The fourty-sixth 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!

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Name: Dana Sutherlin

Hometown: Greenfield, IN

School Name: Mt. Vernon High School

Section: Dancer

What made you decide to apply to be a part of the band?
My older brother was on the drumline as a snare player in the 2013 BOA Honor Band. I saw the dancers and was excited to audition for the Honor Band this year. I knew my brother had a lot of fun and learned a lot, so I wanted that experience too, but as a dancer.

What part of the trip are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about marching in Disneyland. I  marched in Disney World once before with my high school band and it was incredibly fun. I think that it’s really cool that I will have marched at Disney World and Disneyland. I am also really excited to meet so many people from different states.

What are three things you’ve learned from being involved in band?
1. Practice is more important than the performances and competitions, because that is what prepares you. If you don’t practice well, then you will not perform well.
2. No matter how good you are, you should always strive to be better. No one can ever be perfect, so you always need to work hard.
3. Friendships builds a great band, just as much as practicing. If band members argue with each other all the time, then they will not perform well. Everyone needs to get along and support each other in order to be successful.

Most memorable moment in band?
My most memorable moment was when my guard instructor was presenting awards and I was given the award for Best Performance. He said people were always asking him about me and telling him that I was great at performing. It really made me feel like my hard work had paid off.

Besides band, what are you involved in at school?
Besides Color Guard, I am on the Prom Committee and I am the secretary of National Honor Society. I take seven dance classes a week at Wilkerson Dance Studio including tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip hop, contemporary, and modern.

What’s your favorite book?
My favorite book is The Book Thief. Not only is it an entertaining book, but it’s also full of information. It is one of the only books I’ve read that has kept me on the edge of my seat, while learning.

What’s your favorite song or piece of music?
Bohemian Rhapsody is my favorite song because of how many different styles of music are in one piece. The first time I heard it I thought it was the strangest song ever, but now I love it.

Favorite movie?
Footloose or Moulin Rouge

Favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint Chocolate Chip

What’s your current plan for what you want to do after graduating high school?
I want to go to Purdue University for a major in Law and Society and a minor in Dance. I would love to become a detective or a forensics scientist. Also, I plan on teaching dance classes, or teaching color guard.

Have you participated in MFA/BOA events before? Which ones?
I have been in one BOA Regional competition at Ball State University.

Tell us something interesting/unique about you:
I raise Boer goats, and show them at the county and state fair. This past year I was the Reserve Champion in Senior Showmanship, and got to compete with all the other top showmen at the county fair in a competition called the Round Robin. That is when you show a boer goat, sheep, beef cow, dairy cow, and pig against everyone else. It was a great experience.

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