semester 2020, I started an independent study with Professor Wang Lu to work on my compositions, playing around with jazz chords, altering the tonality of the instrument, exploring new 古筝 sounds such as scratching or hitting or swiping. ​ Later that year, I wrote another song combining vocals with guzheng, "Daydreams " which reflects on my struggle with my identity and culture. This song, in conjunction with my art piece "The Sides of Me You Don't See ," were formative in my journey navigating what it means to be Asian American and Chinese American. Read my full story at My Asian Identity . Metamorphosis 2020, Spotify Daydreams 2020, Spotify Trying out Improv! During my final semester at Brown, using what I learned from Jazz and Pop Harmony and Professor Wang's independent study, I joined MEME ensemble, where I learned to let go of my anxiety of perfecting music and enjoy the process of creating music. Improv is like sketching a rough draft of an idea with a permanent marker and unapologetically owning every single mark and every empty space because these are all parts of the music-making process. Improv gave me comfort in forming ideas but never rehashing or going back because no creation is a mistake, and no mistakes are intentional or unintentional because every note is stuck in a raw, messy, unfiltered, yet beautiful in-between. Most importantly, it erases the distance between the audience and me because the audience is also part of the music-making and storytelling process—and together we have fun. At the 2022 Senior Talent Show, I was able to explore this collaborative improvisation for the last time at Brown. Together with the audience, we played 2 games: ​ Game 1: Opposites Attract, inspired by “MEME ensemble” The audience suggested 2 random emotions (“sad” and “wondrous relief”) that I would express on the guzheng. Then two audience members volunteered to say “sad” and “wondrous relief” back and forth, controlling the time I played these emotions. Game 2: Improv Storytelling Members of the audience shouted out 3 random words, and my task was to spin together a story on the spot using these 3 words: Blueno, Poono, and guzheng. Flyer I Made for MEME Ensemble Final Concert: Ordinary Improvisation Learning to Fly More Guzheng Pictures Music Accolades Performance Locations Carnegie Hall (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Metropolitan Museum of Art (2015, 2016) McCarter Theater (2015) Drew University (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Rutgers Nicholas Center (2014, 2018) Westminster Choir College (2016, 2017) Awards and Honors Brown Commencement Baccalaureate Soloist Performer (2022) ​ Gold Prize, Sinovision Television Teen's Talent Competition (2017) ​ Self-composition "Journey" and "Dancing in Snowflakes" performed by MFCYO Orchestra at Drew University (2017-2018) ​ 4th Place, Central China TV Talent Competition (2017) ​ Grand Prize, National League of Performing Arts Young Musician's Showcase Competition (2015) ​ 1st Place, Princeton International Chinese Music Competition Award (2014) ​ 1st Place, New Jersey Music Teacher's Association Young Musician's Competition (2014-2016) ​ ​ What is Guzheng? Guzheng is an ancient Chinese instrument with more than 2,500 years of history. It has twenty-one strings and movable bridges that enable the musician to change scales. The melody is played on the right side of the bridge; the left side is normally reserved for vibratos, slides, and other ornamentations to the music. Playing requires finger picks that are wrapped with tape around the tips of the fingers. Some techniques include tremolo, arpeggios, glissandos, vibratos, and harmonics. The music is read in simplified numerical notation. For more info about me, check out: About Me Time Lapse Art Art Portfolio Music Compositions Music Arrangements Other Performances Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more music updates! Follow me on Spotify! Spotify