The nineteenth 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: Kensey Dahlquist
Hometown: Kennesaw, GA
School Name: Kennesaw Mountain High School
Section: Drum Major
What made you decide to apply to be a part of the band?
I was at the Drum Major Institute at the Music for All Summer Symposium in 2015 when they made the announcement that there would be a chance to march in the Rose Parade with students from across the nation. I was immediately drawn in by the opportunity to march with and learn from the best high school musicians and staff from across the nation, all the way in California.
What part of the trip are you most excited about?
Getting to perform at Bandfest! In 2005, I watched my cousin perform with the Tournament of Roses Honor Band at that same event, so getting to relive that experience through his shoes is really exciting.
What are three things you’ve learned from being involved in band?
Character, commitment, and how to be part of something larger than myself. Band has helped me discover who I am as not only a musician, but as a person and as a leader. It requires hours of effort and focus; a type of challenge you can’t find anywhere else. But most of all, band teaches you to look beyond the “I” mentality. Only in band can you get that feeling when you step off the field after a performance. In that moment you know that, together, you created something amazing.
Most memorable moment in band?
I was standing in front of my band when I received the call from Eric Martin congratulating me on being selected as a Drum Major for the Tournament of Roses Honor Band. I will never forget the cheers that erupted from the people I consider my second family-their love and support meant the world to me.
Besides band, what are you involved in at school?
I am a member of my school’s academic bowl team, Beta Club, Pit Orchestra, and I am President for our Tri-M Honor Society. I am also a Venture Scout- a co-ed group of high school students involved in Boy Scouts of America.
What’s your favorite book?
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
What’s your favorite song or piece of music?
Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
Favorite movie?
As much as I hate to admit it, I love the cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies.
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Neapolitan (why choose one when you can have three!)
What’s your current plan for what you want to do after graduating high school?
I plan on attending either the University of Michigan or Purdue University for a degree in Civil Engineering.
Have you participated in MFA/BOA events before? Which ones?
I am a three-year veteran of the Music For All Summer Symposium Drum Major Institute, and have attended numerous BOA Regionals, Super Regionals, and in 2014, Grand Nationals.
Tell us something interesting/unique about you:
When I’m not in the band room, you can usually find me scaling walls at the nearest indoor climbing gym!
