The seventy-second installment of a new series on the blog that we will be posting throughout the month of December. As some of you are aware, Music for All will be taking an Honor Band to the 2017 Rose Parade. Our members were selected by audition for the ensemble and come from all across the United States. We are looking forward to coming together for the first time as a band at the end of December and we hope this series will allow us all to get to know some (hopefully most!) of the members of this awesome ensemble!
Name: Allison Williams
Hometown: Ostrander, OH
School Name: Rutherford B Hayes High school
Section: Dancer
What made you decide to apply to be a part of the band?
I love dancing and Color Guard more than anything and I always look for any opportunity to dance and perform.
What part of the trip are you most excited about?
I’m most excited to actually march in the parade. My grandpa used to work for the Rose Parade and I’m really excited for him and my grandma to see me.
What are three things you’ve learned from being involved in band?
The three biggest things I have learned from band are: Don’t be afraid to be yourself, you can to anything you set your mind to, and follow your dreams, even if they seem crazy. When I started Color Guard in 8th grade, I was completely horrible, I couldn’t dance for my life and I couldn’t spin. But I never gave up, I looked for any opportunity to get better, any free day I had I was practicing with my guard sisters, Maddie and Bridget, or taking dance classes. I worked hard and chased my dreams and I have come so far because of it.
Most memorable moment in band?
The most memorable moment in band for me was when I was a junior and I was practicing at our local community center. This little girl, probably 4-years old, runs up and plops down right in front of me and watches me practice for about 20 min. She finally got up the nerve to come talk to me while I was getting water and started telling me how she wanted to be just like me when she got bigger, so I grabbed my flag and spent the next half hour showing her flag tricks, and then I taught her some basics on a flag. It was that moment that I realized I was doing something right and I was inspiring the next generation.
Besides band, what are you involved in at school?
I was a member of student council last year and I am an athletic training aid.
What’s your favorite book?
Asking me to pick a favorite book is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child! But if I have to choose I would say: Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
What’s your favorite song or piece of music?
ANYTHING FROM THE HAMILTON SOUNDTRACK!!
Favorite movie?
Anastasia
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Vanilla
What’s your current plan for what you want to do after graduating high school?
I want to go into Athletic Training.
Have you participated in MFA/BOA events before? Which ones?
I went to Music for All’s Summer Symposium in 2014.
Tell us something interesting/unique about you:
I have have placed 4th with my flag I and E the past two years at the system blue performers showcase and I can sing all of the Hamilton soundtrack.
