LSA Graduating Seniors 2026: Taking Risks on the Path to Success

Before she started making music that has been described as “eclectic, harebrained, and burrowing horror-folk” under the moniker of Rabbitology, Nat Zimmerman studied subjects at LSA as diverse as music theory, the novel, and communications. In early 2026, she made her Ann Arbor Folk Festival debut at Hill Auditorium, and she’s planning a tour after graduation. Timmerman’s compositions are mesmerizing collaborations with the wild. On the song “Foxcry,” her voice is mixed with, yes, a fox’s cry. And on the track “Bog Bodies” a bullfrog croaks a rippling solo.

While she completed her final semester, Timmerman made time to talk about her experience in the Residential College, and how she finds inspiration in its tight-knit community of learners—and even in a humble dining hall apple.

LSA: How did you decide to study in the Residential College at LSA?

Nat Timmerman: I went to a small high school, and was daunted by larger universities. However, smaller creative colleges didn’t quite fit what I was looking for. The RC acted as a perfect middle ground—it provided the tight-knit, intimate arts atmosphere a conservatory would provide, nestled within the larger context of the university. The RC is truly the best of two worlds; it is a small school, but it has all the freedoms and connections that a large university has.

LSA: Can you share some inspiring classes, internships, and professors that you encountered during your time in the RC?

NT: One of my first classes I took was with Christopher Matthews. It was a freshman RC class that dove into apocalypse literature, from classic poetry to modern stories. I was absolutely obsessed with the subject matter, and our coverage of apocalypse literature is what actually inspired a lot of the themes of my first EP [Living Ghost, released in 2025]. I ended up taking multiple writing classes and tutorials with Professor Matthews because of this class, and we spent a lot of time developing how I take inspiration and how I unravel my own creative writing.

I think some folks are shocked to find out that I’m not a music major. I’m creative writing and communications, which I think has given my work a slightly different angle. However, given the opportunity of being in the RC, I wanted to take one of the famed RC music classes before I graduated.

One of my final classes was a music class with Professor Alex Wand—my first and only music class at U-M. Professor Wand structured the class so anyone at any skill and theory level could come and create music in a collaborative space. I’ve learned so much being around musicians of different backgrounds and genres.

I think I’ve avoided music classes because I’m honestly scared of theory. I find that when I learn music theory, I have to unlearn it, since I become uninspired and set to “follow the rules.” But Professor Wand’s class, while teaching music theory, focuses far more on bending the rules, on finding one’s own sound despite the rules. I’ve learned so much in this class, both from its structure and its students.

LSA: What are your musical inspirations for Rabbitology? How do you approach sound, songwriting, learning new musical skills, and practice? And how do your studies in the RC relate to your work as a professional musician?

NT: Rabbitology started in East Quad my freshman year of college. While I had been making music before, my sound didn’t quite evolve until I was introduced to the constraints of working in a dorm room. I found that, when given less to work with, I was more improvisational and creative. Thus came the sound of Rabbitology through “Candleburn,” a song with percussion made from a dining hall apple. Since the release of my first single, I had a vision for the project: a collection of scrappy, odd works, ones that told a story not only through lyrics, but through the synthesis of instruments (or a lack thereof).

The RC has really taught me to look at things from different angles, to attempt the weird, unknown, and on-paper-impossible routes. Being a successful musician is all about taking creative risks, and the RC’s way of teaching and encouraging creativity made me more comfortable to do so. Additionally, being surrounded by so many different creatives—printmakers, playwrights, musicians, so forth—leads to this web of continuous inspiration from each other, something I am so grateful to have experienced.

I carry this energy of taking inspiration from the community in everything I do. Live shows implement audience participation, where we can build a sound together. My marketing is often inspired by visual techniques I see my filmmaking friends use. My sound is taken from field recordings of the environment around Ann Arbor, making each work so far a time capsule of my beginnings at U-M.

LSA: What are your plans after graduation, and what are your larger goals?

NT: When I graduated high school, I was exhausted with the question of “what do you want to do?” Since, as a creative, I always felt a bit looked down upon when I gave my answer, or was told to make a contingency plan if it “didn’t work out.” Additionally, it felt limiting to give an answer of “novelist” or “playwright” at the time, because I had so many different creative interests.

So I’ll give the simple answer I began to give four years ago: My main goal is to create. I don’t know how, over time, that goal will change methodology, but the final goal has and will always stay the same. I will be making things. Whether that’s music, or whether that evolves into something else as I grow and learn new things, I will create.

At the moment, my current plan post graduation is to hopefully hit the road again for a bit, and then hunker down into a hibernation of sorts and work on a full album.

Photo Credit: Aria Zhou