by | Sep 3, 2015 | Filed under: News
The cello didn’t come naturally to Sam Barrett, and when he started to play it in fourth grade he was bored. But after playing the stringed instrument for over seven years he couldn’t imagine life without it. Barrett is a 16-year-old junior in high school with a passion for music, specifically the strings. He has lived in Sandia Park for the past six years, and until recently attended East Mountain High School.
Barrett’s cello career was already off to a flying start by the time he finished his sophomore year of high school. He won third place in the state wide string division of the Jackie McGehee Young Artists Competition, is a five-year member of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony program, and played in venues like Carnegie Hall in New York City and the National Music Theater in Costa Rica. He also started a band with a few friends called The Frets and the Fretless, gaining recognition both in Albuquerque and throughout the east mountains.
However, Barrett’s last two years of high school will be taken up at the New Mexico School of the Arts. After participating in a statewide audition Barrett was accepted into NMSA which offers a competitive program with free tuition, one-on-one tutoring and a high regard for artistic endeavors.
NMSA was founded in 2010, and is the 10th best high school in New Mexico with a student body of 212, as of this year. Uniquely, students are accepted into the school based primarily on their passion for the arts, not their economic status or previous academic results.
“All the kids have a passion to be there,” said Barrett. “They are hungry to learn.”
NMSA isn’t a standard high school, though. All the students live on campus five days a week, and go home on the weekends. This helps them to focus more on their academics and arts, according to Barrett, and less on other distractions.
Parties, drinking and drugs are temptations that plague many high school students. But Barrett isn’t interested in all that. Instead he fills his time with people and activities that will help him to succeed in life.
“It’s good to have a clear vision of what you want your future to look like,” he said.
Barrett knows he wants a future that involves playing the cello professionally, and in order to achieve that he will need to keep looking forward, and not get distracted by common vices. According to Barrett, NMSA is the perfect place to unleash his love for the arts with others who share his passion.
Within the classroom of NMSA, it is people like Carla Lehmeier, the school’s orchestra director and personal cello instructor, who have seen Barrett grow the most. Teaching music at NMSA is Lehmeier’s dream job, and it’s made all the better when she works with students like Barrett.
“Sam is a very respectful, genuine young man with a great sense of integrity,” she said. “At NMSA, we emphasize the need to be the best musician you can be as well as the best person you can be, and Sam is a great representation of this.”
Barrett’s parents have also been an important influence on his musical career over the years. Making sure he has the right equipment, time to practice, and access to the best music programs they can find.
“We want him to have the best possible preparation for life,” said Richard Barrett. “NMSA is giving him invaluable preparation if his career is in music, and invaluable experiences that will enrich his life regardless of his career choice.”
Barrett’s dream job is to “be around people who love music and love to share it with people.” He is building a future with that in mind, and is surrounding himself with the best possible tools to get there.