Student spotlight

Having played the flute from a young age, student Gwen Goodhead plans to perform at Northwest University, a private liberal arts college in Kirkland,  in an attempt to gain a music scholarship early next year.

Goodhead discovered her love for the flute at age 10 when she first attended beginning band classes. She was given three options of woodwind instruments to learn, and she chose the flute. Drums were off limits. “Not drums ever,” her mom said.

Along with her siblings, Goodhead was homeschooled in a hands-on and open-book environment by her mother. She was read world history at naptime growing up and excelled in English Literature, which her mother was well versed in.

“She taught me how to write, and write well,” Goodhead said of her mother.

When Goodhead arrived at Pierce, she was surprised by the amount of writing involved in her English 101. She found it intense compared to her home studies.

“It was a lot of writing and I wasn’t ready for it yet,” Goodhead said.

She has grown significantly since her first quarter at Pierce. Overall she finds the public school system to be similar to the lectures she was used to in her bible studies and home school band classes.

Goodhead’s passion for music spans generations. Occasionally her parents and siblings will pick up their respective instruments and play as a family. She was selected to play first chair in advanced band during high school.

“It was an honor for me,” Goodhead said. This allowed her to expand her musical talents and play solos while her band members harmonized.

Iconic movie composers such as Howard Shore and John Williams are her musical inspirations. “I like very melodic music that’s fun for a flute to play,” she said.

She enjoys playing and listening to classical movie compositions. Her talents go beyond the flute; she also can sing, and she tap-danced in high school. One of her highlights tap dancing came when she performed in one recital to the song “Mustang Sally.”

“It was a really fun experience for me,” Goodhead said.

Goodhead plans to live on campus while attending Northwest University and also hopes to find the time to travel. She wants to see where her family is from, many of whom originated from the Netherlands.

“I want to go see where the hobbits were,” Goodhead said with a laugh as she discusses plans to visit New Zealand and Australia.

Goodhead will pursue a degree in intercultural studies while she fulfills her hopeful scholarship duties of being in the University’s band. Although a talented musician, she stays realistic about making a living in the music industry.

“As far as a career path, I don’t see myself playing at Carnegie Hall or anything,” Goodhead said.