Back in seventh grade, freshman Cedar Speice was assigned a “passion project” so he decided to start composing a musical piece he titled Origins, little did he know that composing would become a passion.

“I was very passionate and knew that I wanted to do a project relating to music, and so it began,” Speice said.

When his parents found out that he started composing a piece they were extremely proud.

“We were too proud for words. So hopeful he wouldn’t over-think it and stop,” Cedar’s mother Alysabeth Speice said.

Cedar has been taking private lessons for about three years, and that’s where he learned how to make reeds- an additional activity of his.

“I learned to make reeds from my private lesson teacher, Emily Spitz, in the summer after 7th grade. I was interested in learning to make my own,” Cedar said. ”And taking my bassoon playing to the next level. She taught me the skills I needed to begin, and I have been making reeds for over a year now,”

Cedar’s main inspiration for composing his piece was listening to different composers.

“Listening to composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Ravel, Debussy, and some other masters gave me the inspiration to write my own solo piece for bassoon,” Cedar said.

Reed making takes time, and isn’t a one night process, therefore the amount of reeds he makes per week varies.

“As reeds are made over time, in different stages, I’ll often have five to ten reeds in different processes of completion. Making a reed isn’t a thing that can be done in one night, the process is very methodical and gradual,” Cedar said.

Reed making has shifted Cedar’s perspective on what is valuable, and has taught him lessons that have been lost in modern everyday life.

“It teaches him about focus and very, very fine details. It gives him a sense of accomplishment and a craft to hone with his hands, that is something that is sort of lost in modern everyday human life,” Alysabeth Speice said. “Also, whereas other children/teenagers would ask for things like Game Stop, gift certificates for Torchy’s card, or for the latest device, he is constantly begging for cane and special knives and embroidery thread and brass wire, and those things are at the very top of his list of gifts that you could give him at that matter. So it really shifts his perspective about what is valuable.”

Teachers, parents, and even students are amazed with the amount of passion that Cedar has towards band.

“I say it is rare to find that kind of passion towards music out of students his age and I think there should be more students like him,” freshman Jun Lee said.

Cedar isn’t just passionate about band, he’s also a dedicated musician.

“Cedar is an incredibly dedicated and thoughtful musician. I am impressed with his patience and perseverance when it comes to learning difficult concepts. So many musicians want to rush ahead and play difficult and fast music without really caring how good it is,” private lesson teacher Amanda Turley said. “Cedar really cares about making every note beautiful and meaningful and I believe he understands that the process is just as important as the final performance.”

Not many people heard Cedar’s piece but the ones who did thought it was different.

“Yes, it was different from other pieces by older composers,” Lee said.

Cedar prefers the reeds her makes because they better fit his playing style.

“For me, handmade reeds, ones I make for myself,   are better than store bought reeds because I can customize them for myself  to suit my playing style. Also, store bought reeds are generally made with inferior cane,” Cedar said.