Student musicians making noise

The day starts out with a steaming cup of black coffee. The liquid burns all the way down and warms her until she reaches her first destination. The practice room in the Center of the Arts is where she is awoken by the sound of trumpets blaring in the room. The lesson doesn't end when the class is over, as she fills her time before her first class with more trumpet practice so she can be her very best. There is hardly any time to grab a bite to eat, as any time she has between classes and practice is reserved for homework and rehearsals. This is the life of UW-Whitewater senior Erin Catalani. As a senior music education major, she is required to perform a senior recital in order to graduate. This means she spends most of her time preparing for her recital, which will be performed in the Light Recital Hall in the Center of the Arts on Nov. 22. "My daily planner is a mess to look at because it is so full," Catalani said. "I don't have much of a social life this year because all of my activities are spread so evenly throughout the day into the night. It is hard enough to find time for myself. Most of my social life is during the weekend." Catalani grew up in the Lake Mills area and wanted to be an actress when she was younger. As a child, she was always active, and preferred the outdoors to the indoor video game lifestyle. Her way of life has always included the love for theater and arts, which led to her playing the viola in third grade, which then became a love for dance. "I was a ballerina, but I wasn't very graceful," Catalani said. "I tripped on my own feet and then I heard the sound of a trumpet … in fifth grade and then I started playing trumpet right before sixth grade." The trumpet was a natural choice for Catalani, as she had a lot of encouragement from UW-Whitewater trumpet professor Dr. Frank Hanson. She attended a band camp over the summer in high school, and she found that Hanson could see her love for music. "My friends got me to go here to band camp," Catalani said. "And [Hanson] came to solo ensemble when I was still in high school and I was like 'Wow, this college professor really cares,' so that's why I came here." Even with her chaotic schedule, she still finds time to dabble in a few of her recreational hobbies. Catalani enjoys playing guitar, which she taught herself how to play when she was a high school freshman. She also takes a liking to singing, playing the recorder, and the harmonica. When it is all said and done, Catalani has more activities crammed into one week than most students do in a month. Her commitment and passion for music is a testament to the lifestyle she chooses for herself. Her lifestyle choices should be emulated by all who have a passion in life they feel is worth pursuing. Student by day. Musician at the same time. This is Erin Catalani.

• Facebook Comments
• Site Comments

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out