Senior Shannon Pugh was recently accepted into the University of Toledo’s Symphony Orchestra, which is a rare accomplishment because she is only in high school. Most university orchestra members study music at the university for a year before they audition, said Band Director Thomas Miller, but Pugh was accepted straight out of high school.
Miller says that he has only played a minor role in Pugh’s success and that she is a hard worker. “Shannon is a self-made success,” Miller says. “She’s never taken private lessons, and has achieved more than any other student I’ve had in the six years I’ve been at Southfield High. She’s the only student I’ve had that has made it into a college symphony orchestra.”
Here’s what Pugh has to say:
How long have you played the violin?
I’ve been playing it for seven years, or since the fifth grade.
How did you get accepted into the Toledo Symphony Orchestra?
I had to audition. At the audition I had to perform a solo of my choice, all the scales, sight-read, and play a few required pieces of music.
How did you find out that you were accepted?
I received a letter in the mail informing me that I had gotten in.
How did you feel when you were accepted into the Orchestra?
Getting accepted means a lot to me because it’s a college orchestra with very high standards, and not a lot of people get accepted out of high school.
Have you ever competed in a musical program?
Yes. My junior and senior years I competed in the M.S.B.O.A. (Michigan School Band and Orchestra) festival and State Solo and Ensemble Festival. I received a 1 both years. (The festival is rated on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being the best, and 5 the worst.)
What do you plan on majoring in?
I want to be a pharmacist, so I’m going to study pharmaceutical medicine.