Katie Dyson

Katie Dyson

I never planned to invest all my time in music, but it’s funny how life works out. I started playing the piano in third grade, and in sixth grade I picked up the clarinet. From that point on, my experience in school was painted by the colors of band and all its related facets. Eventually, I decided I wanted to get more out of music—I wanted to wrap myself in it as much as possible. I started to learn alto saxophone and the mandolin, and the ukulele a little later. When I became a freshman, I was involved in either lessons, an extracurricular ensemble, or marching band rehearsal everyday after school. My sophomore year, I decided to put in all the effort I had to be a better musician, and I made it into the All-District Band, something I have done every year since. I know I am not the best musician, but I love it dearly, and it will always be worth the effort for me to try to be the best I can be. For my next step forward, I plan to major in biology on the path to become a geneticist. There’s a very real connection between music’s understanding of humanity and the role genetics plays in creating that humanity in the first place. I am excited to explore that connection to the very end as I move past this stage of my life. But, in the end, music will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart, and I want it to continue to be an important part of my life even if it isn’t my chosen career. Music, and the instruments I play, have always been with me through the rough times, and I am going to keep it close for as long as I can.