VYPE met with Seneca’s Maylee Myers to discuss her experience as a member of the band.
VYPE: What are your personal goals for the year?
My personal goals for the year were to generally improve. Whether it was in music or in academics or to improve in handling things better and being more involved and doing things that scare me.
VYPE: What is the most fun you have had in the last year?
The most fun I’ve had in the last year was going to Florida and spending more time with people some people I don’t generally spend a lot of time with. The whole experience was a lot of fun because I did so many things that I never thought I would do or ever do again because of just being afraid of it. Such as riding roller coasters, swimming in the ocean, or actually having fun at a water park where the slides are like tubes that can start to get a claustrophobic feeling.
VYPE: Who is your favorite teacher from any grade, and why?
My favorite teacher is my former art teacher, Mrs. Lawson. She was the most helpful to me and was there for me during a significant part of my life when it was hard for me to get through the days. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do so if she wasn’t there for me. A significant event occurred and made it even harder for me to cope with everything else that was going on. She realized that and helped me through the grieving process. She is one of two of the most understanding and helpful teachers I’ve ever had because she’s easy to talk to and she’s very caring. She loves and cares for all of her students as a mother does her children.
VYPE: What is your favorite athletic memory?
I don’t have a specific favorite memory from band yet, but I’ll never forget how it felt to get ready for my first competition. It was the most scared and nervous I’d felt about anything band related ever, but then I felt relieved when I got on the field and started performing.
VYPE: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why?
A teammate that will have left the biggest impression on me is Davin Clouse in the class of 2023. He notices the smallest things that people do out of worry or anxiety and understands how to help. He is and has been the most helpful friend to me that I’ve ever had. He knows how to cheer people up the right way when they’re upset about something and he knows how to talk people through things. He asks questions about what’s bothering them and why it’s bothering them and gathers as much information about what they’re going through so that he understands how they’re hurting and how to help.
He’s a really helpful person and I don’t think a lot of people realize that. He does everything he can to make people feel good and happy and let them know that they aren’t alone. I’ve been dreading the day he graduates because it’s not going to feel the same without him and the energy he puts into the band room. He helped me realize that when things change, like when someone graduates, you can’t think of it as a loss or the end of a story, but as a start of a new chapter.
That can seem like the end because it is the end of an old chapter, but you haven’t ended the story yet. You don’t realize how much it feels like you need an older brother until you befriend someone as helpful and caring as him.
VYPE: What is your favorite part of being on this team?
My favorite part about being in this band program is the emotional connections you share and feel with everyone else there with you. You struggle together. You cry together at senior speeches. You laugh together at jokes or past memories brought up by directors or other bandmates. You worry together. You succeed together. You never feel alone as a part of this band.
VYPE: You can pick any place for a summer vacation. Where do you go, and who do you take with you?
I’ve always wanted to travel, so for a summer vacation, I would want to go to Italy with my best friend Ysabella.
VYPE: If we gave you $500 and you had to spend it in the next 24 hours, what would you spend it on?
If I received $500 that I had to spend within 24 hours of receiving it, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I don’t go shopping. I suppose I would go to a music store and buy a stand for my sax and clarinet and buy a few boxes of reeds. Then maybe go and buy a nicer concert dress. But that’s not enough to spend all $500, so I would end up giving the rest away to people and groups that actually need it.
VYPE: What Clubs or Campus groups are you involved with and why?
Groups I’m involved with other than band include jazz band and show choir, a club that I’m involved in is Tri-M. I try to do as many things involving music as I can. Music is one thing I will never lose passion for.
