William Welch
Trumpet
A-SPA student William Welch, age 12, has played the trumpet for three years--one year in elementary school and two years in the Slauson Middle School band and at AA-SPA. His uncle, who plays the saxophone and a lot of jazz, inspired Welch to play.
An Ann Arbor native, William enjoys playing sports such as baseball, soccer, and some basketball, as well as spending time with his dog, Gordy. Although he hasn't decided what career he'll eventually pursue, his favorite subject right now is history. William states, "History is interesting because there's always new stuff, recent stuff, new problems coming up."
At AA-SPA, William enjoys the jazz room the most. "It has all kinds of instruments in it," he says. He also looks up to his teacher, Paul Finkbeiner, for Finkbeiner "knows a lot" that Welch has yet to learn.
For those considering to learn how to play the trumpet, the most important advice William can give is about learning articulation: "You have to learn to tongue right. You use the tongue for almost everything. It's hard to re-learn it."