Musician of the Month

By Marina Saviceva-Noti

Grace Wilson, the first Gregg Schindler State Farm Agency Band Student honored, picked up percussion starting from her first year in middle school band. Now, she is a dedicated member of percussion in the J W Mitchell Bands, pushing her peers to succeed and striving to do better in her own playing.

Wilson’s musical start began before she went into middle school, by playing piano on her own. It led to her interest in band and helped her make the decision to pick a percussion instrument.

“I chose percussion because it has a lot of the same skills and applications as piano,” Wilson said.

Piano provided the valuable foundation for her future in band. When entering as a freshman in 2017, she played the Painted Black marching show, followed by The Crown, then Wild and Free, and finally this year’s smaller show, Welcome to the Jungle. But her true passion came later in the year during concert season: indoor percussion.

“My favorite part of band is probably our indoor percussion season, where the percussion section competes competitively across the state. Marimba is my favorite instrument, which is what I have played during marching band and indoor percussion for the past two years,” Wilson said.

Band director Ryan Harring nominated Wilson for the Gregg Schindler award due to her dedication and devotion to the art of percussion and her outstanding role as a leader.

“Not only is she one of our best musicians in the percussion section, she is also a fantastic pianist, a strong leader, and a diligent student. She represents some of the best qualities of the J. W. Mitchell High School Band,” Harring said.

From March 27-28, the indoor percussion participants travelled At the Indoor Percussion performance on March 28, Grace Wilson performs on the marimba. Photo by Heather Goldstein

to Daytona to play in a state event, competing against nine other ensembles. Ultimately, they took home gold, placing first in their division. This feat has made the ensemble one of the best in the state.

“Winning was amazing. It’s been fantastic to see our ensemble grow since my freshman year, and this was a fantastic way to finish out my senior year,” Wilson said.