Q: What sparked your musical interest?

A: “My parents were both involved in music, a long time before I ever existed. They were both in band, they were both drum majors, and they both sang in choirs, through high school through college even. And even now, they still are active singers and my dad is still playing in a brass band. And I think I just grew up with so much music around me, and I found the same passion and love the music that they have. I’ve been singing in choirs, like, third grade, and I’ve been in band. I’ve played instruments since fourth grade, but I started band as an alto sax from sixth grade, and I continue through that, and I think I honestly don’t know where I’d be without music because of all the people I’ve met and also all the experiences that I’ve made.”

Q: Which music classes do you take at City? 

A: “I am in the Concert Choir and I am in the Symphony band.”

Q: What extracurricular music activities do you participate in?

A: “Over the course of high school I have been involved in select women’s ensemble, show choir (Charisma and Fourth Ave.), jazz band, and marching band where I am a drum major.”

Q: What instruments do you play, even if you play them badly?

A: “Alto saxophone and tenor saxophone, ukulele, piano, guitar, harmonica, and violin.”

Q: What is the role of a drum major?

A: “So, basically, a drum major is the person who is kind of the puzzle piece connecting all the band members to the directors, during marching band season especially, and we also are in charge of leading the band and conducting our halftime shows during football season, and also pep band. And that’s usually what people see us doing. But I think the most important or major major is leading and serving the band, as a whole, and helping City High bands to be the best that they can be.”

Q: If you had to choose: band or choir?

A: “Oh gosh, that is so difficult! Obviously I’m going into vocal performance as a major or minor, so I guess I kind of chose choir, but band also has such a special place in my heart because of all the people I’ve met through band, and my life and my world and everything that I know would be fundamentally changed if I didn’t have band or choir in my life.”

Q: If you could give your freshman self one piece of advice regarding music, what would it be?

A: “I would tell my freshman self, go for it, and take chances. Coming into City High I was a lot more shy than I am now. These past few years I’ve been able to embrace more and become more confident in myself. I’ve been able to allow myself to go after things that I want to do such as being a drum major, being in Concert Choir, and auditioning for solos and stuff like that within choir. And I think as a freshman, I just didn’t fully embrace the possibilities that you could have through music.”

Q: What’s one lesson that you have learned from your directors? 

A: “Most of my directors that I’ve had have taught me this similar lesson of being confident in myself. For example, Mr. Ottmar is my band director, and I play tenor saxophone there. I’m one of the minority, and some important parts need to be played louder so everyone could hear it. So that’s one time when he was like, you can be confident yourself; you can play it up. And also, Dr Grove, when I was auditioning for All-State, my sophomore year for choir, which I didn’t get in. But one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from them was to be confident in my voice, and to just go for it, and see what happens. You can’t be scared to try new things.” 

Q: What is one instrument -that you don’t already play- that you would want to be a master of? 

A: “You know, I think I’m going to go with a harp. It’s just a really cool instrument.”