Melodies flow like ocean waves, calming and emotive. Coppell High School junior percussionist Sophie Depew moves across the marimba, treating it as an extension of herself.
It’s hard to not be enchanted by the music.
Depew’s musical journey started in kindergarten as her mother, former percussionist Trish Wiese, wanted music to run through the family. When it came time for middle school, it seemed obvious for Depew to join the school band and follow in her mother’s footsteps.
“I went into the auditions wanting to do percussion,” Depew said. “I tried out all the instruments and did really well in all of them, but percussion was always the coolest one to me.”
Depew went through Coppell Middle School North treating band as nothing but another class. But in eighth grade, she found herself lured by the marimba after hearing it played during high school tryouts.
“I heard it and it was so pretty,” Depew said. “I saw that it was a percussionist playing the marimba, and I started to think about the instrument. I had no idea what it was, so I was very intrigued.”
It became her challenge to master the marimba. Staying at the high school until 9 p.m. practicing, music was no longer just an enjoyable class—it was a lifestyle.
“It clicked whenever I came into high school,” Depew said. “I realized this is my thing now, and I put in all this effort and time so I couldn’t be mediocre.”
Depew’s dedication is hard to miss in her performance. CHS percussion instructor Patricia Islas could not help but notice her expertise at the parent preview concert prior to her freshman year.
“I noticed that even after just a week of practice, Sophie was performing in a way that seemed very confident, musical and mature for a freshman level,” Islas said. “That was a little sign of what was to come.”
She continued to practice her marimba skills to the maximum in ninth grade. When it came time for the North Texas Premier Solo Contest in May 2022, she participated in the solo contest with percussion with her marimba. Her performance won her the Outstanding Soloist award, which she also won sophomore year.
“It’s definitely not easy for a freshman, but she destroyed it,” Islas said. “The judge was a colleague of mine from another school and he would not stop talking about how amazing she was. He could see that there was a certain attitude and sincerity in how she played things that was unique.”
Wanting to challenge herself more, Depew decided to participate in the Percussive Arts Society Texas Chapter’s Day of Percussion high school individual competition in April with Heng Liu’s “Vermillion Bird” in marimba.
“She had so much emotion and intent when playing that solo,” CHS percussion instructor Randall Nguyen said. “It was really cool to see her perform at that level and ability.”
Depew exited the competition dissatisfied with her performance, even if others thought differently. Leaving before the awards ceremony, she returned home only to find on Facebook that she won first place for her marimba solo.
“I did not think it was real,” Depew said “I thought it was a mistake.It felt surreal because I was in the darkness of my home, alone, and I did not know who to tell.”
Winning the competition came with a $2,000 scholarship, a drum set and invitations to camps at the University of North Texas, presented by UNT coordinator of percussion Mark Ford. Depew attended the American Percussion Seminar at UNT in June and learned from professors around the country.
“I got to meet a bunch of other people around my age that were just as dedicated,” Depew said. “I took a couple lessons with Mark Ford during that time, and he asked for my contact information so that we could continue lessons into the school year. It was crazy and incredible.”
Depew plans to take on music in her future career.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Depew said. “I just want to be a part of music and make sure that it is a part of my life for years to come. I want to make sure that all of this time and dedication doesn’t go to waste.”
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