By Chloe Futrell, Editor-in-Chief
A collection of loud sounds filled the small hallway in First Flight Middle School. Symbols crashed and horns were blown and made slightly off-key noises.
Sixth-grader Zane Fish walked in and met his first instrument – the trombone.
Fish is now a senior, and from those humble beginnings he is still living out his dream of playing music. Fish is involved in a plethora of arts including Honors Jazz Band, marching band, concert band and the theater program. The musician has had a great appreciation for the arts ever since his first band class in sixth grade.
“I didn’t do a lot of music at a really young age – I’m not one of those stories where someone grew up and their parents put a guitar in their hand or something,” Fish said, laughing. “I started in sixth grade with band and I just wanted to be good and so I practiced until I was good.”
For Fish, music is not only a hobby but also an experience he treasures and looks forward to each day.
“If you’re doing a thing (playing music) and it is just in that perfect little spot in your skill level, and it’s not something that is really easy, and it’s not too hard that you’re struggling to know what you’re doing, but if you’re just sitting down, just doing this task, then time just disappears,” Fish said. “It’s this state of mind that you go into where you just forget about everything except for this one task. So being in a situation where I am playing in the band, I’ve got music coming in at all sides. It’s just a really nice experience.”
Fish is an award-winning musician and has recently made First Flight history as the first student from here to make the all-state jazz band.
Not only is Fish a master of instruments, he is also passionate about the performing arts. In his sophomore year, Fish auditioned for “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” and has been involved in theater ever since. The senior believes it is important for individuals in the arts to be involved and to expose themselves to different art forms.
“There are people in theater working just as hard as you, just with a different set of skills and terms that they have to deal with.” Fish said. “I think it is really easy to get involved with one thing and think that thing you do is the thing.”
Fish plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill and major in communications or music. Fish fears for the day-to-day work routine and hopes that Chapel Hill will open a wide variety of options after college.
“My experience in local work forces and stuff have taught me that I definitely don’t want to be spending my life going to work and doing the same thing every day. I just feel like I have sort of an obligation to continue the arts because I have been doing it for so long,” Fish said.
No matter where college life takes Fish, music and the arts will always have a place in his heart at First Flight.
“We do have a community here of people who genuinely want to make music and be in theatre,” he said. “I am grateful that that exists.”
Senior Chloe Futrell can be reached at futrellch1114@daretolearn.org.
