Jesus Marcos-Amaya is a Junior here at Jonathan Alder. He is a part of the marching band and attends Tolles part-time. He talks about his favorite experiences with band and what he loves about it, as well as what it is like to be a student at Tolles.

Q. How long have You Been in a marching band? Why did you join?

A.This is going to be my fourth year. I joined band originally because I still had to pick a class and I picked some engineering class and band. I thought at first that I was going to drop out but I decided against that. 

Q. What Instrument do you play?

A.My instrument is a Saxophone, but I originally played the trombone.

Q. What is your favorite part of marching?

A. I love it when, after the two bands are finished playing at the end of halftime, we get to meet one another. Because I am a very social person, it’s so fun to meet new people.

Q.What is one of your favorite memories from band?

A.My favorite memory from band was this one night when we were all on the bus this season. I started blasting music on my headphones and I sat in the dark bus while feeling like the main character.

Q.Since this is your first year at Tolles, how are you liking it? 

A. I like it, the teachers are so fun. It’s basically like a new school where I get to socialize.

Q.Why did you decide to take classes at Tolles?

A. went to Tolles for two reasons. The first reason was that I had the chance to meet new people. JA is a great school and all but I’ve already known these people for a few years and I’m getting bored. The second reason was that I wanted to get a head start in my career. I hope to do some fashion design work in the future and I’m planning on perhaps going to CCAD (Columbus College of Art & Design) in the future so I hope that Tolles gives me that boost that I’m looking for.  

Q.What did you choose for your Tolles lab?

A.What I chose for Tolles was art and design. The sole reason why I chose art and design is that I want to get into the fashion scene or film. I was going to do cosmetology, however, if I did do cosmetology I was required to go full day. That was the deal-breaker for me because I preferred to do half days. After all, I knew I would miss band and all my friends.

Q.What is your daily routine like from going to Tolles then to JA?

A.Doing part-time at Tolles feels kind of like a mini-adventure. It spices my day up, and it lets me go outside and helps me not feel claustrophobic. I like doing half days because I get the best of both worlds.