The Chester High School boys’ basketball team held their annual “Senior Night” on February 17. This basketball game highlights the seniors on the basketball team, cheer squad, dance team, and in the pep band.
There are twenty band seniors who are, Mason Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Megan Zimmer, Addison Gottschammer, Liam Holland, Emily Gruenewald, Jason SIbley, Ivan Hobbs, David August, Anthony Hernandez-Huerta, Amelia Crawford, Brayden Juenger, Brayden Tucker, Erin Liefer, Jacob Casteel, Mackenzie Deimund, Natalie Guetersloh, Reed Creason, Ryan Junger, and Trevor Keeton.
We had the chance to interview ten of the band seniors, and here are their responses:
Mason Straight was our first band senior, and he plays the saxophone. He said that his favorite song to play during the pep band season is “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” We also asked if he could play any other instrument, what would it be, and why? He said he would choose the trumpet just for fun!
Our next band senior is Elizabeth Wilson, who plays the clarinet. Wilson said her favorite song from the pep band folder is “Enter Sandman,” which is by Metallica. If she could play any other instrument, she said she would choose the saxophone because of how important it is to jazz music. When asked if she had any advice for someone wanting to learn how to play a new instrument, she stated, “Practice is key! And don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong anymore, Mr. Colonel taught us all that!”
Megan Zimmer is our next band senior, who also happens to be a dance team senior. She plays the flute, and her favorite song to play during basketball games is “Uma Thurman,” by Fall Out Boy due to how fun and upbeat it sounds. If she had to pick a different instrument to play, she said she would choose percussion because of all of the other instruments that you can choose from in that category. Zimmer plans on continuing to play her flute after graduation, as she will be going to Millikin University for music education. Her advice to any new players is, “Do not give up. It’s going to be hard at first but with a lot of practice and determination it gets easier.”
Addison Gottschammer is the next band senior, who plays the trombone. Her favorite song to play is “Proud Mary.” If she could play any other instrument it would be the saxophone due to the neck strap. Gottschammer plans on continuing her trombone playing during the summer with the Municipal Band, which is also directed by Mr. Colonel. Her advice is, “It is one of the most rewarding experiences, so don’t quit, even if it does get difficult!”
The next band senior is Liam Holland, who is also a trombone player. His favorite song to play is Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and his second choice for an instrument would be drums because of how cool they are. He says that when playing the trombone, smiling helps with playing higher notes.
Emily Gruenewald is the next band senior, and she plays the flute. Her favorite song to play is “Tears Of A Clown.” If she could play another instrument, she would pick percussion. Her advice is to practice, because it will help you in the long run.
Jason Sibley is the next band senior and a member of the percussion section. His favorite song to perform is Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” If he could play another instrument, he would pick the saxophone because he has one that he is fixing up. Sibley will continue to pursue music after high school, as he plans on going to Southern Illinois College in Carbondale to get a degree in music education. His advice to anyone getting into music is to, “Patience is your friend. Take your time, and discipline! If it doesn’t work, try again! Keep trying!”
The next senior is Ivan Hobbs, and he plays the trombone. His favorite song is actually from this year’s field show, Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.” He said his second option would be the flute, because it sounds very calm. His advice is, “The first three years will be difficult, but if you stay consistent then you’ll do just fine.”
David August is the next band senior and is a member of the percussion section. August’s favorite song to play during pep band season is “Radar Love,” which is by the band called Golden Earring. His advice for anyone wanting to learn a new instrument is, “Stay focused. Don’t let anyone elitist bring your dreams down.” If he had to play a different instrument, he would choose the trumpet because “it’s powerful and usually screams melodies in the ensemble.”
Our final band senior we got to interview was Anthony Hernandez-Huerta. He plays the trombone and said that his favorite song to play during pep band season is also “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
With this being the last Chester game for the seniors, this also means it’s the last Chester game for Mr. Colonel. We wanted to honor him, so part of our interview was asking the seniors if they had anything they would like to say to him.
Wilson said, “Mr. Colonel was a major inspiration for me in life. He helped me find my love for music, and I will forever be grateful for that. I hope he knows how much he has impacted everyone and how much everyone cares for him.”
Zimmer said, “I would thank him for helping me find my passion in life. Both his and Mrs. Colonel’s years of teaching me and showing me the world of music has made me want to pass that same energy on to students I will teach in the future. Without them, I wouldn’t have found my passion for music. I really couldn’t ask for a better music teacher.”
Gottschammer asks Mr. Colonel to fill in the blank for the phrase, “Sticky sticky sticky _____.”
Holland hope that Mr. Colonel was happy with his last Chester pep band game.
Gruenewald says to Mr. Colonel, “You made my last two years amazing, and I always enjoy going to your classes. I am glad I got to experience your classes for all four of my high school years.”
Sibley’s words to Mr. Colonel are, “Thank you, Mr. Colonel, for everything! For teaching me the basics of conducting, cues, and everything in between! Thank you!”
Hobbs talks about Mr. Colonel and says, “I may not have the biggest name or mouth in the room, but Mr. Colonel has had an impact in the four years I’ve had him and gives me a role model to strive for.”
August thanks Mr. Colonel by saying, “This is a very emotional time for all of us. I wanted to say thank you for changing my life and altering my life goals as a whole.”
Hernandez-Huerta ends the notes for Mr. Colonel with the question, “If your instrument is your power, what are you without it?”
