First playing saxophone in fifth grade when she signed up for a band which needed an instrumentalist, Kathryn Cole (12) played in concert band but transitioned to jazz band freshman year.

“Music makes me appreciate sound more,” Kathryn said. “I notice rhythm and things a lot more. It’s just a lot of fun. I get to know people I wouldn’t know otherwise.”

Performing in jazz band, especially during solos,  helped Kathryn learn how to control anxiety and stress better.

“The first time I had to stand up in jazz band and do improv at an actual performance was very significant for me,” she said. “I had a lot of nervousness over the performance, but once I was actually in the moment, it was a lot simpler than I expected it to be. I was freaking out a lot about it, but once I got half way into the performance, it was so good I could just relax.”

Kathryn uses the same approach to jazz in her approach to school.

“It’s important to relax,” she said. “It’s really easy to forget that here. I know I really got to be three days ahead of for homework. If I get a bad grade, I have to talk to the teacher asking for points back, but I think there is time I just need to calm down.”

Kathryn’s appreciation for music crosses over to her other interests.

“I pay a lot more attention to soundtracks in movies,” she said. When I say the music of the movie is very good, my family often hadn’t even noticed it.”

A self-proclaimed movie buff, she also enjoys playing video games.

“I like the interactive aspect of video games,” Kathryn said. “It’s nice to watch a story play out in a movie or in a game to be able to reflect the story yourself or feel it more directly. It’s too much to do just the story all the time.”