Tag Archive : strings

by Suzanne Van Arsdall, Academy Avatar

Contrary to what can sometimes be prevailing misconceptions, the Gatton Academy student body is not solely a group of human calculators and chemistry whizzes.

In fact, when they aren’t busy calculating integrals and writing methods in Mathematica, you can find many members of the Academy’s Class of 2011 stretching a different part of their minds: the right hemisphere of their brain. Individuals who are considered “right-brained” tend to have greater strengths and passions for arts and humanities, subject matter that is mistakenly perceived by some to be uncharted waters for Academy students.

Wait, what’s that? A chemistry whiz can play the cello? An expert computer programmer spends their free time writing poetry? It’s can be a hard concept to accept, but–believe it or not–many Academy students are more than just one-trick ponies.

Take Blake Welsh (Daviess ’11), for example. Blake has been playing the violin since he was six years old. Welsh’s interests were first piqued when his class took a field trip to a culture festival in Whitesville and he laid eyes upon the fiddle.  Eleven years later, Welsh is still heavily involved in music, despite his busy schedule at the Academy. In fact, Blake is a member of the WKU orchestra and string quartet and manages to squeeze private lessons into his schedule.

“Being here makes it harder to find time to practice, but being in a college music atmosphere is better for me as a musician,” Welsh admits. “As long as you have passion, it isn’t very hard to manage.”

When David McChesney (Boyle ’11) is not busy studying for chemistry exams, most anyone will tell you that he’s likely in a practice room at FAC, bending the strings on his cello. This is David’s seventh year playing the cello, and his accomplishments with this instrument are quite remarkable.

This summer will be David’s third consecutive year attending the Steven Collins Foster music camp at Eastern Kentucky University. In Danville, his hometown, David has been a member of the Heritage Area Strings Program for six years. To top off all his accomplishments, he plans on bringing his talents to WKU by auditioning with Welsh for the WKU Orchestra this fall.

Madeline Lauzon (Daviess ’11) is another multifaceted member of the Academy student body. who displays strong artistic abilities outside the scope of her talents in math and science.  Mad, as her peers call her, is truly a unique and artistic asset to the Gatton community and has been involved in theater productions for years.

Lauzon is the first student at Gatton to be cast in multiple theater programs at WKU. She has been cast for both a stage reading and as a member of the ensemble of the play Beauty and the Beast, which will be performed during the Fall 2010 semester.

“It’s really great to be able to come here and not have to just focus on math or the arts but to be able to have both of these in my life,” Lauzon noted. “The Academy gives you ample opportunity to be as well-rounded as possible.”

Allowing students to pursue their passions in all subject areas is a central component of the Academy’s approach to student learning.

“I suppose my situation really does hold true to the saying that Gatton provides you with infinite possibilities,” she added.