This week I talked to Willow, one of our french horn students here at the MTMS Gahanna campus. Willow is a high school senior, and she recently committed to the Peabody Institute of Music at Johns Hopkins University, where she will be pursuing a degree in french horn performance.
At MTMS, Willow takes lessons with Krissandra, one of our main winds and brass instructors. Willow told me that Krissandra has helped her more than any teacher has before, both with her music skills and the college application process. To audition for music school involves many steps, including pre-screening recordings and auditions. Krissandra helped Willow pick her repertoire and wrote letters of recommendation to the schools she applied to in addition to teaching her the music along the way.
Willow has been working hard on music composition projects in the computer lab since she tested out of MacGamut, the hardest program we offer here. When I asked her how she felt about her theory training here, she said that it was “nice to have a place to practice music theory skills every week.” As a high school senior, things are busy enough as is, and to sit and practice theory for just 20 minutes a week helps keep the information fresh and helps students prepare for music theory placement tests they will have to take once they get to college. MacGamut is used in most music departments across the US, so having experience with it already will make theory a little easier in college!
We are so proud of Willow and her accomplishments! Thank you for being such a dedicated student and sharing your experiences with us. We wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. 💜
Willow’s next performance with MTMS will be May 11th at the Adult Recital. She and Krissandra will be performing Gallay’s Grand Duet No. 2 (Allegro Poco Agitato), you won’t want to miss it!
Musically,
Katie Ball, Lab Lead