Sully Lower

Sully’s life journey will always be followed by a musical tune.

When junior Sully Lower was a freshman, he had the entirety of his band class staring at him with wide eyes and their mouths hanging open.

Prior to this moment, Sully had decided to take up a solo on his trombone while running the risk of being humiliated, especially in front of the intimidating seniors. However, when Sully began to play, everything surrounding him fell away, leaving only awe in the eyes of his classmates.

“I was in the moment; I was playing; I was there,” Sully said. “After my solo, I looked over, and everyone was looking at me, jaws on the floor. One of the seniors said ‘that was so good.’ That’s a senior talking to a freshman. That really made me realize how even at such a young age, I’m able to do so much.”

Although at that point, Sully had only been playing trombone for three years, his musical start had begun with a baritone and a passion that couldn’t be ignored by his former band teacher Mrs. Michelle Benjamin.

From the day he held an instrument in sixth grade, Sully felt an immediate connection and knew that music was something he planned on putting everything he had into.

“I think [my love of music] has been pre-defined since birth,” Sully said. “There’s something for everyone that’s just theirs; for me, it was music. My band director really saw something in me, and she told my parents, ‘You’ve got to fuel this. He’s really good.’ Not to toot my own horn, literally and figuratively, but I feel like it’s been a part of me. Ever since I found my true potential, I’ve been trying to be the best I can and push myself to my fullest extent.”

Through his many music classes—including the three he is taking this year—Sully has been able to recognize the talent of his peers and take inspiration from them. Despite the fact that there are few who are as dedicated to music as Sully in his normal classes, he has formed close bonds with those who share his passion such as sophomore Cameron Penner.

On the other hand, Sully learned from professionals as well. His favorite artist, Jean Dawson, has taught Sully the value of lyrical complexity and has greatly influenced his approaches to music.

“[Dawson] is such a talented musician, producer, artist, and lyricist,” Sully said. “I’ve been listening to him for over a year now, but it hasn’t been until the last few months that I’ve really listened to his lyrics. I’ve been able to interpret them in a specific way—I really look up to him for the way that he’s able to communicate thoughts and feelings through music.”

Sully has, undoubtedly, seen the value in watching other musicians at work, but music is also something extremely personal to him; therefore, he enjoys using his own creativity, talents, and hard work to create a sound of his own.

In order to establish independence in his musical career, Sully plans on heading off to college to major in music, but not for the reason that one might expect.

“I typically don’t want to play in an ensemble or play for someone else,” Sully said. “I want to play trombone; I want to play trumpet; I want to play everything possible for me. I want to put it all together and make my own thing. For me, going to college for music isn’t as much about the musical knowledge I’ll get, but it’s more so about the connections I’ll get because the musical world is so intertwined within [itself].”

On top of this, Sully doesn’t have just one instrument he is confined to: he dabbles in innumerous forms of music, from brass to string. The musical prowess that Sully possesses needs to have the freedom that he plans to bring to it after high school.

As an underappreciated art, music is something that Sully believes everyone can enjoy but must be deeply understood and respected in order to successfully be created. So, because of this, Sully will forever be pursuing a new way to navigate the noteworthy world of sound.

“Music is an art form—I don’t think people give it enough credit for being an art form,” Sully said. “I’m a very artistic person, and art is able to convey emotion and feelings in a specific way that humans can’t communicate [otherwise]. Music helps me really interpret a lot of things—when I’m older, I want to make music that speaks to other people. Every single aspect of my life is a story that can be told with notes and rhythms.”