Striving to exceed her musical talents beyond high school, senior Helen Kangas participates in scholarship tournaments and collegiate band.
“I’m planning on being a musician after high school. I’ll probably even teach some lessons and honestly being a professor at a university would be chill,” Kangas said.
Out of 25 performers at states, Kangas was one of four nominated for the Outstanding Soloist Competition at Western Michigan. This month, Kangas and three others will compete to be titled Mid States Band Association (MSBA) honors.
“I genuinely live for the performances,” Kangas said. “I love getting the opportunity to feel the energy.”
Being able to play a variety of instruments, Kangas plays the saxophone in concert and the bassoon in ensemble. She also plays in the civic jazz orchestra group during spring.
“Helen and our kids have been doing awesome,” band director Bradley Arnold said. “They either got a superior rating or an excellent rating, which shows high marks and shows great dedication to their craft.”
To gain some cushion in college, Kangas earns scholarship prizes at private soloist competitions. The solo competitions can pay upwards of hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars of scholarship to students. In the past three years, Kangas has accumulated around $1,000 in scholarship money.
“Helen’s greatest characteristic is probably her leadership and her ability to organize these groups for competitions,” senior Charlie Vanker said. “I don’t really think anyone else could have done it like her”.
