By Cassie Wade
Music is a form of expression that
reflects an individual’s personality based
on the genre to which they listen. Though
most people enjoy listening to music, some
like sophomore Cody Stevens, also love to
make it.
“I play the electric guitar, bass guitar,
bass clarinet, clarinet and I tried the saxophone last week,” Stevens said. “I’ve played
the electric guitar since fourth grade; it was
my first instrument.”
According to band director Kevin Koopmann, it is not uncommon for a student to
learn to play more than one instrument.
“We do have many students who play
several instruments because at Yutan, we
promote diversity and like to feed students’
curiosity,” Koopmann said.
Though Stevens’ parents did not learn
how to play any instruments when growing
up, they encouraged him and his siblings to
learn how.
“I still remember when my mom was
bringing us home from CCD; she asked if
anybody wanted to take guitar lessons, and
I said yes,” Stevens said.
Stevens, who is one of the 13 Stevens
children, is the only sibling currently involved in the high school band.
Stevens has participated in several band
competitions throughout his high school
career and has also attended the Shrine Bowl
summer camp at the University of Nebraska
at Kearney.
“I’ve gone to lots of different band competitions, and I’ve gotten to meet lots of new
people from bigger schools,” Stevens said.
“Band camp was pretty fun, and we learned
a lot. It was a lot of hard work because you
had to get up really early and didn’t go to
sleep until late.”
Stevens’ most recent competition was
the Elkhorn Band Olympics held on Feb.
22. It was both an individual and ensemble
competition that included team results and
rankings.
“If you get first place, you get extra
points; I got a superior, which just means
you did very well,” Stevens said. “You
can also get first through fifth place, that’s
when the judge decides who he thinks was
best, and I got first for the bass clarinet and
contrabass.”
Koopmann says that Stevens makes for
a real-life “Cinderella” story because his
work ethic has changed him from a novice
to such a good musician.
“He practices all the time, and will be the
next star musician for Yutan Public schools,”
Koopmann said. “Still shy, soft spoken and
humble with an unmatched work ethic.”
Though Stevens does not think he will
pursue a career in music after high school,
he thinks that he will continue to play his
instruments while in college. He also says
that band has taught him several important
life values, such as determination and
dedication.
“Band has taught me to never give up
because the first time I went to a competition I didn’t do so well, but I have slowly
gotten better over time,” Stevens said. “I
learn something new and get better all the
time.”
Cassie Wade
Yutan High School