Q: What qualifications or talents do you have for Mr. Plano?

A: I play trumpet and I’m the drum major in the band. A lot of my life really revolves around music. I’m the president of the Texas Future Music Educators Association here at Plano, and I play with a bunch of ensembles outside of school, like Custer Road United Methodist Church.

Q: Do you know what your talent for the competition is going to be?

A: I’m thinking about showcasing some of my trumpet playing, try and show people what I do besides just conducting the band. I’m trying to figure out a funny way to show why the band kids earn their lettermans. It’s satirical. We kind of have a joke in band about “earning your PE credit,” so I’m going to put together a short video representation of how we earn our PE credit. It’s not going to be serious at all.

Q: Do you have a favorite music genre that you like to listen to? Any favorite bands or artists?

A: I think the easier question would be what music I don’t like listening to. I’m not a big country fan, I’m not a big heavy metal fan, but almost everything else I enjoy. The main things I listen to are jazz, classical and I do like some current music. I like music that has meaning behind it, music that you can pull something out of. Childish Gambino is one artist at the top of my playlist, and this is going to be a really weird group of individuals, but Wynton Marsalis and Dizzy Gillespie, who are both trumpet players, and Tschaikovsky.

Q: Do you have a favorite superhero? Who is your hero in real life?

A: Batman. He’s one of the darker superheroes, and he always has the best villains that he fights. He’s always one to get down to business, and I’ve always liked that. Plus, the Dark Knight is one of the best movies ever made, so I’ve got to love Christian Bale as Batman. I’ve got several heroes in real life. My dad is definitely my hero. Even from a young age, he’s always just been there for us. If I could be half the dad to my kids as my dad is to us, I think I’d do an okay job. My dad is just a phenomenal father. Mr. Kondrat is just a very talented musician and person, and I look up to him a lot with everything that he does. Not only just bringing the students together for music, but also as a family. He’s a great mentor.

Q: Do you have a favorite pickup line?

A: You know who you remind me of? My next girlfriend.

Q: If you could pick one person from history and have them truthfully answer any question, who would you pick and what would you ask them?

A: Schroedinger. He was a scientist who did experiments on animals, and my question is, what do you think the SPCA would say about your experiments? I’d probably want to ask FDR what it took for him to still be such a fantastic leader in such a time of crisis like during the Depression and WWII and dealing with polio. Being a leader can have it’s challenges, but when you’re trying to deal with something so personal, it’s just an amazing feat.