School band. Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble. Freshman play. Drama class. Boston Ballet.
“Sometimes it’s a little hard to balance it all,” said freshman Tal Scully.
A little hard to balance it all?
“Well, I used to dance five times a week, but now it’s too much, so I just do three,” said Scully.
Somehow, Scully manages to remain deeply committed to her music, despite all of her other activities. She started playing flute in fourth grade at her elementary school and she has been in the band ever since.
In addition to the school band, Scully also is a member of the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble, an audition ensemble out of the New England Conservatory that features some of the best musicians from around the state.
“It’s a higher level of music, not by much, but a bit, and I get to meet new people and it’s fun,” said Scully.
On the other hand, Scully also really enjoys her time with the school band, which she plays with a little more frequently.
“The school band is very entertaining, and there are a lot of people I know there,” said Scully.
Band Director Carolyn Castellano was quick to compliment Scully’s high instrumental skill level and advanced understanding of musical concepts.
“I’m very curious to see how Tal will develop over the next couple of years and I’m sure she will flourish,” said Castellano.
Scully practices with the school band three mornings a week and with the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble each Friday.
Scully also practices on her own, although like any humble artist, she says should practice more.
“When I do practice, it’s usually just an ‘Oh, I feel like playing the flute right now,’ sort of thing; it’s not really work for me.”
Talent with tunes seems to run in the family, as Scully contends that her older brother Ziv Scully is one of the main reasons she became so passionate about music.
“He played the recorder and of course I wanted to do everything he was doing,” Scully said. “So I started recorder, then he played clarinet, so I played flute. He started going to the New England Conservatory, I started going to the New England Conservatory. In a way, I followed in his footsteps.”
Both Ziv and Tal have perfect pitch, which is the ability to name or reproduce a tone without reference to an external standard.
These days, Tal generally plays classical music, while Ziv sticks mostly to jazz.
“My sister listens to quite a bit of jazz and I listen to a bit of classical, so we each have a good understanding of the sort of music the other plays,” said Ziv.
Tal hopes to keep music a part of her life for a long time, but she doesn’t really see it totally encompassing her life or becoming a profession. This makes sense, considering all of her other interests.
Max Shore can be contacted at [email protected]
