Morley Stanwood High School junior Nathaniel Sudinski performed with the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s Spring Honors Festival brass chamber ensemble at Oakland University Friday, May 8 after being selected as one of 25 brass musicians statewide for the group.
Pioneer photo/Dylan Schwartz
Morley Stanwood High School junior Nathaniel Sudinski performed with the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s Spring Honors Festival brass chamber ensemble at Oakland University Friday, May 8, after being selected as one of 25 brass musicians statewide for the group.
Pioneer photo/Dylan Schwartz
A bass trombone first picked up because of a video game character has carried Morley Stanwood High School student Nathaniel Sudinski to one of the state’s top student music ensembles.
Sudinski performed with the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s Spring Honors Festival brass chamber ensemble at Oakland University Friday, May 8, after being selected as one of 25 brass musicians statewide for the group.
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The Morley Stanwood High School student said the experience marked a turning point in how he views his future in music.
“It means everything to me from where I came from,” Sudinski said. “It is a huge deal. It’s crazy to even think about the fact that I was able to get that far.”
Sudinski said his interest in trombone started in sixth grade after seeing the character Sans from the video game “Undertale.”
“I saw him in the game playing and I really thought that would be fun,” Sudinski said.
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He said learning the instrument did not come easily at first and he nearly quit during middle school.
“I wanted to not play anymore because I couldn’t do it,” Sudinski said.
Instead, Sudinski said he spent a summer practicing out of boredom and began improving. By eighth grade, Morley Stanwood Director of Bands Jo Ann Gross placed him in the school’s jazz band, which included early morning rehearsals before school.
Sudinski credited Gross with helping him continue developing as a musician.
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“She pushed me to where I’m at,” Sudinski said. “She convinced me not to quit in seventh grade because I really wanted to.”
Gross described Sudinski’s selection to the honors ensemble as significant, noting he was chosen among brass musicians from across Michigan.
Sudinski said arriving at Oakland University for the festival was intimidating at first, especially coming from a smaller school district.
“It felt like everybody there was better than me and they all knew exactly what they were doing,” Sudinski said.
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He said the atmosphere quickly became more comfortable as musicians connected during rehearsals and performances.
“Nobody was mean,” Sudinski said. “Everybody was pretty welcoming.”
The ensemble performed “Motown Metal” by Michael Daugherty, which Sudinski described as experimental and challenging.
“It was fun to play,” Sudinski said.
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Sudinski said one of the aspects he enjoys most about trombone is its versatility and range.
“It’s got such a wide range of notes,” he said. “I love doing the glissandos in songs and being able to slide into and out of tune.”
In addition to trombone, Sudinski said he has been learning piano, alto saxophone, trumpet and tenor saxophone.
He said the honors festival experience strengthened his interest in pursuing music professionally.
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“It’s always been a goal of mine to pursue a career in music,” Sudinski said. “That experience gave me a lot of knowledge and experience for the future.”
He said students from smaller communities should not feel limited in pursuing music opportunities.
“The school that you come from does not matter as much as you might think it does,” Sudinski said. “It’s really just about how much time you put into whatever you’re working in.”
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