Senior Division winner Thomas Rodgers is 15 years old and attends Highland High School in Anderson. He is in the 10th grade. His first music lessons were in piano at the age of five. A year and a half later he began studying the violin with Mrs. Beverly Scott in Anderson. He now attends the String Academy at Indiana University in Bloomington, studying violin with Professor Mimi Zweig. For 7 weeks this past summer he attended the Meadowmount School of Music in New York, where he studied with Professor Stephen Shipps of the University of Michigan.

Thomas enjoys basketball, swimming, and more recently has developed an interest in golf. He also loves traveling to his mother’s native country of Japan.

Thomas performed the Henri Veuxtemps Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Minor, Op. 37.

Junior Division winner William Ronning, age 13, began studying the violin with Ginny Womack of Fishers, IN at the age of four. He currently studies with Byron Plexico, Concertmaster of the Anderson Symphony Orchestra.

William's first orchestral experience began at the age of eight with the Kokomo Youth Orchestra. He is currently in his third season with the New World Youth Symphony Orchestras, founded by Susan Kitterman, where his love for the orchestra has blossomed.

Last spring, he won the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. William lives in Tipton County where he is an eighth grader, schooled at home. He is the oldest of six children. He also enjoys playing soccer, reading books, exploring nature, and working with his hands. Like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, William aspires to be a mechanical engineer.

William played the Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor by J. B. Accolay.

When Austin was in the fifth grade he had a friend who was really into music, and who became a sort-of role model for him. Therefore in the sixth grade he started playing the trombone under the direction of his music teacher, Mrs. Finger. Austin credits his friend, Andrew, for providing him competition, and causing him to work hard to grow his musical talents.

Austin believes every person needs music in his/her life. Music is therapy for him. “If he gets angry,” he says, “he goes up to his sister’s room and plays her keyboard.”  He says it takes his mind off of everything else. He enjoys the fact there are no rules in music, saying his teachers state you are to not only play what shows in the music, but to shape it with crescendos or decrescendos, accents or staccatos, and enjoy putting your own little "ZING" into a piece.

During his high school career he hopes to excel in his music education.   When choosing extra- curricular activities he usually researches those that have music involved in some way. He has been involved in Anderson Area Youth Chorale, Boys Ensemble, and Jazz Band, and he plays first chair trombone in Symphonic Band.

For the competition Austin chose "The Clarion" by Paul Tanner, with help from his private teacher, Mr. John Huntoon.  He states he picked this piece because it really jumped out at him when his teacher played a preview for him. The second piece he played was “Fur Elise" by Ludwig Van Beethoven, having performed it at the Madison County 4-H Fair Talent Show, taking first place, and going on to compete at State Competition in 2000.

He plans to use his ASO / Cornell Family Foundation scholarship to help his parents with music education costs, and returning to private lessons. He would also like to purchase a new trombone.

Jennifer Stokes, is a 2004 Freshman at Elwood High School. She has been in band for four years and plays the trumpet, picking that instrument during sixth grade. She says the trumpet has emotion, and she can feel what the composer was feeling when they the music was written.

Music plays a large role in Jennifer’s life and she believes it will take her places someday, possibly even toward a career. She states that even if she doesn’t choose a career in music, she plans to continue with her horn, because it makes her happy at the end of the day.

For her solo in the ASO / Cornell Family Foundation scholarship competition Jennifer played "Dancer," choosing the piece because she won a Division One at ISSMA band contest with it. She likes the crescendo's and decrescendo's, saying the piece reminds her of a tap dancing ballerina.

She plans to play trumpet in high school and possibly even later in college, planning to use her scholarship award to restore her instrument, a Yamaha semi-professional trumpet her father played in high school. She also plans to apply her funds toward band camp for all four years, as well as trips the band takes, such as to Disney World.

Leslie Dionne Barker, a 2003 Pendleton Heights High School Freshman, is a flautist and vocalist, studying flute for two years and singing for 12 years. She was a middle school band member and currently takes private flute lessons from Mrs. Cheenu Desai of Anderson, IN. Her mother helps her with both voice and flute studies, being both a professional flautist and singer, herself. Leslie believes the importance of music is to give her comfort and peace in her everyday life. She plans to continue to play in band through her High School years, with singing to continue wherever needed.

For her winning performance in the ASO / Cornell Family Foundation scholarship competition Leslie performed the third movement of Handel's Sonata V. Leslie chose this piece, in her own words, because it is fun to play; lively and fast, and "simply because I love it." For her vocal selection she chose Albert Hay Malotte's The Lord's Prayer.

Miss Barker plans to use the $1,000 scholarship, provided by Mr. Michael Cornell of the Anderson office, UBS / Cornell Financial Group, to help further her knowledge of music, planning a CD production some day.

Her private music teacher of eight months, Cheenu S. Desai, describes Leslie as a talented student who takes music seriously, self motivated; a person who sets goals and challenges herself to achieve them. Desai says Leslie is not afraid to try new techniques and she enjoys having her as a student who comes prepared every week to work and learn more.