What you think you want to do when you graduate high school isn’t always what ends up happening. And often times that change of plans brings a whole new perspective to your future. That was certainly the case with senior Logan Edwards, a clarinet player in the RiverHawk marching band. “I graduated from Broken Arrow where we had a pretty intense band program. We worked hard and made lots of trips to places like the Rose Parade and to Indianapolis where we won Grand Nationals in 2015. You really had to stay on top of practice where 300-page routines were not unheard of,” said Edwards. “As a freshman I elected to go to the University of North Texas which has a performance-driven band program. But I soon realized that things were just too impersonal, you never got to know the faculty, I had already been part of a high-intensity band program, and it was pretty far from home.”

So Logan returned to Broken Arrow and decided to go to Northeastern State University, coinciding with the arrival of new band director Dr. Brian Raya. “I instantly found a lot of new friends here among my peers and the faculty as well and Dr. Raya really changed the culture of the band program, instilling a sense of pride and some joy,” said Edwards.

In addition to the marching band, Logan is also part of the concert band which plays a lot of well-known pieces as well as some more contemporary works and he is excited about what is happening with the band program. “I think we’ve added 20-30 members since Dr. Raya’s arrival and word is spreading in music circles that the NSU band is exciting,” said Edwards who plans to graduate with a music education degree next spring and teach high school band.

What would be his advice for seniors in the Green Country area considering college? “NSU is close enough so that you’re not really leaving everyone behind, and you can still see former classmates perform in your off-time,” said Logan Edwards. “Plus it’s friendly and fun.”