Colleyville Youth Wins USBands Scholarship

Colleyville-Heritage High School senior, Seth Wood, was recently selected as the sole recipient of the USBands Scholarship for future music majors. Seth, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was chosen as the winner by the USBands Advisory Board because he has demonstrated magnificence in his community in many ways, through scouting; music, including band; family life; and general community service. He was awarded the scholarship at the Finals Awards Ceremony at the USBands Southwest Championships on November tenth at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. He was then asked to help present the caption awards to the competition winners, including his own band, which won two caption awards and placed first overall. Seth was surprised he had been chosen as the scholarship recipient. “I had just walked off the field with the band and my band director pulled me aside and told me to wait. He came back with two guys in suits and I thought I was in trouble. They told me I had won the scholarship!” Seth explained, “I don’t ever cry, but I almost did. It was completely out of the blue and I knew how much it can help me in the future.”

USBands states that their mission is to “support the development of young people into magnificent human beings through participation in the performing arts.” Seth was an ideal candidate for this scholarship because of his dedication to music and service in many areas of his life. In his application, he was able to articulate how music has positively influenced his life thus far and how he plans to incorporate music into his life in the future. Seth plans to major in music and make a career out of it, though he’s not exactly sure which road he’ll pursue. “I’m interested in so many aspects of music, whether it’s performance, education, or composition. I know music will always play an important role in my life. The experiences I’ve had so far have given me so many skills and options for my future,” Seth says.

“Music is more than just the chance to perform in front of a crowd, or the friends you make, or the skills you learn. It’s about the lives you touch, the lives of those we share our music with and our own. This is why I’ve chosen music as my future career path. I am so honored to have won this scholarship.” —Seth Wood

Seth has played French horn for just over six years, although he has loved music his entire life. In fact, Seth’s entire family plays horn. His parents, Gerald and Molly Wood, are both musicians and instructors; the entire Wood family has made a name for itself in the North Texas music community. Seth has performed with the Texas All-State Band and the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra. Over the years, he has attended horn camps, band camps, horn symposiums, festivals and institutes all over the country. He was named Outstanding Brass Soloist in his district and has volunteered his time coaching middle school students in preparation for their attendance at the Midwest Clinic, an international music education conference held every December in Chicago. In fact, this month, Seth will be performing with his family at the Clinic as guest artists. Seth has also composed and arranged music and plans to do more of that in the future.

Seth is especially grateful for the leadership skills he has gained being part of the marching band at Colleyville-Heritage High School. He has served as a section leader and mentioned that many of the musicians in his section are freshmen. He has enjoyed helping to motivate these young horn players to do their best. Marching band has also helped Seth appreciate the importance of physical fitness. Although he has played sports since he was very young, he has gained more appreciation for his fitness by participating in band, which he says is more rigorous than any sport he has played. He feels that the stamina gained training for and marching in the band helped him run a half marathon last year. He ran it in honor of his mother, while she was recovering from surgery.

Seth has grown to understand how important it is to be a positive influence in others’ lives, not just through music, but through service. He has been a Boy Scout for ten years, which has provided him with countless opportunities to serve others. With his Latter-day Saint congregation and fellow scouts, Seth was able to spend an entire weekend cleaning up homes after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston last year. “Despite the difficult conditions, I was humbled to be a part of such an undertaking. I also felt compassion for all the people unable to go home. I wish I could have helped more,” Seth said.

Seth completed an extensive project in order to earn his Eagle Scout Award. He procured and installed privacy blinds at a local battered women’s shelter. While he was there, he noticed other needs in the rooms each family uses. He built shelves and gathered other donations for the facility. This shelter holds a special place in Seth’s heart, as he had family members who lived there for two years.

Seth also spoke about how his family has opened their home to foster children and what a difference that has made in his life. “Even though it was a new experience for our whole family, I tried the best I could to help provide a loving home for these kids. My mom knew that music would help the oldest child get through this difficult time in her life. We petitioned the school choir teachers to let her join, and when I would pick her up from choir rehearsal, I could see the healing power of music and the change it made in her.”

Seth says, “Music is more than just the chance to perform in front of a crowd, or the friends you make, or the skills you learn. It’s about the lives you touch, the lives of those we share our music with and our own. This is why I’ve chosen music as my future career path. I am so honored to have won this scholarship.”