Sophomore Scott Bell is among the few who, upon having their braces removed, were not overjoyed. Bell plays the trumpet and sings, and when he realized that he could no longer play certain notes on the trumpet because the gap between his two front teeth had closed, Bell went to an orthodontist to have the gap put back into place.
Aragon has a sizeable music program and many distinguished students. However, Aragon does not have many students who are enrolled in three music classes, practice for four hours a day, participate in six musical groups outside of Aragon.
Bell has musical commitments before, during and after school. At school, Bell sings in the Chamber Choir and Men’s Choir, and plays lead trumpet for Jazz Ensemble. Bell also is a member of September, an a cappella group made up of Aragon men, as well as a member of a jazz combo ensemble.
Outside of school Bell performs in the Peninsula Youth Orchestra, Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble San Francisco, Jazz School Advanced High School Jazz Workshop, Jazz School Studio Band and, to top it off, he sings in his church choir, though Bell says, “that one doesn’t really count.”
Two of these groups meet in Berkeley to practice, and Bell says, “Commuting is a hassle. It is an hour long Bart ride and sometimes I get home at 10:30… and [I] have to do homework before I go to bed. It has been a big jump from last year when I was in four groups total. I’m just above the line academically.” Even so, Bell’s goal for his junior year is to take five music classes at Aragon.
History teacher Ron Berggren says, “It really puts a real pressure on Scott to get his work done. Balancing is important.”
Yet no matter how intense Bell’s musical commitments become, he always enjoys picking up his shiny brass instrument to practice. Bell says, “Music is a positive influence in my life. It makes me more creative, and open-minded. I sometimes write music, and I can express myself more [with music] than in my schoolwork.”
Bell had a very early start with the trumpet, “Clark Terry and Wynton Marsalis were my inspirations when I listened to KCSM 91.1FM when I was five years old. After I stopped taking piano lessons, I found my dad’s trumpet back from 1977 under our coffee table at home. That’s when I was six… I asked him to teach me.”
Bell is distinguished as a jazz trumpeter and received a conference honor from The California Music Educators Association, and was admitted to the All-State jazz band as third chair trumpet. Bell is the second student in Aragon history to get into the jazz band.
Music teacher Troy Davis says, “I met Scott when he was in third grade at Peninsula Youth Orchestra… He really took off around sixth grade.” Davis teaches Bell’s Jazz Ensemble class and says, “[Scott] is a great musician, and a strong leader with a lot of experience.”
“Scott has set the standard for Aragon’s trumpet players. When I practice anything jazz related, I try to imitate his tone,” says senior Joseph Chua.
Bell’s love and passion for music will most likely lead him into a career related to music. “I want to go to a college to study music… maybe one day I will teach private lessons. I don’t want to teach at a school because of the school policies. They are too difficult to deal with,” says Bell.
The life of a musician can be economically difficult at times, but Bell says, “I will always perform if I can, and I’ll do anything musical to pay the rent. My ideal job [if money was not an issue] would be touring with a jazz group… but in terms of singing… I don’t know what areas I’d pursue.”
“Anything music related he just relishes. [Scott] is self-directed. He has a real desire to learn everything he can [and] he’s perceptive and inquisitive. He wants to do more than just skim the surface,” says music teacher David Martin.
Bell’s mother and father are both music educators and his father is a trumpet player as well. “Musical genes are in the family,” says Martin.
Music may come innately to Bell, but his dedication to both Aragon’s music program and his extracurricular endeavors are accomplishments that he clearly did not inherit. The passion and love that Bell has for music is clear-cut, and senior Samuel Shufton says, “Scott never lets the spark [for music] go out.”
