As high school students, we spend hours procrastinating. One thing we all struggle with is time management, with all the schoolwork, extracurriculars and the pressure of having a social life makes it even harder to balance out life. But for sophomore Avery Suza that’s not the case. For Avery, high school is an important balance between academics and other things. Being an excellent music player requires extensive hours of rehearsal, practice and all this requires Avery to be on top of his game all the time.

We all have stories of how we got into listening to a particular music artist or how we got interested in playing a musical instrument. Avery’s parents used to make him listen to several music CD’s and let him watch musical videos. This ignited a spark and led Avery to choose to play the trumpet in elementary school. “My sister plays the piano which also is another reason I chose to play a musical instrument. She is my role model,” said Avery. On top of that, Avery also played the viola!

Avery believes that what drew him towards the trumpet was the opportunities it offered. “I was also better at playing trumpet and I thought it was really fun, which is why I chose it back in elementary school,” said Avery.

Avery is involved with music in several ways. He is a part of the brass in Madrigal, was a part of the Middle school Honor Band and All-State as well! When asked about his favorite musical artist, he said that Wynton Marsalis is his all-time favorite. “Wynton Marsalis is someone I look up to. Since we’re both African American, he’s is a minority representation in the music industry.

We all are confused about what we’d do with our lives in the future. Avery too is someone who isn’t sure yet of what he wants to do. “I don’t know as of now but I would love to do something related to music,” said Avery. When asked about how he manages his time well, he said that his priority is always academics. On top of all the schoolwork, he practices 1-2 hours every day. “I make sure that when I get home, I finish all of my homework first and not procrastinate,” said Avery.

This past summer, Avery was chosen out of several people to play at Carnegie Hall. Individuals can be nominated by band directors but Avery had an advantage as he was already selected for All-State. He auditioned via a recording in June and was notified in September. This would probably be his longest 3-month wait. If you see him in the hallways, don’t forget to congratulate him!

“Manage your time well, if you want to do well in something you can’t just put it off, you have to actually put in the effort and the work to see the rewards,” concluded Avery.