Senior Aliana Trotter joined Sahuaro’s guitar program in her final year at Sahuaro High School, but her musical journey began long before that, all stemming from a deep connection with the craft.
It all started in fifth grade when Aliana decided to pick up the clarinet. She comically reminisces about why she chose the instrument, saying, “The only reason I chose to play clarinet in the first place was because of Squidward from SpongeBob.” Shortly after, for her 11th birthday, she was gifted a piano and ukulele. The ukulele eventually served as a gateway to the guitar, an instrument she discovered a love for during quarantine.
In the second semester of her sophomore year, Aliana was given the opportunity to play bass clarinet, which she played for the remainder of her sophomore year and all of her junior year. When senior year rolled around, she finally had an open spot in her schedule and chose to return to the guitar. She says that she’s, “loved it ever since.”
When asked why she plays music, Aliana says, “I play music because it’s an outlet for my emotions. Sometimes, it’s difficult to express them with words. It’s a lot easier for me to play a melody that I’m feeling or learn the chords to a song that I relate to.” In addition to this, Aliana expresses how great of an opportunity it is to make friends, especially because you know you both share similar interests.
Aliana commented and spoke highly of The Beatles, her favorite band saying that their instrumentation and lyricism have made a huge impact on her and have made her a better musician. In addition to The Beatles, she also enjoys other artists from the seventies including ABBA, Elton John, and Fleetwood Mac.
Next year Aliana will be attending the University of Arizona, aspiring to become a mental health therapist. When asked why she didn’t want to pursue a music career she said, “I never planned on making music a career of mine. To me, it’s always been a fun and therapeutic way to express myself… money from it seems like a disservice to the craft; it’ll take away all the enjoyment from it and make it into something stressful.” However, she still plans on auditioning for certain ensembles at the U of A that don’t require majoring in music.
Music is more than just a passion for Aliana Trotter, it’s a part of who she is, and with her talent and dedication, there’s no doubt she’ll continue to do great things in the future.
