Jaime Perez, a seventeen year old student at Gunnison High School, is building his way up to his dream career. Jaime has been playing in the school band for over 7 years, and in addition to playing in school, Jaime has also been invited to play in other bands and events outside school. 

The first ever event Jaime attended outside of school was honor band in his eighth grade year. There was a break in the honor band program, due to illness and COVID, until Jaime’s Junior year, when he took the opportunity to participate again, and he said that it went really well. Since then, Jaime has participated in various band camps. Earlier this year he attended an event in Grand Junction called the “Best of the West”, then in January he attended Honor Jazz Band. Later in the beginning of February Jaime went to Pueblo for the “Festival of Winds” and then a week later he went to an honor band in Gunnison at Western Colorado University. 

Jaime always knew he wanted to go into something that had to do with music ever since he was in elementary school but he finally realized that he could make a career for himself out of music during his sophomore year which was also when he realized that playing music was a big passion of his. Ever since he would listen and play instruments like pianos and recorders in Elementary school he knew he loved music. Originally Jaime wanted to play the flute but once trying it out, he realized that it wasn’t for him, so he decided to try out some other instruments and once he tried the trumpet he immediately found a home with it. Jaime doesn’t only play the trumpet, he also plays the French horn and the Euphonium.

Jaime also plays with the Concert Band at Western Colorado University. Jaime also plans to continue with music after he graduates and hopes to attend college at Western Colorado University for music education. Since he has been playing in the college band he feels he has made good friends with a lot of people from the band there and feels he fits in. Jaime was first asked to join the college band during his junior year: “Originally back in my junior year I had done a solo ensemble, while the director of bands and brass Dr. Ketting was judging. He pulled me aside and told me that he really liked my tone, and was really interested in me. Later in the last month of the semester of my senior year was when he told me that I could play as a community member, which I was really interested in, so in the beginning of December was when I officially joined the college band,” Jaime says. 

Along with having his family’s support, Jaime also has many supporters from the community and from his band teacher Mr. Koepsel here at Gunnison High school who says “I am really proud of Jaime for working hard and for growing as a musician.” Jaime’s next journey is attending all state in Greeley Colorado which is a band that is split into two different bands, which are concert band, the one Jaime is in and the symphonic band. The symphonic band is for anybody who’s a junior or a senior in Colorado and the concert band is for sophomores, junior and senior that are from schools that are 11 hundred or under in terms of student population. We all wish Jaime good luck in all state.