“I started playing the flute in sixth grade in my middle school band program. I originally wanted to play the saxophone but I didn’t really like the brass mouth pieces and flute seemed like the most comfortable for me. They told me that I had potential as a flute player so that’s why I got started. And I’m really glad that I did, and I haven’t looked back since. It really fits me. The character of the flute, and the tone colors that it produces, along with the fact that I could play in a variety of different styles of music. I wanted to play jazz, but I wasn’t sure if I could as a flute player. But once I started jazz at Valley View, I found I was able to. And I also really like the flute because it is a great orchestral instrument. It’s changed me a lot, I appreciate discipline and hard work more now, in myself and in others. It’s a quality that I noticed more because it’s something that I’ve had to apply it to myself while practicing and performing. I also think that the flute has changed me because it’s gives me a way to express myself as an artist.”