Corbin Keene, 14, was required to take a music class as a student at West Noble Middle School and chose band because it was his favorite part of football games. As it turned out, his connection to band went much deeper than even he realized.

“The more I look back now after nearly five years of dedication, I can see that music was always with me even before I began studying it,” Keene said. 

“I chose to play trumpet with a lot of my friends. But that year for my birthday I was gifted a $20 Yamaha Advantage alto sax that my aunt had purchased at a yard sale. I spent hours just making sound and soon I had developed the desire to learn saxophone as well as I had with trumpet.”

In just a few years, Keene had studied with three different teachers at school — Justin Goelz, Abby Travis, and Alex Villalpando.

“It’s amazing to have a great teacher that you can share your passion for music with, but it’s so much more to have them as a friend,” he said.

Among his favorite musical memories, he notes a final drumline performance, one which demonstrates his passion for music, his love of playing with other musicians, and his proactive approach to making musical magic.

“I took the liberty of bringing back a drumline at our high school that we haven’t had in many years. We put in a lot of work to prepare music and equipment and it was like nothing else to see that pay off.”