People find peace in all different things, anything from art to sports.

Sophomore John Mark Junkins finds his peace in music.

Junkins plays the French horn. Because of the muscles needed, it’s proven to be one of the hardest instruments to play. He’s third chair Wind Ensemble and also the youngest player in his section. Wind Ensemble is the most challenging band available in high school.

“It is an honor to play with such talented and hard working individuals. I am proud to hold my position as third chair, and I worked very hard to get to that spot,” Junkins said, “I am so glad to be surrounded by players with so much experience and wisdom.”

Junkins has always loved music. He’s grown up surrounded by it, and he’s been serious about music for eight years. When he was young, he said his mother and sister would sing to him and teach him songs. He grew up singing in the church, getting solos every year in the Christmas musical. As he got older, he took piano lessons.

“I joined band in sixth grade like most students. Up until this year, the music has been super easy, and there are some things I still miss about freshman year,” said Junkins. “When compared to last year’s music, this year’s is much more challenging, but it’s also the most exciting challenge I’ve ever faced. The music is more developed, and it’s incredibly written. The things we play challenge us as performers. It’s the most difficult music I’ve ever played, but it’s the most gorgeous music I have ever performed.”

Junkins said he sometimes misses his years before high school Wind Ensemble. He said he longs for the lack of competition and easy conversation. Junkins said he wishes he could blend in again and go back to freshman year so that there was no one around with more experience.

“I’m glad I’m out of Freshman Academy because I’ve been able to make many new friends and learned a lot from the upperclassmen. I do miss the way performing was much easier and we didn’t have any competition. There was no one that had more experience than me,” Junkins said.

Junkins still looks forward to Wind Ensemble, and he’s ready to show everyone that music is his passion.

“I’m very blessed to be given the opportunity to play the horn. It’s the one instrument that I just fell in love with. From the instant I placed my lips to the mouthpiece, I knew that was what I wanted to play,” Junkins said.