ALTON - The Miles Davis Jazz Committee has recognized Victor Humphrey for his high school success and passion for music.
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Humphrey, a recent Alton High School (AHS) graduate, has played in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, AHS Symphonic Orchestra and AHS Jazz Band. He has also received recognition from the Illinois Music Education Association All-District Orchestra and Illinois Music Education Association All-State Orchestra.
“I am so thankful for all that music has added to my life,” Humphrey said. “It makes me a better student, a better athlete, a better friend and a more present human being.”
The Miles Davis Jazz Committee awarded him a $500 scholarship, which he plans to put toward his education at Saint Louis University in the fall. Humphrey hopes to major in accounting and minor in music and Spanish so he may continue to perform or teach music.
Humphrey’s love for music started as a toddler. By the time he was in kindergarten, he was learning piano and basic music theory. He plays piano and viola and says he “truly could not pick a favorite.”
“Playing a string instrument is such a spiritual experience and the tone of the viola is just so exquisitely beautiful, but piano is so ingrained into my entire human experience,” Humphrey said. “Playing piano can wake me up, it can calm me down and it can make me feel more like myself, and more grounded, when life gets stressful.”
Humphrey noted his appreciation for his music teachers throughout the years, including Amie Stemm and Victoria Sowders at Lewis and Clark Community College, Angela Kim at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Rudolf Haken at the University of Illinois. He has also studied under Harlan Hock, Elizabeth Jankowski and Laura Plummer, and he thanked them for their instruction.
AHS teacher Sara Casselman, the English Division Chair and a co-sponsor of their National Honor Society, noted Humphrey’s character in and out of the classroom.
“Victor has naturally become a leader in the classroom…He is, in my eyes, the perfect kind of a leader, as I doubt he would call himself one,” Casselman said. “He so naturally shows others what it means to be a person of integrity and good character.”
When he wasn’t in class or playing his instruments, Humphrey spent his time at AHS as a varsity athlete and member of the AHS Math Team and Mu Alpha Theta math honor society. He also graduated as an Illinois State Scholar.
But, as the Miles Davis Jazz Committee recognized, his love for music is above all else.
“Non-musicians do not always get what makes musicians tick,” Humphrey said. “Music is not just a hobby but is an absolutely crucial part of our lives that we cannot live without!”
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