Arts Students of the Week Noah Wurth and Noah Hadders

Niwot High School seniors Noah Wurth and Noah Hadders have been performing together since elementary school. They have performed duets at the Multiple Piano Festival for several years, and both attended the same piano studio. "We also played together in middle school band," Hadders said. And they both learned new instruments together: Hadders on trumpet and Wurth on saxophone.

Throughout high school the two friends continued to play and perform together. Both musicians are members of NHS Marching Band, Advance Symphonic Band, and Pit Orchestra, and Wurth also participates in Advance Jazz Band. Hadders has greatly enjoyed playing with Wurth all these years, and admits that it will be very different to play in a band at college without him.

Wurth admits that music is central to his life. "I could talk for hours about playing music," he said, "and listening to music. But I guess the big thing is that I don't know what I'd do without it."

Wurth has been playing piano since he was young, and he started learning guitar a bit over a year ago. He had a few piano teachers over the years but started learning guitar on his own for a few months before he found a teacher.

Hadders' father's side of the family has been playing music for generations. Currently, Hadders is playing trumpet in the NHS Advanced Symphonic Band and the trumpet he plays belonged to his father. His father got that trumpet from his grandfather, who also played, who got it from his father. This long line of trumpet players has inspired him to continue playing trumpet, and he hopes he can pass the legacy to his future family.

NHS Band Director Wade Hendricks, who selected Wurth and Hadders as Arts Students of the Week, admires both students for their excellent musicianship.

"Noah Hadders is section leader of the trumpets this year," Hendricks said, "impressing upon them his own variety of energy and positivity. Once a quiet, shy person, Noah has really grown into a caring, thoughtful contributor to the music department in many ways."

Hendricks also said, "Noah Wurth has, equally, been a top contributor and one of the reasons why this graduating class of seniors will be so thoroughly missed."

In the beginning, participating in the music program at NHS was a bit rough start for Hadders, who started during the COVID pandemic. His first experience playing in a high school band, he said, was listening to his director play the saxophone over a Zoom call.

Hadders did not know anyone at the school, and band was not his most enjoyable class. "But when I came back to school in person a few months later, it was a completely different experience, and one that will be important to me for the rest of my life," Hadders said. "Everyone was so welcoming to me and created a caring and hardworking environment to practice and perform music. Over the years, though, I have gotten to know my amazing director Mr. Hendricks more, and make new friends who all have a passion for music. I had the privilege of being the trumpet section leader this past year and I have led some very inspiring and talented underclassmen and have learned so much from them."

Hadders is also a member of Club Heartbeat, an NHS group of musicians who visit retirement homes and perform for the residents. Overall, his music experience at NHS has been unforgettable and something he looks forward to telling others about later in life.

"There are too many good memories to count," Hadders said, "but one that sticks out is the lightsaber fight I had on the football field this last year. This year our show was 'Star Wars' and in the middle of our show the drumline did a song by themselves. While they were performing, the rest of the band was having an epic battle behind them and Noah Wurth and I were the last ones standing. We had an epic lightsaber fight and one of us killed the other heroically as the drumline finished and the crowd cheered. This memory will probably be one I remember for a long time to come."

One of Hadders' favorite composers and one who inspires him to become a better musician is Joe Hisaishi, a Japanese composer who is well known for his work in the Studio Ghibli films, and one of his favorite pieces of his is "Merry-Go-Round of Life '' from the movie "Howl's Moving Castle," a piece he has played on piano with Wurth as a duet and in a small orchestra.

Hadders says his experience at NHS has been something that he will never forget and will probably want to tell his kids about someday. He appreciates all the work that everyone has done for him.

"A big thank you to Mr Hendricks," he said, "who inspired me to keep on practicing my music and constantly challenged me to reach levels higher than I thought possible." Hadders is also grateful for all of the drum majors who helped teach him how to march, and helped push the band to create some of the best halftime shows Niwot has ever seen. Although music is his number one hobby, when he is not playing music, Hadders enjoys playing video games, practicing judo, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. He plans to attend Florida College and major in communications.

Hendricks has been impressed by both his students' commitment to the NHS music program. "Hadders has loaded up his afterschool schedule with Symphony Orchestra rehearsals. They are performing one of his favorite movie soundtracks – 'How to Train Your Dragon,' and Pit Orchestra rehearsals for 'Shrek.' Hadders will also be a featured pianist for the band concert, playing on Eric Whitacre's beautiful 'Seal Lullaby.'" Hendricks said.

"Noah Wurth has been a stalwart of the saxophone section for years" Hendricks added, "and, as a saxophone player myself, I will look to find someone to fill Noah's shoes."

"Noah Wurth has played in nearly every school instrumental ensemble. He really found his moment in the NHS jazz combo unit when he brought in some amazing arrangements of VGM (video game music) for his group. They were very well received and fantastically performed," Hendricks said.

Wurth would love to start a band one day, but plans to wait a year or two while he perfects guitar. For now, he plans to attend the University of Northern Colorado next year. "I don't know what I'm going to do there," he said, "other than join the marching band and the rest, we'll see, I guess."