Stanwood senior Jeb McGlinchy has a love for music, history

Published 7:31 pm Sunday, December 13, 2015

STANWOOD — Jeb McGlinchy, 18, is a senior at Stanwood High School. He lives on Camano Island and is the youngest of six children. The straight-A student loves music, church and history and mixes independent music lessons with advanced classes.

Question: Can you tell me a little bit about the activities you’re involved in?

Answer: Well, I’m in choir. That’s probably my favorite class. The music teacher, Mr. (Erik) Ronning, is the best music teacher I’ve ever had. I have an independent piano class, it’s my second favorite. I do Knowledge Bowl and Hi-Q starts soon. I’m National Honor Society president. I really enjoy that because I like helping out at the events. I’m also in National English Honor Society. We talked about doing a newspaper and I think that would be kind of fun.

Q: How did you get involved in music?

A: When I was about 5 my sister started taking lessons and I was kind of jealous and I wanted lessons, too. I started when I was 6. I have a piano teacher right down the road. She’s the best. I’ve taken lessons from her for 12 years. It’s not just learning to play songs. She teaches you everything so that, basically, if you wanted you could be a concert pianist. It’s pretty intense but it’s really fun. I play for my church and then I sing at another church in the choir and then I play for another church occasionally. I think that’s why God gave us music. “God gave me music so I can pray without words.” That’s one of my favorite sayings.

Q: What church do you go to?

A: Cedarhome Baptist.

Q: Is that the church you’ve been going to all your life?

A: Yes. My parents have been going there for about 30 years. We’re a relatively new family. A lot of the families have gone there forever and it’s a neat community.

Q: Do you hope to make a career out of music?

A: I’m deciding that right now. I would like to. I’m deciding whether I should apply to the Conservatory (of Music) at Wheaton (College) to major possibly in performance and music education. Whatever happens, I want to be a musician at my church, I think, wherever that would be.

Q: Do you have any other careers you’re interested in?

A: History teacher. I think it would be fun to be a professor at some point just because the kids that go to universities tend to go there because they want to learn more. At a high school or middle school you have to go so it’s not always that fun.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I read. And being a total nerd, this is my bedside table: I have a history of church music and a book of hymns and psalms and then there’s an AP European History book. Yeah, a lot of history books. That and music. In my spare time, I listen to these lectures from a college professor on music history because it involves music theory and history and how music affects society. And I’m reading an art history book, and it’s fascinating all the symbols in art and what they signify. Right now I’m reading about the Renaissance and you get to see these paintings and they’re cool but then you get to read about what they symbolize and you see another meaning behind the paintings.

Q: What are your most challenging subjects?

A: I’d have to say math and AP physics. The thing with math is I can follow the equations and it’s fine but I guess I don’t really understand it. With history, you can understand why stuff happened. But with math, especially like advanced calculus, it’s hard to understand.

Q: Do you have a favorite song to play or sing?

A: I think my favorite song to play on the piano is “Moonlight Sonata.” Everyone loves that song. It’s slow and it’s beautiful Beethoven. My dad had a stroke three and a half years ago and it took out his right side and his speech. And my sister had had strokes, but I didn’t really understand what happens when you have one. I just remember the day when dad came home and he could just say one word and that was it and then he was not able talk at all. Mom said he probably had a stroke so they went to the hospital and I just stayed at home and played piano and that was the first song that came to mind. So it has a lot of sentimental value. And then my favorite church song to play is “It Is Well With My Soul.” Just the words are beautiful. It’s funny, but I designate songs to certain people and I give this one to my sister who had the strokes because it’s like, “Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say it is well with my soul.” It’s just whatever happens it’s for a reason and it’s for a good reason, whether you know it or not.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.