Dahsol Lee

In an effort to show why orchestra, specifically the Mankato Area Youth Symphony Orchestra, is worth your or your child's time, MAYSO is starting a new campaign called #IamMAYSO, which reaches out to its alumni. Secondly, to highlight that musical experience in junior high and high school goes beyond "something you just did" to become a lifelong pursuit, this new blog will release monthly profiles of these alumni.

This first alumni spotlight is on Dahsol Lee, who was in MAYSO from 2009 to 2013 playing a Bb/A Clarinet. She left in 2013 because she graduated high school, but she's still around. This coming fall will be her second year as a board member.

Two years ago, Carolyn Borgen advertised that the MAYSO board was looking for an alumni to "bridge the ideas and experiences of the students in the ensembles and the adults on the board." Dahsol currently serves as a secretary, attending meetings and recording the minutes. She also goes through the surveys, among other tasks, at end of the concerts "to take ideas to the board about what [they're] doing well and what [they] can improve on as an organization."

"It's been very encouraging to see the growth the organization has made within the two short years I've been on the board, and I definitely want to see that growth continue!"

Orchestras can provide many opportunities to connect with people with similar interests, both peers and professionals, which could be helpful networks later on. When asked what made her come back each year, she replied, "The people were definitely what made me come back each year -- especially my fellow wind players!" She "definitely" still keeps in touch with these friends.

First impressions tend to be very strong, and a musician's first orchestral experience can set his or her perception of orchestra. For Dahsol, MAYSO had been her first orchestral experience as a wind player, which she says "helped [her] to really build [her] confidence and musicianship." She also said that she was able to "build so many friendships and networks with other musicians and professionals" which would not have been possible without MAYSO.

Music, in general, can impact a person's life, with its ability to enchant and connect people. Dahsol was raised in a family "that appreciated music," which influence her to see "see music as a positive bonding experience." She still associates music with "community and gathering."

Although Dahsol has not participated in any orchestras recently ("unfortunately"), she has played clarinet in a couple of bands at the University of Minnesota. Other than that, music still plays a part in her life.

"As a special education major, I’m always trying to find effective interventions for students, and I find that music is an effective tool for many of the goals I am trying to reach or as a positive sensory experience on its own."

So whatever you end up doing after orchestra and after high school, music can still have a presence, even if it's just singing in your car. For prospective students, Dahsol gives this advice: "Please laugh at Dr. Rodgers' jokes."

Dahsol's experience in MAYSO was a good one, and she "continue[s] to be a board member to ensure that current and future musicians in NSS or MAYSO have as great an experience as I did (or even better)." Hopefully, other alumni share these positive experiences with Dahsol and perhaps more. What kind of experiences have you had in MAYSO or NSS, and where has music led you in life? I hope many of you continue to let music have a place in your lives.