Q: What got you into doing band?
A: At the end of fifth grade when I was planning my schedule for the upcoming school year and had to pick between band, choir, or orchestra, I didn’t want to do any of them. However, because I was required to take at least one of them and I had no interest in taking choir whatsoever, I mentally flipped a coin between band and orchestra. I didn’t know the difference between the two at the time and blindly went with picking band. Fast forward to today, after having accomplished all that I have, I am forever grateful that I chose to do band.
Q: What got you to choose flute as your instrument?
A: There’s a long and complicated story behind it, but long story short, when I went through the instrument selection process, something in me was urging me to pick flute over the others, even though I was much better at the other alternatives. Looking back, I’m glad with how things turned out, for if I chose something other than flute, I would not be where I am today.
Q: What motivated you to pursue All-Region/All-State?
A: What motivated me the most to pursue the All-Region/All-State process was the curiosity of seeing how far I could go and how high up I could rank statewide. Little did I know that after all the hard work and effort I put into this, I would come out as the number one flutist in the entire state of Texas.
Q: How did you feel throughout the Region/All-State process?
A: Throughout the process of practicing the same three etudes for six months straight, it can be tedious at times. Sometimes I’m in the mood, other times I only do it for the sake of not forgetting everything I’ve done by missing days. But over the past six months, I knew that everything I was putting into this would eventually pay off in the end and for this year in particular, it did a lot more than I ever would have expected.
Q: What is your favorite part about the All-Region process or band in general?
A: My favorite part about the all-region/all-state process is after the auditions when we receive the opportunity to play with other high-level musicians and play high-level music with some of the best and most memorable clinicians out there.
Q: What is something you think you’ve gained from this experience?
A: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from the All-Region/All-State process is that in life what you put in is what you get out. Over the past six months, I have put in countless hours of practice into learning and mastering my etudes, and by the time auditions came along, I felt more prepared and ready than I ever had before, for I knew that everything I had been working on over the past couple of months would finally pay off. Finding out that I got first chair in the entire state of Texas made me realize that hard work does pay off in the end, whether you realize it in the moment or not.
