“Music is an escape,” Junior Quinn Farrell stated. Many high school students can agree with this.
Music is something one can’t ignore – have you ever met someone who has never listened to music? But what about making music? It is much more difficult than listening to it. At Springfield Township High School, students have gotten a head start on making music, already forming bands and writing songs.
Bands
Multiple Springfield students are in bands with friends, including freshmen Zach Miller and Gaston Taylor in a band called Zoraj. Miller believes music is “an escape,” and Taylor adds that it “is a placeholder that can fill in gaps.” Both Miller and Taylor agree that the band Zoraj is “for fun,” and like music “as a hobby.”
Another student-led band in Springfield is Birdstrike. Band members of Birdstrike include juniors Pk Fecak, Quinn Farrell, Jackson Caruthers, and senior Danny Wesztergom, all of whom admit to only playing music outside of school, Fecak stating, “none [of them are] in jazz band, chorus, or other [school music groups].” Fecak adds that playing music is “very therapeutic,” and Farell shares that he, “like[s] how [he] can express [him]self through playing.” Caruthers and Wesztergom share the view that music is more of a hobby, with Wesztergom stating that it is “not realistic to pursue [as a career].”
Playing in a band isn’t the easiest thing to do, though, as according to Miller, “you need to learn to communicate with the band… [which] can sometimes be difficult.” Fecak believes that being a part of a band has “no downsides, just challenges,” and advises those pursuing music to “find connections and people to support you.” Miller adds that there are “more pros than cons” to being in a band.
Solo careers
While some students are in bands, others are pursuing solo careers. Junior Marco Lyra-Battestelli is a junior who’s been playing guitar since his freshman year. The feeling of needing an additional “creative expression in [his] life” inspired him to start playing, in which now playing guitar takes up “2-3 hours of [his] day.”
To Marco, being a musician “lets [him] articulate some things in ways that make emotions a little easier to understand.” When articulating his emotions, Marco states that “it can be a pretty lonely activity.” He doesn’t plan to pursue music as a career; however, he says he’ll “write music until the day [he] dies.”
