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Hannah Coetzer fell in love with playing the tuba and the second family she found. by chloe lomax unflowers spark inspiration for Hannah Coetzer ‘20. Ever since Coetzer drove past Georgia Tech’s campus and saw their marching band play, she knew she was destined to play the tuba, or as she likes to call it, “the sunflower.” Originally from South Africa, Coetzer moved from South Africa to Dubai and then from Dubai to Atlanta. Coetzer came to Woodward in January of her fourth grade year, but Hannah’s love story with the tuba began one memorable day when she drove past Georgia Tech and saw their marching band perform. “[When I joined band] in fifth grade, we were going through all the instruments trying to pick which one we wanted to [play], and we could try out the sounds,” Coetzer said. “One day, I was driving past the Georgia Tech campus, and I saw their marching band practicing. I saw their tubas on the field and I was like, ‘Mom they look like sunflowers. I have to play the sunflowers.’ I went back to school, and I said, ‘How do I get to play the sunflower?’ [The band director] said, ‘You start on the tuba, and then in marching band you play the sousaphone.’ So now I play the sunflower.” The ambitious goal Coetzer set as she gazed at all the gold “flowers” glinting in the hot sun on the Georgia Tech field may have seemed unattainable for a ten-year-old girl, but she didn’t let her size, or the hard work required, deter her. “When Hannah first joined band, my son was the band director,” Mr. Ken Beard, Band Director, said. “We didn’t have enough people who played tuba, and in order to have a good band, you have to have variety. We needed someone to play tuba, and Hannah went up and said, ‘I’ll play the tuba.’ She’s been playing tuba ever since.” Although Mr. Beard said he knew that Hannah was a positive and upbeat person, he still worried about her playing such a large instrument. He could tell that she was in pain while practicing, but he never heard her complain. They took the right precautions to make sure that Hannah
stayed safe and unharmed by the instrument, and she continued to play. Hannah’s resilience and unwavering positive attitude were some of the qualities that she was most known for among her bandmates, and she said she built those qualities learning to play the tuba. The passionate personality Coetzer cultivated to sustain her through all the hard work radiated positivity all around her.
“I have to play the sunflowers.” Hannah Coetzer
“The band went to Italy to play in the Rome New Year’s Day parade,” Mr. Beard said. “It was a mile and a half parade through the city of Rome, and as the band was marching, all of the tuba players looked at Hannah, and she was still going strong. That same trip, she got an ear infection. We took her to the hospital. She was tough, and she came back and completed the trip.” Hannah’s hard work paid off and allowed her to grow in the band which she said she viewed as her second family, a part of her that she held close to her heart. She loved what she learned about not only the tuba, but also herself through band. “[Band] has shown me how I can stand in a leadership role,” Coetzer said. “It’s shown me how I can be a leader and never be afraid to stand up for what I believe in.” Beloved by her fellow band members and band director, many of her school family said they felt excited for Coetzer’s future but sad to see her go. The feeling is mutual. “Without band, I’d be a completely different person,” Coetzer said. 7
