It takes a lot of hard work and effort to become successful at anything. You have to be willing to invest what you need to in order to see yourself continually grow. Mark Conners says that this holds true for being a successful member of the Coweta High School band.
“It takes lots of passion and dedication to be committed to a program like the band,” he said.
“You have to practice all of the time and make sure you are performing to the best of your ability. As an upperclassman, you must also be able to show good leadership qualities to the underclassmen.”
Conners is in his senior year at Coweta. Along with being a part of the school band, he is also a member of the Tulsa Youth Symphony.
As a member of the band, Mark enjoys being able to show his school spirit anytime and anywhere that he performs.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to represent our community by marching,” he stated.
“Our community has always been so supportive of our program, and in return, we hope to give them enjoyable and great performances.”
There have been a number of people that have been influential in his life over the years, and Mark says that he would not be where he is today without them.
Some of my biggest influences in life are the conductors who have conducted groups I’ve played in,” Conners said. “Everyone has a different way of approaching music and I like to learn and watch how they run a group of musicians. The teacher who has made the biggest impact on me would be my band director Mr. Wright because he taught me how to play the trumpet and guided me through how to become a better musician.”
Conner has played in a number of events and competitions and has had a lot of memorable moments, but says that there are some that stand out for him.
“My highlight of band was winning the OBA 5A State Contest in 2018 with our school record-scoring show What Lurks Beneath,” he said. “My first year of marching band was my hardest and I think because of how hard I tried and how much time I put into being a good performer was what made it so memorable.”
