Cedar Springs — Don’t be fooled by his shyness or quiet demeanor, because when Luke Bell does make noise, he makes it count.
The Cedar Springs Middle School eighth-grader is a musical marvel — a master of nine instruments: guitar, tuba, euphonium, baritone, sousaphone, trombone, saxophone, bass guitar and keyboard. And he has plans to add more to the list. See him in action here.
Luke has autism, and though he’s high-functioning, he has, in the past, struggled a bit with communication and social skills. Music has provided an outlet for Luke, helping him build confidence and self-esteem.
“It was like his voice,” said Luke’s mother, Carmen Davidson, “and his way of expressing himself, too.”
SNN sat down with Luke to learn more about what music means to the young prodigy.
‘It’s been a great experience for me so far, and I’d really like to be able to help share that with others.’
— eighth-grader Luke Bell
How old were you when music became something you were interested in? What’s the story there? “Oh, it was sixth grade. My mom plays saxophone and she wanted me to try to get into it. I ended up playing the euphonium instead. … It built from there. I had a lot of fun. Then it was seventh grade, I switched to tuba. … And for one of the concerts, one of the songs had a synthesizer part. I did that, with no prior piano experience. … They just showed me where the fingerings were, and I did that.”
He said it was clear from the outset that he had a natural aptitude for music. It came to him easily, and he knew right away that music would be a big part of his life moving forward.
“It was fun. It was great. It was all pretty fast too. I just picked it up, really,” Luke said.
A few related accomplishments: Luke recently became the district’s first student to be selected for the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s prestigious All-State Middle School Band, with which he performed at DeVos Performance Hall in January. He was one of 2,700 students who auditioned for the ensemble, and one of only seven tuba players to be selected.
He attended Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp last summer, and was first chair in the band there. He was even selected by Blue Lake to represent the camp in its international exchange program in Europe, though his mom thought he was too young to make the trip last year. If he’s selected again in the future, though, Luke plans to attend.
Luke plays in several bands, including the Cedar Springs High School jazz band and pep band, which are open to eighth-graders.
He’s also the first-chair tuba player and the current concert master of the eighth-grade band.
“It means that out of everyone I scored the highest on my playing test,” Luke explained.
Is there a teacher or teachers who have had a big impact on you in this area? “Definitely the band teachers, Mr. Nabozny and Mr. Weber,” Luke said, noting that the two have helped him find opportunities to play throughout the district and beyond, from Blue Lake to the Grand Rapids Tuba Christmas concert.
Do you plan to pursue this professionally? “Yes, I do,” Luke said decisively, specifying that he’s interested in potentially being a U.S. Army musician or a music educator of some kind.
He’d also like to be a band director like Nabozny and Weber, so he can help young people find joy in music.
“It’s been a great experience for me so far, and I’d really like to be able to help share that with others,” Luke said.
The biggest lesson you have learned from your involvement in this is… “Don’t let perfect get in the way of better. It means, like, don’t get mad at yourself if it’s not perfect. It just needs to be better. Improvement, improvement. You just need to improve rather than being mad at yourself for not being perfect.”
Other hobbies/interests: Luke is a straight-A student who participates in football, wrestling and track.
As much as he loves those activities, however, Luke doesn’t want them to get in the way of his primary focus. He said he’d never want, say, a sports injury to impede his ability to play and perform.
“I’ve got to be careful in football because these are my real moneymakers,” he said, holding up his hands and flashing a rare smile, “and I can’t go losing them.”
Read more from Cedar Springs:
• She’s on the lookout for that ‘OMG moment’ of understanding
• Career coming into focus for this aspiring baker
