Arts Student of the Week Aidan Coble

When Niwot High School sophomore Aidan Coble picks up her trumpet, her passion for the music is immediately evident, which is one reason NHS Director of Bands Wade Hendricks selected her as Arts Student of the Week.

"She has a gorgeous tone and vibrancy that comes with experience, attention, and listening to other excellent players," Hendricks said. "She is one talented, dedicated Cougar."

This talent has been nurtured all her life by those around her. Coble's entire family is music oriented. Her brother, eldest sister, and father all play instruments: flute, trumpet, and trombone, respectively. And Coble's other sister sang in her high school choirs.

The family also loves musical theater. "Growing up," Coble said, "I have always been surrounded by music and people who love it, and it definitely inspired me to pursue music myself." When she looks back on those who have inspired her, Coble admits that the way she plays trumpet and sings is more of an amalgamation of all the music that she has ever heard and loved.

"Aidan is a multi-talented sophomore," Hendricks said. "She is the trumpet section leader and soloist, from the top of the popcorn bucket if you've seen the marching band's 'Movie Night' show this year. Building on her trumpet skills, Aidan is now a core member of Mariachi Esmeralda, one arm of NHS's Mariachi program."

With a large workload, Coble has found that she is challenged in her classes, and she always feels that there are plenty of opportunities to play for ensembles. She has met most of her closest friends at NHS, and she is very glad to have joined its music programs. She describes the environment as very welcoming, and said she has found herself improving as a musician through the instruction of Hendricks, Keynes Chen, and Laura Walters. "I always have a lot of fun in my music classes," Coble said.

Coble's favorite composer is Daniel Pemberton, and her favorite scores are the soundtracks he composed for "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "The Bad Guys." "But he has composed amazing scores for a lot more movies," Coble said. "He has a wonderful talent of incorporating jazz and other traditional kinds of music with more modern, electric kinds. He is also very innovative with instrumentation and tone. It creates a blend that is admirable from a composition standpoint and very refreshing and enjoyable to listen to."

"I find that I have incorporated music into most of the aspects of my life," she said. "I enjoy all parts of it, from composition, to theory, to performance. I really do my best to be involved with the most musical activities I can. It's a very important part of my life."

Although Coble has not had the opportunity to perform with other groups outside the St. Vrain Valley School District Honor Band. she is a member of NHS's choir program, and performs in community theater. "I am in Niwot's second-highest choir, Chamber Singers, and I have done a few musicals at Northern Colorado Performing Arts in Loveland," Coble said. "Along with playing instruments, I am very passionate about singing. I find that these communities really have helped me improve my singing ability, and I find them very fun to be in."

Although Coble finds every performance memorable, one moment that stands out was the time she played her first solo. "This was in my eighth-grade symphonic band," Coble recalled. "I remember being extremely nervous, and cracking on the notes during rehearsals. But during the concert, I feel I played with the best tone I had managed to achieve at the time. I was applauded loudly when we finished the piece, and I stood up from my chair. That is one of the most memorable experiences I've had as a player."

In addition to being a musician, Coble considers herself an artist. She has been drawing since she was very young. "It's my favorite pastime. I also enjoy reading and playing video games, when I have time. I am also involved with Niwot's mock trial program, and I have found a lot of passion in law."

After high school Coble plans to enroll in college, study music or psychology, and then go to law school. "If I am able to, though, I would love to keep performing music in my free time, and maybe teach it later in life."