Senior Spotlight: Asa Campbell

Tomorrow's the big day!  Please join us on Saturday, September 26th at 7:00 PM EDT on Facebook Live for our 2020 Virtual Senior Spotlight Recital!  The event can be view LIVE online by visiting www.facebook.com/trevorbarroero/live.  

Today's interview features Asa Campbell: a graduate from Clarke Central High School.  Asa first began studying with me back in 2019 and is now pursuing an undergraduate degree in Music Education at Georgia Southern University as a recipient of the Ernie Gadzos Percussion Scholarship!  Asa also made it onto the GSU Tenor Line for the 2020 season (no small feat for an incoming freshman!!!)

Check out my recent conversation with Asa below:

Describe your freshman experience in college thus far.  How has COVID-19 affected your experience (positively and/or negatively)? I’ve been enjoying college so far but COVID has definitely had a negative impact: limited time in practice rooms and ensembles can only meet for a limited period of time. But I love being a part of the percussion studio here at GSU; it’s my first time playing in a percussion ensemble and I love it!

List a few of your most notable musical accomplishments during high school:
District 14 Honor Band (2020)
Janfest Honor Symphonic Band (2020) 
GSU Tenor Line (2020)
UGA Drum Line Camp - Gold Group (2019)

Share a brief story of one of (or some of) your favorite musical accomplishments: Two of my favorite experiences that I can’t choose between are getting that 96 at Berkmar (with the drumline full of rookies!!) and the other is going to District honor band with all my friends!

How did private lessons help prepare you for your future career (and post-secondary education) in music?  Private lessons are the main reason I was able to become a music major and make honor bands/drumlines. Without lessons I wouldn’t have had the insight or technical abilities to prepare for those auditions.

What were some of the most memorable moments from our lessons together? What did we specifically work on that you hope to along to your future students one day?  2 of my favorite memories were when I first started using timpani with a clutch and I was like “Oh, wow! These are just the worst. I hate this,” and you said “We're doing this to get you used to them,” or when I was preparing for my GSU audition and I kept coming in a beat early and you said, "No! You're not counting!" and you just started playing drum set and I couldn’t keep a smile off my face!

The main thing I would want to pass from Trevor to my future students is just how an audition works because a lot of people I’ve met and talked to at GSU said they had no idea how to audition and I think that was why I won the percussion scholarship here at GSU.

As of now, what is the dream job you want in the future?  After I graduate from college, I want to become an assistant band director at a well-established high school and then, after a few years, move to a smaller school and take what made the other school great and transfer that to the smaller school.

Please be sure to check out Asa's performance at our Virtual 2020 Senior Spotlight Recital on Saturday, September 26th at 7:00 PM EDT!!  Saturday's event will also a fundraiser for the LIFT Music Fund.  This organization provides micrograms for underrepresented music students to offset the cost of incidental music expenses.  When speaking with Asa, here are a few of the incidental expenses that he listed as part of his journey as a high school music student:
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• Mallets
  
• Sticks
  
• A Tuning Fork
• Audition Fees
  
• Registration Fees
  
• Private Lessons
  
• Gas Money (for lessons and auditions!)
  
• Hotel Rooms 
  
• Summer Band Camp Fees and Expenses
  

Many students, due to their socioeconomic situation, do not have the means to afford these essential entry-level expenses to prepare for a post-secondary education in music!  Please consider donating to our campaign for the LIFT Music Fund's initiative by visiting: charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/lift-music-fund-launch/TrevorBarroero