Eyes closed, a musician woos the crowd with his polished alto saxophone. Each note flows to the next smoother than a serene brook, guiding in the direction of improvement. The crowd can feel the notes, they can feel the emotion, they can hear the story. But nobody knows these notes and this story better than the saxophone prodigy himself, junior Dominic Perez.

Though any listener may think otherwise, the beginnings of Perez’s music journey starkly contrasted with his matured passion for playing. 

“Originally, I hated music. In elementary school, my music teacher forced me to sing, and I hated it. It wasn’t until I joined band, where I found a love for music, and I really enjoyed it. And over the years, I found amazing people who I could play in band with,” Perez said.

After finding his love for music, Perez played clarinet and eventually switched to saxophone, which he played for Parkway West High School’s Jazz Band. In his words, the greatest achievement in his musical career thus far is his acquisition of the third chair in the St. Louis All-Suburban Band. However, Perez has experienced obstacles along the way of his musical journey. 

“In the past year, I’ve really struggled with my self-image; it’s probably been my biggest struggle,” Perez said. “When I was a sophomore, I was really insecure about myself. I said a lot of discouraging things about myself, and I didn’t have a positive self-image. The result was I was always stressed; I was always worried; I always compared myself to other people.”

Nonetheless, he wouldn’t let his challenges stop him. Perez intends to pursue a career in music; in fact, he aspires to be a band director like band directors Brad Wallace and Jacob England, who inspired him. In addition to being a band director, England also teaches other music classes, including Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Jazz Band. Since Perez’s sophomore year, England has seen improvements in Perez’s self-assurance and musical skills. 

“He’s gained a lot of confidence. He’s always worked hard, but he’s also caught and second-guessed his preparation a lot of the time,” England said. “Now, as a junior, I’ve seen him grow in his musical confidence.”

In addition to the saxophone and the clarinet, Perez also plays the piano, and he’s currently learning bass clarinet. Just as the notes of a score guide a musician, Perez follows and upholds a creed that does the same.

“The way I treat others is really important to me. Empathy is a big part of who I am, putting myself in other people’s shoes. I care about everyone; even if they may not show that same respect to me. I always try to put my best effort into everything, and whenever I’m really passionate about something, I’m always gonna work hard towards it, and I won’t give up no matter how difficult it might get,” Perez said. “Something that’s really stuck with me is just loving others as I love myself.”

Perez lives by that motto to the best of his ability, and he carries it into the marching band. Fellow band member and freshman Rowan Ravenscraft met Perez through the marching band, where he served as her saxophone section leader. Ravenscraft recalls Perez’s unique personality. 

“He leaves an impression,” Ravenscraft said, “It’s a good impression. He tries to make everybody better, he tries to make band a happy place, and he tries to keep the peace. He does everything he can for everybody.”

Senior Cas Neyman, who has known Perez for two years, corroborates the same empathetic persona Ravenscraft describes. Neyman met Perez during his sophomore year in the marching band.

“He’s been a good friend of mine since I’ve met him,” Neyman said. “He’s very upbeat [and a] very fun person to just be around. He’s easy to be friends with.”

His teammates have assisted his growth from the beginning. Freshman Miles Jaworski met Perez through the cross-country team and values Perez’s loyalty and support for those around him.

“He’s such an amazing guy through and through; you know as soon as you meet him [that] this guy has your back, and he’s always there for you,” Jaworski said. “No matter what the problem is, you can count on him. That’s an amazing quality in a person, and he shows it brilliantly.”

During Perez’s freshman year, he went to state for Solo and Ensemble and won gold — the highest rating possible — on his clarinet. These kinds of recognitions are easy to celebrate, but England also celebrates Perez’s progress and journey.

“As kind as he is to others, there’s also somebody that’s just really hard on themselves. That obviously has motivated him to do some really great things, but [he] often needs more words of encouragement than you might think,” England said. “When you see the final product, you miss how hard it might have been for him to get there. [He’s] just an example of finding the balance of having high standards without being self-punishing. [I encourage] him to keep up the good work, but also [to remember] it’s a lifelong journey — not a one-week or one-year or even four-year journey — being a musician, so just keep the larger goal in mind and celebrate the smaller victories.”

Perez overcame many obstacles, improving his self-image and playing skills, and he continues to overcome them. 

“What it took to finally get over my insecurities was stepping out of my comfort zone, joining the cross country team, doing what I had never done before and just being around so many supportive people in band and cross country combined. Because everyone is supporting me, I’ve been able to change,” Perez said. “Today, in this moment, I’ve never felt better in my life.”