January 8, 2021
By: Bill Conger
Senior Victor Luna is in his third year with the D.C.H.S Band, but he has been playing music all his life. That’s no surprise considering he was raised in the home of Band Director Tracy Luna and his musical mother, Laura.
“Dad introduced me to music very early on,” Victor says. “I had access to basically any instrument I wanted to figure out. It’s been a big part of my life ever since.”
“He is very intelligent and can play most of the instruments in the band,” Acting Band Director Don Whitt said. “I have a huge admiration and respect for him. Whatever Victor does he is going to land on his feet.”
For Victor, band started on saxophone in 5th grade at Upperman Middle School in Cookevile, but he transitioned slowly to tuba, mostly because his dad needed that position filled in the high school band.
“I’ve grown to like it. I still keep up with the other instruments, and I enjoy learning new things all the time. I had some previous experience with the euphonium. He [my dad] had a euphonium at home that I had played on in my 7th grade year just to mess around. That gave me some steps forward into tuba and made the transition a lot easier.”
Victor’s dad is not only the band director but an accomplished tuba player who has played in numerous musical ensembles.
“He’s helped me so much with all of this, and I’m really grateful to have him as the music part of my life. His experience in tuba really helped me out a lot. He gave me so many tips and tricks and helped me process how to do everything with tuba and how to grow as a musician.”
After only a year and a half playing tuba in the band, Victor passed the highly competitive audition process and secured a spot in the prestigious Music City Drum and Bugle Corps. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 restrictions cancelled the drum corps season in 2020, but that door isn’t completely closed for the young musician.
“There’s a certain amount of uncertainty, but we’re hoping to at least get together and practice some this year and hopefully leap forward into 2022 as a strong and well-developed drum corps. I want to be part of that.”
Music will continue to be a part of Victor’s life after he earns his high school diploma. He plans to attend Tennessee Tech University in the fall and possibly combine two interests by majoring in music and engineering. He hopes to join the internationally known TN Tech Tuba ensemble as part of his undergraduate work.