When are we going to use this in the real world? We’ve all heard the age old saying. Alec Ashby gets his answer as he goes on stage to do his junior recital. 

A junior recital is when a student is put on stage to prove their mastery of their instrument. They are open to the public, so sometimes performers must play in front of people they do not know. This leads to nervousness and extra work practicing usually, especially for Alec he said he was practicing at least triple the amount he normally would leading up to his performance. 

Alec’s recital is called “reminiscence” he said “(Reminiscence) is going to be an interesting blend of music spanning from different periods” It was performed at The First Lutheran Church, in Marshall MN. With piano accompaniment by Beth Stueck.

A few hours prior to his performance, he said “I am equally nervous as excited” excited for his chance to show his skill he’s been honing. He had been playing the flute for the last 11 years and was nervous about the idea of standing in front of a potential audience of 70 people. 

Alec’s performance lasted just shy of an hour and had many pieces spanning many themes and times as he said before. Around 20 people showed up to watch Mr. Ashby perform. He maintained a calm composure during the performance. 

An audience member had this to say about the performance “I’ve never heard so much music from only two instruments. It was a very good performance.”   

A few days after the performance. Ashby said, “It was beyond what I expected it to be.” He thought of his performance and it was up to his standards, he said “I was extraordinary pleased with it.” 

The performance was recorded so Alec could put it in his portfolio and fortunately it’s open to the public at this time. On Ashby’s Facebook page you can find the recording.  

Maybe we will hear his name fronting the Minnesota orchestra in a few years and when you hear that you could tell all your friends “Hey, I went to school with him.”