The Ghostwriter had the opportunity to sit down and interview Henry Boltz for our Student Spotlight series. Read the transcript below for our full interview.
Sophomore Henry Boltz talks about his passion for music and potential future plans of continuing on with his passion. Boltz also talks about his involvement in the band and the impact music has for him.
Q: Just to start the interview, can you just tell me a little bit about yourself?
A: I do a lot in the VPA program. I’m the assistant conductor in marching band, and I do a lot of band programs outside of school.
Q: How did you get into music and band?
A: I joined band when I was in elementary school. I’ve just continued with it.
Q: What grade in elementary school did you start making music? Did your parents pressure you at all or did you just find an interest?
A: I joined because it was like a family thing, and I really liked it, so I continued to
do it.
Q: Do you express yourself in other ways creatively besides music? Do you do photography or anything like that?
A: I do photography. I do some minor photography, sometimes just on the side, but not as a hobby.
Q: Do you have any favorite spots around Westford or anywhere around to photograph?
A: The local trails are nice because they always have good wildlife.
Q: Like the Stony Brook trails?
A: Yeah.
Q: If you could get a tattoo, what would it be if you could only get one tattoo?
A: It would probably be something like music related because that’s something that’s a big part of my life.
Q: Do you plan on studying music in college? Or in the future?
A: Yeah, that’s something that I’ve considered, presumably, like a major or minor in music, but I definitely want to continue with it for the rest of my life.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: I’d like to see myself working in a secure job, potentially working as a college professor. I thought about maybe being a professor of music.
Q: That’s awesome. Do you have a specific school you would want to go to? I know you’re only a sophomore, so you probably haven’t looked at schools, but do you have any ideas?
A: I’d probably want to go to Berklee School of Music.
Q: If you could go to any place in the world traveling, where would it be?
A: I would like to go to New Zealand personally, because it looks pretty there, and they filmed ‘Lord of the Rings’ there.
Q: Those movies are good. Have you been to New Zealand at all?
A: No, I haven’t.
Q: Have you traveled? If so, where?
A: I have. I’ve never been international before but I have been across the country.
Q: What states specifically?
A: I used to live in Illinois. I lived there for 11 years, and then I moved here.
Q: Are there any other places you would want to travel besides New Zealand?
A: I want to go to Germany at some point. I am taking German right now and I’d like to use those skills in the future.
Q: Do you plan on doing the German exchange program?
A: No, I’m not doing the German exchange.
Q: Do you do the exchange normally in sophomore year?
A: The registration is already happening or happened, so the opportunity is already gone, but I’d like to visit on my own time.
Q: That’s cool. Is there a reason why you took German as your language?
A: I just found the language interesting and it was fun.
Q: Besides music and photography, do you have any other classes that you like taking or hobbies?
A: Music is mostly what I like doing.
Q: Yeah I get it, music is great. What type of music do you listen to?
A: I listen to all genres of music. I do like some alternative music. But in terms of music, I like to play on my instrument, preferably classical music.
Q: Do you have any artists that you like or are inspired by?
A: I’m a ‘Twenty One Pilots’ fan, and also ‘Death Cab for Cutie’.
Q: I haven’t heard of the second artist, what genre of music are they?
A: It’s more like alternative music.
