Band is a popular course at Saint Louis High School, so it’s no surprise many students take multiple music classes in order to express their talent. Whether it be band, steel band, jazz band, or marching band and concert band, the courses covered are taken by over a hundred students at SLHS.

One band member, senior Riley Davis,  shared his experience, “I started in middle school, where I began on the saxophone. I later switched to the guitar when I first heard ‘Seek and Destroy’ by Metallica.” Davis can play many infamous songs on guitar such as “Enter Sandman,” “Master of Puppets,” and “Seek and Destroy,” all by Metallica. Soon after switching to the guitar, Davis found that was his passion. Davis has dedicated his spare time to riffing on the guitar since he was twelve years old. According to fellow band member Ethan Shattuck, “Riley is a very talented musician. He’s really good at guitar and was the best saxophone player in middle school from what I remember.” 

But why guitar? Of the hundreds of instruments readily available, why does Davis have such an affinity for this particular one? “Guitar is definitely my favorite instrument out of the lot I’ve played. I feel I can make a lot more cool sounds with guitar than any other instrument. Guitar playing also is more of a diverse instrument. There aren’t many genres of music you can’t play with guitar,” Davis closed, “I want to be a game warden in the future, but I definitely don’t see myself stopping guitar as a hobby any time soon.”

Another student, junior Rachel Jewell, has been in marching band, jazz band, concert band, and steel band. “I have played the snare drum, percussion, and lead pan, but the first instrument I ever learned was the piano, which I still play in jazz band,” shared Jewell. Rachel believes mallet percussion to be very fun to play, as it is very similar to the piano in the way it is played. “In the future, I would love to be a music teacher. I think my skills I’ve gotten over high school will help me to accomplish this.”