Ben Colagiovanni, a 2012 CHS graduate, was composing music before he could tie his shoes.  While his classmates clutched rag dolls and greying stuffed animals, Colagiovanni was carting a Luciano Pavarotti record jacket through his preschool. His passion for music carried him through his tenure at CHS and into a full scholarship in music composition at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

While most CHS students are focusing on more practical career paths, a dedicated few are walking to the beat of a different drum.  Students who choose to go into a career in music are confronted with a future that is drastically different from those of their classmates.

“The most challenging thing as a classical musician is if you’re playing a piece by a great composer like Beethoven or Mozart or Schumann or Brahms … they’re at their best every day, and they’re already brilliant,” Kurt Baldwin, associate professor of music at University of Missouri-St. Louis and cellist in the Arianna String Quartet, said. “So if you bring anything less than 100 percent of what you’ve got each day, you’re going to fall short.”

However, the benefits presented by music seem to outweigh the challenges and adversity that musicians face.

Colagiovanni emphasized music’s power to unite people.

“You can bring so many different types of people together through music because it is such a fundamental part of who we are as human beings,” he said.

Illivicky expressed a similar sentiment.

“Most of the people I cherish most in my life I have met through music … It allows you to meet the best people out there,” Illivicky said.

Another valuable quality is music’s ability to transcend the barriers of time and language.  Modern advances in technology have not changed the amount of diligence and practice required to succeed in music.

“Time at the instrument doesn’t move more quickly than it did 350 years ago,” Baldwin said.

By practicing and enjoying music, CHS students are taking part in an activity that forces them to slow down and experience a process drastically different from the instant-rewards systems of today.  The students are immersing themselves in a tradition that spans nearly all of human history.

CHS students also enjoy the power of expression that music gives them.

“To me, what makes music so special is that it is a universal language,” Colagiovanni said.

So although the protective confines of Clayton may feel impermeable, music gives students an opportunity to communicate with people of all socioeconomic or linguistic differences.

“Through music, I really am able to explore what I’m unable to say in words,” Illivicky said. “[With] every note on the marimba or every hit of the drum, you feel your emotion, and it goes into your playing.”

Although music is an integral part of many students’ lives, it is important to remember that every person is multifaceted in their interests and aspirations.

For instance, Illivicky is considering a dual major in music and aerospace engineering, two fields which he considers to be very similar.

Colagiovanni, who is already en route to his musical career, emphasized the importance of music in the future of our generation.

“You can speak to the people of the world and tell them the message of your heart,” Colagiovanni said.  “Is that difficult? Not to me. It’s a beautiful mission to have when I wake up each morning.”