Elizabeth Neelsen

I grew up in Sun Prairie and began playing trumpet at Patrick Marsh Middle School with piano lessons at Prairie Music and Arts — Prairie Music Academy at that time! — followed soon after. I continued both into high school, and my life revolved around Sound of Sun Prairie, Jazz I and II, Wind Ensemble, brass quintet, musicals, and on and on. My love of music has not waned nor have the lessons of hard work, discipline, character, and teamwork that were ingrained into me as a musician, and many of my closest friends today are still the ones I met through music. I know how important music was and remains to be for me, and I want every child in Dane County and beyond to be afforded the same opportunities and experiences that I was as a student of Prairie Music and Arts and the Sun Prairie Band Program.