Out of all of the freshmen that I’ve been introduced to this year, Alice Christenson (‘23) is the only one I fear is truly cooler than me. In zero hour, she and Mr. Engelsman, the jazz band teacher, always seem to be discussing music I’ve never heard, artists I’ve never seen, and genres I know nothing about. Alice, who has been playing guitar for 5 years, is the current electric guitarist for jazz band. Even though jazz band entails being at school at 6:45 every day, Alice’s incentive for joining outweighed the early start time. “I [played guitar in jazz band] in middle school, and I thought it would be fun to do it again in high school… We get to play actual songs instead of weird ones.”
In concert and marching band, Alice is the only french horn player. “I’m the only french horn, so I guess that makes me section leader,” she said laughing. “Marching band is a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be,” she continued, reflecting upon her first year in high school band. “I thought I was going to hate it, but I love it! It’s such a great group of people.”
Outside of school, music still plays an important part in Alice’s life. The majority of her free time is dedicated to her punk/rock band, called Crowd of Thirty. The band consists of her covering vocals and guitar, and her friend Evan Arraut (‘23) playing the drums. The duo is releasing a self-written single in November called “Cigarettes and Kerosene” — a title inspired by a line in her Honors English summer homework. “[We’re] recording a single in November, and planning on hopefully recording an EP in the summer,” Alice said of her band’s upcoming plans. They are also hoping to participate in the Arts and Music Fest Downtown later this summer.
Much of her inspiration is from the band McCafferty. “Their lyrics are so different from what I usually hear… They actually have meaning to them!” she remarked. “One of my favorite songs is by them, called “Yours Mine Hours”. That one’s fun to play on guitar!” She hopes to one day see them live.
Besides music, Alice is an avid artist and amateur photographer. “I love working with acrylics, and I really like working with colored and regular pencils,” she said of her artistic interests. “I’m all over the place… I also really like photography, even though I don’t do it very often.”
Although the transition to high school may be difficult for some, it has given Alice the opportunity to thrive. “It’s not as difficult as I thought it was going to be!” she says of the adjustment. As someone who will definitely make the most of her high school experience, it will be exciting to see what this freshman has in store.