With a guitarist dad and singer mom, senior Delia Cashman has grown up counting beats and picking up the classical violin in fifth grade. But music didn’t truly ignite her passion until she switched to the jazz bass in seventh grade.
Next year, Cashman will be continuing her music career in Kansas City Community College’s jazz classes.
Throughout elementary school, Cashman listened to music for fun but had always envisioned herself as a scientist when she was older, until she decided to pick up jazz in seventh grade — bass specifically.
“I wanted something that would be more challenging,” Cashman said. “I kind of got bored of classical music.”
Her mom Aiken Conrad is surprised that Cashman ended up playing the bass since she didn’t grow up listening to that much jazz, but she’s glad that she found her thing, she’s glad that her daughter did and is happy that she found her thing.
“She grew up in a house full of various kinds of music but oddly not a lot of jazz, except the traditional big band styles,” Conrad said. “I’ve always had a lot of musician friends so it was always a normal part of life.”
Cashman even started her own band, the Whitney Payne Quartet with senior Henry Revare, junior Ruby Wagner and freshman Nash Ohlund this year, after playing on East’s Blue Knights jazz band together.
“I think it’s going to be really sad for us when Delia and Henry go to college,” Ohlund said. “Hopefully we can meet up once in a while and play, it’s definitely going to be a big change for us.”
Despite majoring in emergency medicine, Cashman hopes to balance that and playing bass professionally through KCCC’s music program.
“I’m really hoping I can do both,” Cashman said. “But if it comes down to it, I would quit emergency medicine and pursue jazz. I didn’t want to spend tons of money to get a degree in jazz to teach jazz. I just want to play.”
She also plans on continuing her band in college with her band, the Whitney Payne Quartet, even though they won’t be able to practice together as much. In the meantime, she’s already enrolled in three college jazz classes.
“I’m just putting myself out there,” Cashman said. “That’s really what it takes to get a career in jazz that isn’t teaching. [I’ll go] into different bars, different gigs or jam sessions and say I’m looking to play even if I’m on my own or with a small group.”