For sophomore Zach Dyar, music plays a role both in his SPA experience as well as his life outside of school.

“In school I’m in H Sinfonia, and also occasionally will play with the band if they need a bass. Outside of school I’m a member of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony (GTCYS) and work on my own solo music outside of that,” Dyar said.

Although Dyar now plays the bass, he started off with a more common instrument for younger kids – the piano.

“My parents had me start playing piano when I was 5. I picked up the bass In 3rd grade, when my parents encouraged me to pick up a second instrument, and let me pick,” he said.

Just a year later, he became a member of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony and quickly moved up through the different orchestras.

“I dropped piano after 7th grade so I could focus on bass more,” Dyar said.

After that, it was only a year before he jumped to the highest orchestra, symphony.

“I won the first seating audition of that year so I was first chair,” he said.

That year, he also got to go on tour to Argentina. In 9th grade, Dyar was accepted to the All-State orchestra.

“All state was very interesting, the repertoire was incredibly challenging even compared to the full Symphonies we play in GTCYS,” Dyar said.

Performing with the All-State group was different from performing with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony in a variety of ways.

“The learning experience was quite different than what I’m used to, grinding out all the pieces in a week long camp,” he said.

However, with a dedicated group, the pieces came together rapidly and with relative ease, given the difficulty of the selection.

“Since the group was all so talented, we played together very well and adjusted quickly to each other,” he said.

Although music has now played a role in his life for over ten years, Dyar hasn’t always felt as drawn to music as he does now.

“Before I was in Symphony, I wasn’t very appreciative of music, but as I slowly started to play more with a high level orchestra I appreciated the sound we were making together more and more,” Dyar said.

There was one moment in particular where the realization of music’s power felt especially striking to Dyar.

“I think the first time we nailed the concert program for the Argentina tour perfect, I really realized how special music was,” he said.