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Student Spotlight: Jose Hurtado

Jose Hurtado went to elementary school in Basalt, middle school in New Castle and then Coal Ridge High. A senior, he’s a prominent member of the band, which performs from 7-9 p.m. Oct 26. He recently sat down with the Post Independent to talk music and more.

How did you get into band?

As soon as I got to middle school, I remember the band teacher at the time — Mr. Bushman — talking to all the kids about why they should take music. It’s a great experience to learn something new and play something. I was interested, and so I joined. While I’m in band, I can forget about everything else and just relax.



What do you play?

Trumpet. They had us test out a couple of instruments to see what we liked. I actually wanted to be a drummer, but my teacher thought I’d be a good trumpet player. Something about the formation of my lips. I ended up liking the trumpet a lot.




What do you like about it?

I feel like it’s one of the most important instruments in the whole band. As section leader, I feel like I’m not only leading the trumpets but the whole band.

When you think of a band, the trumpet echoes through the whole sound.

What made you decide to lead?

When I first started out, I was just trying to play the right notes. By the time I was a freshman I had some pretty good section leaders, and I decided I wanted to follow in their footsteps. It can be challenging sometimes, because it all depends on you, but it’s fun because you get to help out the rest of the trumpet players.

Any other activities to share?

This is my first year trying out football, and I really like it. It’s a great team to be a part of. I play offensive tackle and lineman. It’s my senior year, so I didn’t want to have any regrets on things I didn’t try out.

What’s next after high school?

I’m looking at a couple of colleges. I think I’m most likely to stay in state just because of the cost. I’ve always loved math. I like the difficulty of having a problem and trying different ways to get through and solve it. I want to do engineering, so I’m sort of heading in that direction.

Activities & Events

Bar Talk: Arca x W Aspen

Another spirit forward takeover happening this month is by Arca, one of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2023 and Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 as awarded by the taste making World’s 50 Best.



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