As freshmen are coming into high school there are a lot of adjustments that must be made, and for Evita Coleman, one of those was joining the high school orchestra playing the violin. According to Coleman, the biggest change from middle school orchestra to high school is the workload and the increase in challenge. Even with these challenges, she enjoys the people she plays with and the music she gets to play.

Coleman has been playing the violin since the age of nine when she began private lessons. When asked about what her favorite part of playing was, she responded, “I like that I’m always learning from my violin because there are so many details… It’s a way of self- expression.” Coleman also mentioned that she is always looking for challenging pieces so she can improve herself, which leads to the Young Artist Competition.

The Young Artist competition is put on by the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra and is a music competition for high school students. Coleman competed in the junior division, which consisted of freshmen and sophomores. To get into this competition students had to memorize the piece they chose and then submit a video audition in hopes that they would get selected to advance to the finals.

To prepare for this, she practiced an hour or two every day. After that hard work paid off, she had to perform her piece in front of a panel of judges and earned an honorable mention.

“I want to get into like a music college and I want to get a music degree,” said Evita after being asked about what her future goals are. She will carry on with her hard work and continue to invest more time. All to better herself as a musician and keep learning.