Calallen High School student Nicholas Rossi has been using music to express himself going all the way back to middle school when he began playing a new instrument.
"He picked up his saxophone for the first time in sixth grade band," Nicholas's mother Melissa Llanos Rossi said. "He started teaching himself over that summer all by himself. He really loves his instrument. He sets himself goals and he's a bit of a perfectionist."
From there, he would practice seven to eight hours a day, getting better and improving his sound.
Those close to him have seen countless times he's spent working on his craft.
"He puts in more time than just about any student I've ever had as far as dedicating his time to his instrument," Calallen High School Band Director Jeff Valperts said.
Rossi's musical talents led to multiple accolades for the junior so far, including becoming an all-state band member, Houston Underground's solo first prize winner and many more.
"Working with him has always been easy," Nicholas's instructor Eduardo Rivera said. "That's the best way to put it. He's a very dedicated student. The repertoire I assign he blows right through it."
Recently Rossi received his newest award, a $10,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and a future performance on NPR's YouTube channel.
The young musician said he's excited for the opportunity and decided to give some advice for anyone looking to improve their sound.
"You have to be relentless in your practice schedule," he said. "You have to do whatever it takes to get better and whatever rate you have to get better at, but don't lose enjoyment along the way."
Rossi plans to practice until he's ready for his eight-minute performance on the "From the Top" YouTube channel next spring.
As for the future, he's looking to go to college to become a music educator.
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