From a good student to a good teacher, Armando Wood, 20, music major, is passionate to play bass and share his talent in music by sharing his talent here in the EC symphony as the principal bass solo.

“I guess what inspired me to want to play music was hearing music,” Wood said. “I heard a lot (of artists) that I found really inspirational and that led me to want to play, I remember listening to a band called Jethro Tull.”

After listening to the last song of the album “Aqualung” from the rock band Jethro Tull which featured a bass solo that inspired him to want to play the bass.

During his time in high school Wood wanted to join the Jazz band; he already knew how to play the electric bass; but he needed to learn how to play opera bass before he could get into his high school Jazz band class.

One of his professors told him that he needed to learn classical music first.

Another opportunity that music is bringing to Wood is that the next summer he is going to Europe for an outside school activity thanks to his music professor William E. Doyle.

“He is a really active here as student playing in the orchestra here, the applied music (program),” Doyle said. “He is just an excellent student so that’s one of the reasons I think he is a rising star; he has both the talent as a performer and he also works really hard in his academics.”

Other activities that Wood does outside of the college is being a teacher at a school in San Pedro where he teaches guitar, piano and bass to children and some adults, and he also plays the bass at weddings.

“He is very dedicated and very hard working,” Robert Amour, 23, music major said. “He has a solid foundation in music; he plays jazz and as well as classical. (He is) very talented in both; he also volunteers for some of our essembles outside of school like Dr. Doyle’s group Supernova.”

Wood’s favorite instrument is the double bass, but he also knows how to play the piano, banjo and the guitar.

Wood hopes to transfer to a university this year and some of the universities that he is planning to apply to UCLA, Cal State Northridge, USC, University of North Texas, but at the moment he is taking lessons with Chris Hanulik, UCLA professor, Wood said.

“Being in music is really hard, especially because in the beginning you don’t realize how much work you have to put doing it,” Wood added. “When you see a musician who is an accomplished performer, it’s an end result and it’s tough, because in the beginning you constantly compare these people to yourself and you are not a finished result.”