You pass them in the halls and sit across from them in the cafeteria. But do you really know your classmates? Meet them in The Word’s “Random Ranger.”

Q: What are you involved in?

A: Band and NHS.

Q: What do you play?

A: I play the trumpet.

Q: What are some of your hobbies or interests?

A: I like the trumpet. And I mountain bike. And fish.

Q: Describe the craziest thing that’s happened to you this year, including the summer.

A: I went to Interlochen, a really prestigious music camp in Michigan. I got to play on several cornetists’ horns, like Vincent Bach, Arbon, and Herbert Al Clark.

Q: Describe how Interlochen changed you as a person. Do you think it’ll give you more opportunities in life?

A: I learned not necessarily about the trumpet, but about music and phrasing. So I learned that if you can get past learning notes and rhythms on your instrument and get straight to the musical part, you’ll instantly sound much better than how you actually are.

Q: How did your pass offs work, and were they stressful?

A: We would all practice the audition music. There were four auditions. There was the first one, where we learned the excerpts for what we were going to play that week, and some of it was for the second orchestra. So we all sat outside this cabin once we had warmed up, and we played for the faculty. They were super nice and really encouraging, so it wasn’t nerve-wracking at all.

Q: What were you thinking when you found out that you got second chair?

A: Well I was third chair for the first week, but I was still really happy that I got into the first orchestra at such a high level music camp. It made me want to work harder because third chair’s just as important as first.

Q: What was the best part about Interlochen?

A: At the end of the first week concert, we played “Pictures at an Exhibition” which is a marathon for trumpet players, first through third chair, although third chair didn’t play very much. But for first chair, it was really exciting to see how Joey got to improve. At the end, it was just such a good production, and it sounded like a professional orchestra. So for the rest of camp I was thinking “we’re just going to build on that, and it’s just going to get even better”.

Q: What will you never forget?

A: The people. Not just the students, but also the teachers because they were always really constructive, and they had intelligent things to say.

Q: How do you think Interlochen prepared you for your future career in trumpet?

A: Well, I never really got to play in an incredibly good orchestra, except for region orchestra, and I learned a lot of musical skills that I’ve been applying here, and have been really helping me get exponentially better.

Q: Is there anything else you want to add, like maybe some advice for aspiring trumpet players?

A: Trumpet playing is a lot easier than one might think. If you can figure out how to get a good tone and articulate correctly, you have all the tools necessary. More air is not a valid comment, unless you play extremely soft. Always try and find new ways to do things that you’ve already been doing, so that you can find the best way possible to do it.