Local Teenagers Attend Nationally Acclaimed Summer Music Intensives

The word “summertime” for most teenagers usually conjures up images of part-time jobs, hanging out with friends, online school, and hopefully a vacation or two. But summer this year looked much different for two highly respected Cambridge High School musicians, Jake Holley and Ugo Nwakanma.

Holley, a rising senior, was accepted into the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP), a prestigious, four-week residential summer program for skilled, knowledgeable, and talented high school sophomores and juniors. GHP offers instruction that is significantly different from the typical high school classroom and is designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders.

Holley was invited to study the Jazz Guitar discipline after completing an intense, three-round audition process. Competition for his position was fierce; anyone auditioning for the GHP must be an honors student, must pass progressively challenging auditions at varying locations around the state, and must be endorsed by a teacher.

Over the course of his summer assignment, Holley studied copious amounts of music, played in jazz combos, and performed in the Governor’s Honors Program “Big Band.” He lived on campus at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro during his assignment. Tuition, room, and board is covered by the Georgia General Assembly for all participants.

When asked about his experience, Holley responded, “I was obviously very honored to be selected for the GHP, but I never could have imagined what a truly life-changing experience this would be for me. I look forward to sharing much of what I’ve learned with my fellow CHS band members as we train for national competitions this fall.” Jake plans to study Jazz Guitar Performance in college and build a career around it.

As Holley adjusted into his new summer routine of studying music full time and living on a college campus, fellow Cambridge band member, Ugo Nwakanma, was also living a musician’s dream in Boston.

Nwakanma was the only high school trombone player chosen worldwide to attend Boston University’s prestigious Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) Trombone Workshop for their 2024 Summer Music Intensive. He was one of three tenor trombonists selected for the Young Artists Orchestra Program. Internationally renowned for assembling a global dream team of teachers, conductors, and students, BUTI issued a rare but well-deserved full scholarship to Nwakanma.

While living in Boston, Nwakanma often pulls ten- and twelve-hour days studying, practicing, and performing. A Governor’s Honors Program participant in the summer of 2023, Nwakanma is the second Cambridge band student to ever be accepted into BUTI. He was also selected to represent Cambridge as a participating member in the Georgia All State Orchestra in March 2024, is a member of the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, and aspires to study music at Julliard after his completion of high school. Currently still living in Boston, Nwakanma will return to Alpharetta in late August.

“BUTI has exceeded my every expectation,” said Nwakanma. “Having an opportunity to perform alongside some of the world’s strongest teenage musicians and forge friendships with so many of them is unreal. I’ve learned so much about music and technique; the instructors are phenomenal and have introduced me to so many new ideas about how to create music past the notes and phrases on the page. Equally important, this residential experience has taught me so much about myself, the importance of self-care and how to be independent. The lessons I’ve learned here will last a lifetime.”

Cambridge Band Director, Daniel Scott, is incredibly proud of both students’ accomplishments. “To have not one, but two, students selected to attend these incredibly prestigious experiences is unreal. I’m so excited to welcome them back, hear about what they’ve learned, and watch them share those lessons and life experiences with our entire CHS band. Jake and Ugo are outstanding role models for our Cambridge band program. As a program, we continue to strive for the very best, both individually and collectively. We are so proud of both Jake and Ugo!”

ABOUT THE CHS BAND PROGRAM

The Cambridge High School Band Program is now entering its fourth year of leadership under Director Daniel Scott. The nationally recognized program provides more than 150 high school students with a diverse portfolio of musical opportunities. During the 2024-2025 school year, aspiring musicians can participate in marching band, wind ensemble, concert band, symphonic band, color guard, winter guard, indoor drum line, pit crew, and two separate jazz bands.

The program has brought home numerous local, regional, and national awards in 2023-2024, including finalist honors in the national Bands of America Marching Band Competition in Maryland, competition honors for winter guard and indoor drum line, as well as individual student appointments to the Georgia All State Band, the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, Fulton County District Honors Band, the Governor’s Honor’s Program, and Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute.

The Cambridge Band Program is a registered nonprofit 501 c(3) and relies upon generous donations from individuals, local businesses, and foundations who support our desire to provide teenagers with an opportunity to express themselves through music despite drastic government cuts to music and the arts. For more information on the Cambridge Band Program, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please click here.