Around the Campus: Colorado State Graduate Student Striving for Excellence

Many musicians don’t jump at the chance to play the bassoon. But when Leroy’s middle school music teacher approached him to participate in the Roncalli Middle School concert band, he didn’t hesitate to join. Little did he know 13 years later he would be striving for his Master’s degree at Colorado State University playing the bassoon. An instrument that, according to professional bassoonist of 30 years, Icel A. Kendrick, has a history of four centuries .

Leroy Gonzalez, 25, is a graduate student at Colorado State University and has been playing music since he was in 4^th grade. When Leroy started his music career, he experimented with the violin but then quickly moved his center of focus to percussion instruments. At only 14 years old, Leroy joined a local ska band “Skatastrophy” in Pueblo, CO. Quinn Camp, who saw “Skatastrophy” play and practice numerous times said “This band (Skatastrophy)was pretty good but Leroy stood out a little more, you could tell he was better and that he liked playing music a bit more than the other guys.” With a little ‘small town’ success, Leroy knew he would be a musician for the rest of his life.

After graduating high school, Leroy immediately started on his bachelor’s degree and He was given a full scholarship to Colorado State University at Pueblo. This allowed him to buy a $3000 bassoon, and begin a serious career with the instrument. While excelling in college, Leroy joined another ska band called “The Insecurities”. He took on the drums, playing music that he said was “lighthearted, fun, and uplifting”. “The Insecurities” gained a bit of recognition in their hometown and decided to start touring. Leroy, on the first tour in 2010, was playing the bassoon in college and touring the West Coast with his band . On this tour the band played with ska bands such as The Toasters, 40oz. to Freedom, and plenty more. After receiving his bachelor’s degree 2011, “The Insecurities” toured one more time in 2012 then decided to break up shortly after. That’s when Leroy started looking into getting his master’s degree

In the February 2012, Leroy auditioned for Colorado State University in Fort Collins playing his bassoon. He was accepted and given scholarships that paid for most of his tuition. In the fall of that year he started working towards his master’s degree. Leroy immediately joined the CSU Orchestra and has been a part of it ever since.

Now Leroy is a semester and a half away from receiving his master’s degree and is playing his first recital at CSU on Saturday November 9^th, 2013. With a music background that is pretty long, Leroy will definitely be worth the trip.