At age 7, senior Josh Chavez was gifted a junior drum set. A year later, Chavez was given a “real” drum set, leading Chavez to enroll in a music school and start his life in the music world.

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“It’s honestly through band I’ve met pretty much my whole friend group for the past couple years,” Chavez said. “Music has pretty much been the central part of my life.”

Chavez has been involved with music for most of his life. In 2017, Chavez was involved in an ‘80s cover rock band. They played gigs from Houston to San Antonio.

They even participated and won the Group Division for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s “Rodeo Rockstar” competition in 2018, allowing them to perform on the Chairman’s Float for the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade in downtown Houston.

According to Josh, playing for a live audience is much different than practicing alone or even playing for the band.

“The live-like stage environment is way different because it’s just like an energy about playing in front of people and especially just up on a stage,” he said. “It’s exciting, and it just inspires you almost.”

Another award Josh won was in the fall of 2022. He was one of a few selected for the state solo and ensemble competition.

“It kind of validated all the work that I put toward my solo because it was a solo that I really cared about and that I wanted to do since freshman year, so I was proud of it,” Josh said.

Josh said he is kind of an “oddball” in his family, in the sense that he’s the only musically talented one. However, his family helps him in whatever way they can. They go to every football game and competition. Although Josh is the only musician in the family, music is a part of their everyday life.

“Music is pretty much an everyday staple in our family, as there is usually some type of music playing in the background,” his dad David Chavez said. “That I can think of, Josh is the only one in our family that has taken music further than just listening to it.”

According to David, Josh lives and breathes music. He wants to go to Sam Houston State to become a band director. Band and music is a primary part in Josh’s life and he enjoys teaching kids how to play drums and march.

“There is something ingrained in him, that it just comes naturally to him,” David said. “If he’s not playing music, he’s online researching something, or listening to something and dissecting it, maybe even transcribing it onto paper.

“Along with the drums, he’s even bought and taught himself how to play the electric guitar, the bass guitar, and some keyboard. It’s not uncommon for him to spend hours in his music room, bouncing from one instrument to the other. The sky’s the limit for this kid.”