William Vo

Grade: 11

Instrument: Cello

Future College: UT

Future Job: Psychologist

Years playing: 5 years

Years dancing: 2 years

Inspiration:

For music: My brother

For dancing: Jimmy Qian

Favorite Musician: Bob Ross

Favorite Dancer: Bboy Physicx

Wingspan: What made you choose the cello?

Vo: “To be completely honest, the reason why I chose the cello was because I realized I was a lazy kid, and out of all the instruments available to me, the cello was the one that appealed to me because you had to sit and play, unlike the higher instruments, as well as the cello not being as big as the bass.”

Wingspan: When did you learn of your interest in music? When did you discover your talent? How has that changed you?

Vo: “I first learned about my interest in music through my brother, when I first heard him play the song Rustle of Spring on the piano. I then found my talent in music through piano, and then used my experience from that and put it into cello. My interest in music has changed me in that I found an environment where I felt like I could push myself to the fullest without being judged for the first time.”

Wingspan: When did you learn of your interest in dance? When did you discover your talent? How has that changed you?

Vo: “I learned of my interest in dance around beginning of last year, when my to-be friend Jimmy Qan told me to start learning how to breakdance because I was Vietamese. I discovered my talent for dancing, firstly breakdancing, when I could do moves on my first try that my friends couldn’t do on their first try. That propelled me to try out breakdancing, and then join DFC to experience everything else. It changed me in so may unimaginable ways. I found myself to be more expressive and outgoing, as well as have more of a positive outlook on life and just break out of my shell in general. Through dancing, I formed many friendships with people who I would have never met before without dance.”

Wingspan: How do you prepare for a performance?

Vo: “Before a performance, I generally find myself calming and reassuring the other performers, which I guess calms my nerves down as well.”

Wingspan: How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

Vo: “With passion.”

Wingspan: How does orchestra affect your everyday life?

Vo: “Orchestra has affected my everyday life in that I began to appreciate a wider genre of music, outside of what I normally listen to.”

Wingspan: Are you considering playing your instrument/dance as a career? Why or why not?

Vo: “I would not pursue music or dance as my career mainly because I would rather enjoy them as hobbies and use them as an emotional and physical outlet than a career.”

Wingspan: What’s been your favorite memory in orchestra?

Vo: “My favorite memory by far in orchestra has to be doing pit for the Little Women musical. While it was very exhausting and took nearly 60 hours after school to learn and perfect the music, I made incredible memories with the people I performed with, and would do it again in a heartbeat.”

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

Vo: “Out of all the instruments, I would choose the guitar. Being able to carry an instrument with ease, and play it whenever appeals to me, after playing a stationary instrument for so many years.”

Wingspan: How do you balance orchestra, dance, and your extracurriculars?

Vo: “I generally have days reserved for each one, unless I have a lot of homework, then that takes precedence over everything else.”