November Student Spotlight: Ian Backhaus

For November, we are recognizing a young student who is excellent at holding down the low end – bassist Ian Backhaus. Ian is a student of Paul Tokarz, and a member of a Stages student band, also under the guidance of Paul, who says of Ian “I have been teaching him for a few years now and he is an excellent student. He is always prepared for his lessons and band rehearsals and has a great attitude and work ethic. He is a fast learner, usually learning an entire song on bass in 1 or 2 lessons. Ian is interesting because he has a kind and soft spoken personality, but loves heavy metal music.”

Read on to learn more about Ian in his own words…

What do you study and why did you pick that instrument?

I play the bass guitar. I chose it because I thought it would be a cool instrument to play in the school band. But I quit the school band and stayed with Stages because I learned more here.

Who is your teacher and what do you love about them?

My teacher is Paul Tokarz. I like how he teaches me and makes sure I understand before moving on. He’s also funny and we like the same music.

What kind of music do you listen to or play? Who is one of your favorite artists?

I like Classic Rock the most. I always liked the music my dad listens to. Recently my favorite artist has been Van Halen. But I also listen to a lot of Quiet Riot, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Queen, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

What has been your greatest musical challenge?

Trying to learn how to read music. Right now I learn music by tablature.

What’s your favorite thing about Stages or do you have a favorite Stages memory?

My favorite thing about Stages is playing in bands every year. I like being able to play songs up on a stage, play with other people, and learning all different kinds of music.

What are your musical goals? What is one of your non-music-related goals?

My ultimate musical goal to be in a really famous band. I think it would be cool to get scholarships for High School and maybe even College. My non-music goal would be to collect a bunch of old cars and trucks and fix them up.

Tell us a fun or interesting fact about yourself not related to music.

This past year I was inducted into the National Junior Honors Society.