There is a new musician in town and he’s reaching out farther than ever. Grant Le is a musician who’s climbed up further and further to share his talent and musical expression with audiences.

“I started playing music when I was about 6, with piano being my first instrument. I didn’t start viewing music as a serious course of study until high school. I began playing music at my parents’ suggestion, and it is safe to say that I don’t regret taking their advice,” said Grant Le.

It was 10 years ago when he first started to make his first sounds of music and now he has blossomed into quite the musician. Since then, he’s branched out into farther into all worlds music. Le primarily focuses on jazz with his main instruments the upright bass and bass guitar, but he also plays a decent amount of classical euphonium in the band setting and most recently double bass in the orchestral setting.

Recently, Le has been able to put his musician skills to the test. On October 5^th, Le went to Stevenson High School to audition for a spot in the Illinois Music Education Association District 7 Band and one of the five District 7 Jazz Bands. Not only did he become the first student in Hoffman Estates High School history to make Jazz Combo, the top jazz group, but he also became the first person in school history to make ILMEA in both the classical and jazz settings.

“I’m very happy with how my ILMEA auditions went,” said Le. “Seeing our school on the rosters with all the big schools like New Trier and Wheeling just goes to show that it’s not about where you come from, but more about how willing you are to work for what you want. You have to be able to put in the hours. I’m glad that I’m able to put Hoffman on the map.”

Le shows that it is not about innate skills that designate a true, talented musician, but the time invested in the practice. Last year at this time, he auditioned for ILMEA Jazz Bands on bass, making Jazz Band 1. Being a sophomore, he was the second youngest musician in the group. However, despite his success, he continued to work hard to improve and strive for more and displayed his hard work by making history.

“It feels really good, and to me, it’s just validating that all the hours of hard work I’ve put in have been worth it,” said Le.

To Le, music is more than a hobby. Some students say that with the academic rigor of today’s society, with all the AP classes they have to take, with all the commitment to sports, with all the clubs and activities they have to partake in to embellish their college applications, music has no place, there is no time. But that is not the case for Le.

“Music to me is an lifestyle, and a form of self expression. Most importantly though, I view it as an endless pursuit for a result I will never be able to achieve—and that’s the beauty of it,” says Le. “I just practice when I feel inspired to do so, which is quite often, [but] no matter how far I get in the development my playing, there will always be more to work on, and I’ll never be quite satisfied with what I’m putting out, which is just all the reason to work even harder.”

Music is one activity that is often overlooked and not important compared to others. Even with his own three AP classes, Le shows that music is just as important.

Now a freelance musician, he plays for whoever hires him. Lately he has had the pleasure of playing with Chicago native drummer Jimmy Bennington. The New York Times and Downbeat Magazine regarded a record by Bennington and Julian Priester, a well-known trombonist who’s played with some of the most historically significant jazz bands in the world as one of the best jazz records of 2007. As Le’s talent continues to grow, so will his experiences in the musical world.

“Such journeys last a lifetime and a half.”