Layla's Interviews
Bryson A. J. Andres
From starting in the 6th grade orchestra to performing background music for famous artists I would say that 20 year old violinist, Bryson A. J Andres has come a long way. How has he been so successful? With hard work, inspiration, and great motivation! Bryson has strived toward success!
Bryson started his journey when he was 13 years old in 6th grade. His inspiration was from a girl he had his eye on. "I thought if we both did orchestra then we would have something in common and that would be a huge advantage," Bryson said. However, the girl ended up quitting 2 weeks after he joined. "I was sitting there just me and this violin, so I went for it," he said. It's a good thing he did because his level of talent rapidly increased. Soon he was going solo and switching from an acoustic violin to an electric violin. His talent was soon recognized by many. He now performs for numerous artists including major hit artist, Ludacris, and that is not even his favorite part. His favorite part is the reaction he sees from the audience.
"The way people's faces just light up when you play is a very powerful and amazing thing," Bryson explained. From personal experience when I saw Bryson perform at the solstice festival I was truly touched by the powerful music. I also saw how the crowd reacted. People were even dancing in the street to his music!
Through all his hard work he has learned many things but his most important piece of advice is to "never sell yourself short." Well, Bryson surely didn't sell himself short. He is still growing as a performing artist. I got the amazing experience to see him perform and would love to share with all! Feel free to look Bryson!
Collin
"We all live in igloos," said Collin jokingly. This thirteen year old boy has lived in Alaska for only 9 months. He used to live in upstate New York and according to him Alaska is not what one would expect. The kids here are just like the kids from where Collin used to live.
"Everyone thinks that Alaska is some crazy place where we all live in igloos," said Collin, "but Alaska is just like a lot of other states." What he means is that Alaska has both its warm and cold days. Kids go to school and have hobbies outside of school. Collin and a lot his friends enjoy being involved in music outside of school. Another favorite hobby of his is "messing with tourists." Along with having a lot of normal things about Alaska there are also some major differences in Alaska.
One big difference is the light. During the summer the days are long and light all day and all night long. In the winter it is just the opposite. This took some getting used to for Collin. "It's a lot different from New York," Collin explained, " I had major jet lag."
There are many similarities and differences between Alaska and the other states. However, according to Collin "Alaska is great!" One thing Collin taught me is that whether they are from Alaska or Florida kids are just kids.