Learning to play an instrument is no easy feat. Some argue that it comes naturally to those with talent, but according to The Emotional Intelligence Network, it can take anywhere from 728 to 16,120 hours of concentrated practice to master a skill. It is entirely possible to never reach that figure but practice can still provide the foundation for impressive ability, such is the case for freshman, Drue Walker, who takes pride in the hard work it takes to develop his piccolo prowess.  

Since middle school, Walker has been a part of the band program. Moving onto the high school made him realize how much more he’d be able to do at a higher level.

“I felt like in middle school we were really limited in terms of band,” Walker said. “But in high school, we got a lot more opportunities.”

There’s the ability to enter more competitions and participate in greater ways with the resources the high school band offers. It also provides a hopeful incentive to keep hardworking students in the program. 

“With marching and all the different region stuff that we can do, we have the potential to go to state,” Walker said. “I think that’s what kept me going through high school.” 

Walker is constantly looking to improve, taking classes outside of school and seeking out feedback from his peers and directions. 

“I’m currently in private lessons like outside of school,” Walker said. “So I continue to keep doing that and I want to start getting comments from others, like a lot of different people, about my playing and see what they have to say. And Maybe they’re my directors or just my friends.”

Walker received recognition for his piccolo performance, which gives him the opportunity to compete again in a more selective group and potentially to perform for state. 

“A couple of weeks ago, I got first chair in my instrument for orchestra,” Walker said. “So that allowed me to advance further to a more selective group and to a contest in January. And if I get first then I’ll get to perform in San Antonio for state.”

Playing an instrument is a skill that takes hard work to learn and Walker doesn’t believe in simply being talented. He takes pride in what his dedication says about his character.

“I like to say that there is no such thing as talent and it’s all hard work,” Walker said. “Nobody is born with the ability to play an instrument so I think it really shows that I’m willing to put in the work towards this kind of thing and that I’m willing to stick with it even when it’s hard.”