By Christina Burke
Staff Writer
The award-winning Coppell High School Marching Band is famous among the city’s bubble. There are so many of these members roaming the halls of CHS, but without their distinct white uniforms and tall feathered hats, they seem to blend into the crowd.
Within the band, there are many different talents behind the hundreds of faces that you see on the field. Some of them are aspiring artists and writers, but of course, hidden among them, are many aspiring musicians.
To these students, the art of music goes way beyond marching band. Several high school band students have taken action to further develop their love of music through activities outside of school.
Senior french horn player Haley Greenia and junior saxophone player Matt Smith both participate in the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, (GDYO) a time consuming orchestra for top musical students.
As a junior, Smith has great things to say about the program. His passion for music and drive to never give up make his experiences more enjoyable.
“I participate for fun and just go get better and further develop my abilities,” Smith said. “I feel like it will prepare me for college because I choose to do music outside of high school. The people I’m around also have a big influence on me because everyone there loves to do the same thing that I do.”
Greenia enjoys GDYO because, in her eyes, it is a good experience for young people who enjoy music to come together.
“I really like the ensemble because everyone is there to play the music, and it sounds way more beautiful than marching band,” Greenia said. “In orchestra, you can be loud, but you can also be soft; there is a lot more expression.”
As a senior, Greenia is preparing for a career in music into college and the future.
“I feel like I’ll be doing music for a long time,” Greenia said. “I’ll probably be one of those older people in orchestra. I intend on being in orchestra in college. I want to at least minor in music.”
Seniors Ben Marshall and Stephen Arifin, both saxophone players in the CHS Marching Band, have been in rock/alternative band, The Paradigm, for a little more than a year. They are known for preforming at local gigs including Relay for Life.
Arifin enjoys being an active member of The Paradigm.
“We look forward to going to practice. It shows dedication to practice, responsibility, and creativity,” Arifin said. “On the field, it’s a lot more strict, you can’t have fun. On the stage, you can do whatever you want.”
He believes their band has come a long way in the past year and has some advice for students who might want to start up their own band.
“When we first wrote our songs, it was awful. The more you work together, just the more experience you have, the easier it will get,” Arifin said.
Marshall utilizes various musical abilities in The Paradigm. He plays not only the saxophone, but also rhythm guitar and backup vocals. He enjoys the feeling of being on stage and hopes for the best in his musical future.
“I’m not sure how it’s going to work out with our group when we all go to college,” Marshall said. “We’ll probably start some groups in college and just keep doing it because it’s fun.”
All of these students show pride both on the field and outside of school. They all participate in the leadership program for the marching band, which is a group of influential upperclassmen, and are very influential on the underclassman.
Sophomore Olivia Brooks looks up to them at practice and competitions.
“They are all in leadership, and they help out with marching, techniques, and [finding] your spot,” Brooks said. “I look up to Haley because she is my section leader. She does a great job of playing french horn and with leadership.”
These aspiring young musicians strive to fulfill their passions and make the best of their high school years doing it.
