Senior plans musical future

As the days linger, students of class 2021 are taking their final steps of high school and starting their futures. For senior Kallista Mohl, music therapy has grasped her attention. Mohl, who has been in choir for as long as she can remember, decided Wartburg was the best option. “Wartburg has the program that I want to do, which is music therapy. Plus, I started going to a band camp there when I was a freshman, and I fell in love with the campus and faculty,” she said. 

Mohl said she especially loves music because of the effects it has on the human brain. “Even subconsciously, and you don’t even realize how it can light up your brain. I’ve just seen music do incredible things for different people,” she said. 

Her passion for music can be traced back to starting choir in second grade. Although she prefers to sing, Mohl has learned how to perform on the piano, flute, piccolo, guitar and ukulele. “The dissonance is my favorite part. It’s where two notes are playing at the same time, and they wouldn’t normally sound good, but if you do it correctly it sounds incredible. I just love the make-up of the chords,” she said.

Throughout junior high, Mohl struggled with what extracurricular activities she wanted to pursue. On the verge of quitting choir and band, she pushed through her insecurities and continued singing up into high school. If Mohl had quit, she would not have been able to make All-State her sophomore year. 

“I had lost a lot of confidence in myself after middle school, but once I made All-State, it sort of clicked. I was like, this is what I’m supposed to do,” she said. 

Mohl said that graduating has not been a stressful experience because she has known she wanted to get into musical therapy as a child. By December, Mohl had her plans set for Wartburg. Although biology has trumped music therapy in Wartburg’s top programs, Mohl said it is still highly known for the music majors. 

Even though Mohl said she is excited to move to the next chapter of her life, she is going to miss high school. “I love it here, and I love the people, but I am very ready for something new and to be a little more independent,” she said.

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