Musician to study business at Virginia Tech

Emily Goben
News/Opinion Editor

Anyone who has been to a band concert in the last two years has had the luxury of listening to one of Webster’s many talented musicians, senior Nathan Scarlett. Scarlett plays tenor saxophone, alto saxophone and soprano saxophone.

Scarlett plans to major in business information technology at Virginia Tech, where he hopes to meet new people and continue to be involved in music by auditioning for the jazz band.

Scarlett said his passion for music started when he moved from California to Virginia in sixth grade.
“Growing up, I was a sports kid,” Scarlett said, “but when I moved from California to Virginia, I stopped doing basketball, and that’s when I transitioned to music.”

Aside from music, Scarlett enjoys the little things in life – sunbathing, sleeping, being outside. He also works at Kohls after school or on weekends.
Scarlett is currently in a combo fusion band with a few other students at Webster Groves High School.

Scarlett said his favorite teachers this year are calculus teacher Eric Dunn, computer science teacher Mark Young and, of course, band teachers Kevin Cole and Jill Young.“The band hallway, it’s where I stay,” Scarlett joked.

“Nathan has evolved into a tremendous player. I was initially struck by how he played in a manner so similar to his personality; he was extroverted, friendly, polite, funny and a great listener. He is diligent about practicing his craft, though, and he has become a serious musician,” Cole said, “We’ve been lucky to have him as a member of our program during the last two years.”

Other people who have influenced Scarlett’s time at Webster Groves High School have been fellow seniors and band members Hugh Wade and Simon Avrushenko, along with his parents.

“My parents really helped me out the last couple of years. My mom is really on me about stuff like academics,” Scarlett explained. “Hugh really is a great guy overall, and Simon Avrushenko.”

“I feel like if I learn to do business, it’ll increase my confidence,” Scarlett explained, “and there’s a lot of money in business,” he added.

Scarlett’s advice to his freshman self would be “not everyone is going to be there for you all the time, so you’ve got to figure some stuff out on your own, and that’s completely fine.

Emily Goben – News/Opinion Editor This will be Emily Goben’s first year on ECHO staff, but she made several contributions while taking journalism class her sophomore year.

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