Nathan Brooks

Grade: 11th

Instrument: Alto Saxophone

Future college: The college that gives me the most scholarship money

Future Job: Not sure yet

Years playing: 6

Inspiration: Doesn’t have one

Favorite musician: Cannonball Adderley

Wingspan: What made you chose the saxophone?

Brooks: “When I tried out the instrument it came pretty naturally to me, I liked the tone and I could just see myself doing jazz.”

Wingspan: When did you learn of your interest in music?

Brooks: “I’ve been playing piano since 2nd grade and I’ve built upon that by playing saxophone and maintaining my piano abilities, so I would say 2nd grade.”

Wingspan: When did you discover your talent? How has that changed you?

Brooks: “When I started playing saxophone in 6th grade I just started working as hard as I could, got far, and then I realized that I could do a lot with it.”

Wingspan: How do you prepare for an audition?

Brooks:  “For auditions I just play the music until I can play it in my sleep. Basically I make sure that no matter what, I can play my music as perfectly as possible and to the best of my ability. I also have a lucky outfit. I wear a black Astros shirt and red Nike shorts, and that gives me good luck.”

Wingspan: How do you handle your mistakes during a performance?

Brooks: “I have to just force it out of my brain and keep on going because I don’t want a mistake to cause even more mistakes. I just let it pass and let people forget about it.”

Wingspan: How does band affect your everyday life?

Brooks: “I can’t imagine my life without band because practicing after school and doing band class, marching band season, rehearsals after school, games, concerts, jazz and gigs and stuff like that has totally changed everything I do on a daily basis.”

Wingspan: Do you view music as a way to express yourself? How?

Brooks: “To be honest, not really. It’s hard because I view music in an objective way when I’m playing it, because if you get too emotional then you’ll start to sound bad.”

Wingspan: Are you considering this as a career? Why or why not?

Brooks: “I’m kind of on the fence about that. As I get better and I get more skills and develop those things I’m kind of leading more towards music but I really just don’t know. It’s something I’ll have to decide in the next couple years.”

Wingspan: What’s been your most rewarding memory in band?

Brooks: “Anytime that my huge amounts of work pay off and I get a good placement in band or a good audition placement, that’s when it’s all totally worth it.”

Wingspan: If you had to pick another instrument to play, what would it be? Why?

Brooks: “I would probably go with trombone just because I like the sound and I would pick a jazz instrument because that’s what I’m into. Also trumpet’s pretty difficult so I think it would be a little bit more manageable.”

Wingspan: How do you balance band and your other extracurriculars? 

Brooks: “You just have to be like a time ninja. You’ve gotta be okay with working all the time and having a really busy day. There’s no slacking off and you’ve just gotta keep going.”