Sophomore Adam Gardner is a cello player, choir singer, and all around talented musician. Belonging to a musically inclined family, Gardner has spent his life surrounded by music and was recently showcased in this year’s choir holiday concert where he played cello alongside the Liberty Singers’ rendition of “Evening in December”

Q: How did you get into music?
A: My grandma was the one who started it all. She learned all four string instruments and the piano, and then she passed it onto her daughters. My mom encourages music, so all of her children play musical instruments.

Q: What is your musical experience?
A: I focus mostly on classical music. I try to practice about two hours of cello a day and 30 minutes of Piano. I started playing cello when I was three years old and piano when I was six. I like the cello because it has a nice, deep tone, and the piano because you can play lots of different notes at the same time to create good chord structures.

Q: What is your relationship with music?
Music is a really important part of my life. There have been studies that say music affects the brain. It has been beneficial, something to focus on, something that always gives me a goal, and constantly work harder toward.

Q: How do you feel about playing for the choir in their holiday concert this year?
A: I’ve done it before, and I’m very excited for it because it’s always fun to play with other people and other musicians. Recently, in fact, I soloed with a student orchestra with my brother, which was fun.

Senior Matthew Fry is a variable artist, belonging to the Liberty Band and Jazz Band. A “jack-of-all-trades,” Fry has played for multiple sections in the band, accommodating for the group’s needs. Fry has an avid interest in music, and this clearly translates into his musical career at Liberty.

Q: How did you get into music?
A: I took piano lessons when I was little. I didn’t really like it though, my piano teacher was very strict, and I didn’t take too well with that. But, my neighbor played the sax, and then a close friend of mine in the fourth grade started playing sax, and I thought that was very cool, and so I thought, “Hey! Why not?”

Q: What is your favorite musical experience?
A: My favorite experience with music is just the everyday stuff: showing up to class, being able to create music with people, hear all the parts interact, and just working with others to create something nice, whether that be band or jazz.

Q: What is your opinion on current music trends?
A: I think it lacks substance. I don’t usually listen to modern stuff because it is too much computer and too little time actually spent creating meaningful and complex music. Not that good music has to be complicated, but it should have more than two chords in a repetitive melody.

Q: What instruments do you play?
A: I’ve been playing alto sax the longest, then I picked up the barry because everyone else quit. Trombone, because, once again, everyone else quit. And the clarinet because of Jazz. It’s a good second instrument… Or fourth.