Quinn Rabon, ‘26, has both a passion and a talent for music.

Rabon, who plays the tuba in the GMC band, first began playing for fun. Eventually, he realized, “Hey I can do something with this” and began to become more serious about making a name for himself and finding out different ways he can make a career out of playing.

“I like playing big instruments,” says Rabon, “and the tuba isn’t something that people would normally choose, and no one picks it so why not go with it.”

Recently, Rabon, along with Elena Lowery, ‘26, was nominated to be in the Northern All Region Band Clinic.

Sign-ups begin late August/early September, and students have to get their music, learn 10-15 scales, and a solo.

They also practice sight reading and must know band terms such as fortissimo, legato, and staccato.

Rabon placed in the top 10 out of 67 other tuba players.

“This is a big accomplishment!” says Jason Rainey, band director at GMC, “He is GMC’s first band student to audition and make the callback.”

After high school, Rabon would like to attend Furman and play for their band.

His advice for people trying to find their own instrument is, “Find one that suits you, if you want an easier instrument then go with a higher pitched one but if you want a more difficult one go with one with more fingering/notes that you can play.”