MHS junior makes his tuba shine

By Hayley Bates

Junior tubist Chance Ackerson represented Maricopa High School at the Arizona Music Educators Association’s annual Central Region Band, Orchestra and Choir Concert at Mountain View High in Mesa in February.

“Chance did a tremendous job as did the rest of the band! It was a great weekend with a great clinician, tuba virtuoso Pat Sheridan,” MHS Music Director and Fine Art Chair Ivan Pour said.

Introduced to music at age 4 by his mom, Chance decided to pursue playing when he was 9. His mom, a musician and music teacher, was adamant about him playing, so he started with the trombone and switched to tuba a year later.

He also plays baritone, piano, flute and organ among other instruments. His plate may be full, but that doesn’t stop him. Chance is currently learning to play the cello.

Being in band for seven years, he said he wanted to play the tuba for MHS since that was an instrument they didn’t already have. His favorite part of being in band is leading sectionals. Not only did he get “Best Band Student of the Year” in middle school, but he also recently had a chance to audition for the All-State Band. Chance also plays tuba for Maricopa Music Circle.

All that hard work is paying off. Though he did not make the All-State Band, when asked if he would do it again, Chance said, “Playing with the regional band was quite the learning experience. It was really fun, so I would definitely like to try again next year.”

With all of his experience, Chance wants to pursue a career in music. Being most proficient in tuba or string bass, those would be what he would like to play. Not only does he play an abundance of instruments, but he also wants to work in Cyber Security.

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Hayley Bates is a student at Maricopa High School. This story appeared in the May issue of InMaricopa.