With over 890 completed tasks on his phone’s reminders widget, band major Sean McBride has spent the last few years balancing an array of academic and artistic experiences. And now, all of his hard work has paid off as he is recognized as one of the eight Hall of Fame students. Not only is McBride graduating with a Valencia A.A. Degree and an AP Capstone Diploma, but he can also walk away knowing that he has made an impact at OCSA.

McBride’s time at OCSA was spent in TEDx talks, AP classes, and band rehearsals, all of which shaped him into the well-rounded person he is today. He states that “it was important for me to experience all of these different academic opportunities along with artistic events like Arts Alive to show to myself what I could do in any discipline before making decisions on what to do in life.”

The most important experience for McBride this year was the opportunity to play the first movement of Todd Goodman’s Concerto for Bass Clarinet with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras. This experience was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made the final event even more fulfilling. McBride practiced the unique and playful piece during digital band classes, which led him to win the finals in November at the fantastic Timucua Arts hall playing it with Tony Cason on piano. Then in February, he played the piece fully orchestrated with FSYO and the Celebration Foundation, which he claims “fulfilled that dream in a really satisfying performance.”

His father, Jay McBride, a teacher here at OCSA stated that his son “is not afraid to step out of his comfort zone. He challenges himself to do more and more than I could ever imagine him being capable of ever doing… He’s not afraid to take risks.”

McBride’s time within OCSA’s band department fostered his passion for music. He states that being in band “taught [him] to treat every moment as special.” At the end of every experience, McBride reminisces of the directors saying something along the lines of “this is the last time you will ever get to play with this exact group of people.” Although he jokes that this sentiment is kind of cliché, he believes that “it does put into perspective how many ends there are, but also beginnings,” where “you really have to cherish them when you have the chance.” The combination of such musical experiences led him to choose his next steps, where he will be majoring in clarinet performance at the University of South Florida. His dream is to play in a professional orchestra along with playing in bands and other ensembles.

Furthermore, as a member of OCSA’s Jazz A, McBride participated in the annual “Essentially Ellington Jazz Band Competition.” He holds a slightly different perspective than most of the Jazz A students, since he joined in the second semester when the band already knew how to play together on a musical and human level. Jason Anderson, the Jazz A Band Director, stated that he didn’t think McBride would be able to have many performing opportunities, but “Sean being Sean, he just made his mark on the band instantly and he just totally transformed so many aspects of what we were playing.”

Practicing in after-school rehearsals, integrating the music into other concerts, and memorizing his music along with everyone else’s parts filled McBride’s already busy schedule. The program then brought him to the Lincoln Center in New York City, where Jazz A accepted the first place trophy and an award of $5,000 for OCSA’s jazz program.

In his symphony orchestra class, McBride participated in discussions about the senior’s legacies as students and musicians. They want to be able to leave the program and the school happy with the progress they made as individuals and as a group. He states that, “Being in the hall of fame is really nice. To be able to have that tangible reminder that I was able to leave a mark at OCSA and I hope the class of 2023 and beyond continue that legacy.”

When asked what advice he would give to the underclassmen, McBride answered, “I would advise underclassmen to research and visit colleges early. I remember I had a few different places that I really liked the idea of, but going there and talking to people definitely showed me that I did not want to go there and needed to find the place with the right fit for me.”