Sahuaro High School’s senior class has many talented musicians, but two of our most outstanding are Annalise (Ann) Morgan and Jakob Schneider. Both Ann and Jakob have been working at their craft for years and are incredible musicians who were voted by the senior class as Sahuaro’s Best Musicians.

Despite not being in Sahuaro’s band or orchestra due to her participation in choir, Ann still won best female musician because of how many instruments she plays and how well she plays them. Ann plays the bass, piano, and ukelele, and has recently picked up the guitar. Ann got involved in instruments and music from watching artists’ live performances. She draws much of her inspiration from Beabadoobee and The Wallows and likes watching them have fun while playing. She explained, “I just watch live performances, and watching them play is just so magical.”

Ann has an incredible range. She is very involved around Sahuaro – she is president of the Concert Choir, is captain of varsity tennis and golf, is the vice president of Asian Student Association, and is a member of book club, all while maintaining an unweighted GPA of 4.6. She has managed to balance all of that while teaching herself how to play instruments, which she has accomplished by watching YouTube videos, writing things down, and constantly practicing.

At this time in her life, music is more of a hobby for Ann. “If it were to grow, then I wouldn’t mind. If it was small gigs here and there, I would love that,” she said. Ann already has post-graduation plans; she has been accepted to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, to study aerospace engineering!

Our other best musician, Jakob Schneider, has been in band for 8 years, (Sahuaro High School’s band for 4 years) and he plays the trombone. Early on, Jakob had help from music directors when he was learning how to play the trombone but mostly practiced music himself. He is so dedicated to his craft that he recently hired a private teacher to help him practice more effectively.

Jakob is the drum major of Sahuaro’s marching band, a position he has held for two years. As drum major, instead of playing an instrument during marching band, Jakob is the one who leads the band onto the field, conducts them, and gives commands to them. He commented, “The experience has been great. It’s helped me improve my leadership skills and help the band in the best way I can. Being able to positively impact my fellow musicians has made it worth it.”

Jakob has strongly influenced the band’s environment and has helped to improve the band. During his sophomore year, the band program had no director, and a senior named Justin stepped up as director. Jakob felt inspired watching someone step up, so in his junior year, Jakob stepped up and became the drum major. “I could help make sure that the band kept going in an upward direction,” he explained.

After graduation, Jakob hopes to study music at Pima and later the University of Arizona and possibly become a music teacher down the road!

Both Ann and Jakob have incredibly bright futures as they march into the next chapter of their lives. It is safe to say that both musicians have left their mark on the music world here at Sahuaro, and their talent will be greatly missed.