The summer of fourth grade started it all. At ten years old, Will Turner was already very excited to be involved in the life of music. When he first picked up a viola at orchestra summer camp, he didn’t expect a love of music to be such a vital part of himself in the future.
Will Turner, 17, of Mount Vernon High School, has been involved in music for the past seven years and has only grown to love it more. When his dad would play many different genres of songs during car rides, especially jazz and symphonic music, he hadn’t planned on it being a continuous feature in his life. During orchestra camp, he picked up the viola only because a friend had chosen the same instrument. Turner liked music, yes, but he never really considered it having a lasting impact. This simple enjoyment of music grew, and soon enough in fifth grade when the class was trying band instruments, the clarinet drew his eye. He specifically remembers that the clarinet was the only instrument he could make a good sound with, and now looking back, it is almost like it was always the instrument he was supposed to choose.
Turner was looking forward to band, but he was already involved in choir and orchestra, and several other music classes, so his parents had said that he could not do concert band. Turner recalls walking through the middle school on the day for joining band, and being very distraught by the thought of not being able to pursue the clarinet. “I was really disappointed that I couldn’t join the band,” Turner said. “My mom and I were just about to leave the middle school, when she turned and told me I could sign up for band. I was so excited.” Turner was able to use the clarinet that his mother used when she was in school, which was very special for him.
When band finally did start up the next year in sixth grade, Turner remembers getting frustrated with his lessons, because he was put with other students in groups. It was difficult to get the practice needed. He also had to learn how to read the treble clef, when he already only knew the alto clef from playing viola. But that didn’t stop Turner from continuing and growing in his talent. Scott Weber, Turner’s band director at the high school, has noted the growth from when Turner was younger. “Will has always been extremely gifted. He has worked hard to become a really incredible musician through private lessons and so much individual attention to detail,” Weber said. Part of Turner’s talent also lies in hearing the right notes and knowing what to do when small errors occur in the music. “He has a great ear,” Weber said. “He can hear the key and can improvise very well.”
Though there have been difficulties throughout the journey of Turner’s love of music, he thanks the people around him for motivating him. “People say a lot about band kids, and a lot is true, good and bad,” Turner says. “But I have a lot of people around me like my family, Mr. Weber, Mrs. Rodenburg, and others that encourage me to continue. It’s just such a beautiful environment to be in.” He is also grateful for his private music teacher, Dr. Joe Dieker, from Cornell College, because he “pushes me to be not just better, but good at my instrument, and that’s what I try to work for.”
Turner’s dedication to being so talented at music has definitely grown over the years, according to middle school band director, Elise Rodenberg. Rodenberg had him as a student first in the middle school, when Turner was just beginning to play the clarinet. “Will started like every other kid learning the first notes and rhythms and playing songs like Hot Cross Buns,” Rodenberg recalled. “He started to really improve during 2020 when we were home during Covid, and I think just played a lot of music on his own.” Rodenberg also said that she could always count on him to be a leader when school started up again after Covid-19 quarantining.
Both Rodenberg and Weber have also mentioned that they see Turner’s passion clearly now. “It’s like the whole world shuts down and it’s just Will and his clarinet,” Weber said. He also noted Turner’s work ethic. “I only have to ask Will once about solo work for jazz and he is on it. The next time we rehearse, the solo is basically there. That is incredible.” Oftentimes Turner can be heard practicing in the band room during a free period, during lunch or after school. He also likes to practice for about an hour every day, and more than that even on the weekends.
Rodenberg said Turner’s ability to connect to the music that he is playing, and the emotion that comes from his playing. “Will has beautiful musicality, which is the ability to connect emotionally to the music and express that emotion in a relatable way to the audience,” Rodenberg said. “That only happens when everything comes together – not just notes and rhythms, but dynamics and articulations, expression, knowing the background of the music. He can make it sing!”
Turner has had a connection with music for a long time, and it has only grown. He can feel that he is going to go farther than he thought he could. Turner has also put some time into composing his own music and arranging pieces for the bands he is involved in to play. “Beginning to play Will’s compositions has been a lot of fun, and a chance to get to work with Will on a different aspect of music,” Rodenberg said. “We first played one of his pieces, “Roscoe’s March” with the summer community band in 2022. We have since played several pieces, including a jazz band piece. Each has grown a little more complex and mature.”
Turner is hoping that he can go on to study music composition in college and continue his story there. He has also mentioned how important music is to him, and how it helps him show his true self. “When I play the clarinet it feels like an expression of me, a part of me. It’s indescribable,” Turner said. “It just feels so right.”
