OLIVIA RASH

DeVere Larington is a sophomore from Ogallala Nebraska, majoring in music education. Larington plays the trumpet in the UNK marching band as well as in three other bands on campus, including wind ensemble and jazz band. Larington has been playing trumpet since he was in elementary school.

What made you want to play the trumpet in the beginning?

Larington said, “So, originally I wanted to play the saxophone because one of my friends, who was a year older, played sax and I wanted to be ‘cool like him.’ So I went to the music store in Ogallala with my dad, grabbed a sax, and my dad told me my arms were too short. My dad, and the guy at the store guided me toward trumpet. Come to find out, my band director had mentioned to my dad that they needed trumpet players, and so the rest is history.”

Why Music Education?

Music is Larington’s passion. “I really liked music, but I didn’t really like any other subjects, so I ended up choosing music-ed because it was the only thing I was interested in, and I figured I’d be really good at it,” Larington said. “I want to go teach either middle or high school band.”

What is something you can’t stop thinking about?

“If I’m going to be a good music teacher or band director, I’m always thinking about, ‘ah man, what if I can’t teach them well?’ Because I don’t know this certain thing in theory,” Larington said. “I realize, though, it’s not something I’m going to use anyways. Another thing is playing trumpet- how I can improve? Because I hate the days I’m not playing well.”

Why did you choose UNK?

“I chose UNK because I have a lot of connections here and my parents came to school here. They actually met here.” Larington’s parents came to UNK back in 1994 when their paths crossed. He has had a few other family members attend the University including his aunt,and three cousins.

“Also, I heard that UNK had a wonderful music program with amazing professors.”

What is your greatest struggle in life right now?

“Not comparing myself to others, especially within my department and also not being so hard on myself. If I’m having a bad day playing trumpet, I have to realize, go back to basics and fundamentals. Find where you messed up and solve the problem. College has really helped me to changed my mindset in a lot of ways.”

What is something about being in the music department or majoring in music, that people on the outside don’t understand?

“I think one of the biggest things about the music department is that we are a pretty close-knit family. We are all here for each others’ success. We all want each other to succeed. Just being involved in music, especially at UNK, I find really rewarding. The professors expect a lot out of you, but not more than you can handle. You have to apply yourself and want to improve, and I think it helps you change your mindset in other areas of your life.”