Sarah plays her way to the top

Senior Sarah Flynn has played the trumpet for nine years and has been a part of Milton’s band for eight.

“My mom first encouraged me to join band, and I never really quit. I got really deep in it in high school,” Sarah said.

She added she chose the trumpet because “in third grade, it was the only instrument I could make a sound out of.” She said she stuck with it through elementary and middle school because music made her happy.

Recently, Sarah made first chair for trumpet at Susquehanna Valley Band (SVB), meaning she will take the lead for any trumpet movements. Sarah said it was nice to see all of her hard work pay off again, as she was also first chair last year.  She added students from six districts competed for SVB.

She said she is also part of the Williamsport Youth Orchestra, where she was first chair for trumpet in 2018.

Sarah described Mr. Matthew Radspinner, orchestra director for Williamsport Youth Symphony Orchestra, as her biggest influence. “He educates by encouragement, and he takes the time to get to know every student personally,” she added.

Sarah said she represented Milton High School at District Band at Danville in 2018 and 2019. Districts was “very educational and I learned to communicate better,” she said adding that she made second at Districts last year and first at Districts this year.

Sarah said playing at Mansfield University for District Band in 2018 made her realize she could create something beautiful if she put her heart into it. She added she played a “beautiful lush piece” called “Francesca di Romini” by Tchaikovsky that made her realize she wanted to pursue a career in music. According to Sarah, “Francesca di Romini” by Tchaikovsky is one of the hardest pieces of music she has had to learn because it was very emotion-evoking.

Sarah also went to State Band in Pittsburgh last April, where she made second chair for trumpet, she said. She described States as “Districts on steroids.” Sarah added she met people just as passionate about band as she was in Pittsburgh.

Sarah said she has applied to Ithaca College for Music Performance but will not know if she is accepted until after she auditions in late January. She plans to continue with band in college.

In the future, Sarah said she envisions getting her name out there and becoming a soloist or a trumpet player in a symphony.

Sarah added that she is also a member of National Honor Society and Premier, Milton’s selective vocal group.

Sarah is also a member of The Mulberry Street Jazz Band outside of school, she said. She added the band, which meets in Danville and has performed at the Selinsgrove market and at the community center in Danville. She said this band is a group of high school students who took the initiative to learn more about jazz music.

Music teacher Ms. Alyssa Williams said Sarah has always been a great musician. She added Sarah practices every moment she gets and has improved her audition scores.

“I hope that Sarah succeeds in trumpet performance and lands herself a professional paying job,” Ms. Williams said. She added that she has enjoyed watching Sarah grow and added Sarah is “every music teacher’s dream student.”

“I am absolutely prepared to work hard and take whatever life throws at me to become the musician I aim to be,” Sarah said.