Over the past four years, studious senior Ava Peklinsky cultivated an impressive array of band honors, including playing string bass and mallet percussion and receiving the 2019 Kenton M. Lerch Memorial Scholarship for Symphonic Band. Peklinsky also performed in Concert Band with the string bass, mallet percussion, and trombone, and won the 2019 Louis Armstrong Jazz Award from playing the string bass and electric bass in Jazz Band. Peklinsky pursued her musical career by becoming involved in the Pit Orchestra (string bass and electric bass), and Marching Band. She anticipates attending Kutztown University to major in Music Education and minor in Jazz Studies in order to attain a career as a director of a school’s band or orchestra while continuing her involvement with professional ensembles.  

What do you hope people will remember about you after high school is over? 

I hope people will look back our shared experiences in a positive light and remember all the music we made together. 

Who will you remember most in Bangor and why? 

I will definitely remember Andrea Morokutti the most. We both played in the Pit Orchestra prior to being in high school, and I can now say that she’s my best friend, especially since we have a lot in common and love sharing new music ideas with each other. 

What is your best high school memory and why? 

My best high school memory is hanging out with my friends after marching band practice or football games. 

What is your worst high school memory and why? 

I haven’t really had that many bad memories in high school. Usually those things occur because of sources outside of school. 

Which band could play the soundtrack to your high school career and why? 

I would probably have Chick Corea play in the background of everything. I could listen to his jazz fusion charts endlessly, especially in his albums with Miles Davis! 

If there were a movie made about your high school days, which actor would play your part and why? 

I would have Felicia Day play my part because a lot of people say I look like her. I think it’s just the red hair, though. 

When you arrive at school in the morning, where is the first place you want to go and why? 

I go straight to the band room to drop off my lunch and say hello to my friends. 

Where do you hope to end up 10 years from now and why? 

In 10 years, I hope to share the gift of music with other people through education and live a fulfilled life. 

Which event or events will you miss the most and why? 

I will probably miss marching band at Bangor because it requires so much commitment and I built so many strong relationships with my section. My closest friendships came from Bangor’s marching band, so continuing in college without those people will be a big difference. 

What is your favorite quote to live by and why is it important to you? 

I love to live by the quote, “it’s close enough for jazz,” because as a very detail-oriented person, I sometimes focus too much on perfection than I should. 

What is your preferred instrument to play? 

Out of the instruments I play, I really love playing the upright bass. It just feels like home to me. 

In what grade did you begin playing an instrument? 

I started taking piano lessons in second grade, and later began playing bass the summer after my fourth grade year. However, I didn’t join band until seventh grade. 

If you had to choose, what was your favorite band to play in? 

Jazz Band! Getting creative around chord changes is really thrilling, and it’s awesome how one chart sounds different each time we play it. 

Which song did you enjoy performing the most throughout your years in high school? 

My favorite piece that we’ve played was called “Variations on a Korean Folk Song” by John Barnes Chance, which we played my freshman year. The music was unlike anything I’d played in concert band before, and it demonstrated many different feelings and emotions within the same piece. 

Which musical was your favorite to play in and what instrument did you play? 

I think Hairspray was my favorite to play in. As an eighth grader it was such a great experience to play with such talented people, and the music was the most fun!