Viking_Yearbook_90

that would be how I would pay for my lessons every week," recalled Warton with a smile. Where did Warton get her inspiration? "Carol Smith, my first band director, was really kind of an inspi– ration to me, because I saw a woman standing up there on the podium taking a whole band and telling them what to do. I had never seen or even heard of a woman conductor at that point, and you still don't find them anywhere. So that was really eye opening for me that this woman who .was so skilled would just be standing up there and it made me feel like that was something that I could always do if I wanted to. So really she was like one of my first inspirations. She Bottom Left: Margaret Wharton practices on a spring Saturday in Smith Cen ter. Photo by Tom Boyd. Left: Wharton plays a solo during a Brown Bag concert at Lincoln Hall. Photo by Debbie Hallick. Bottom: Marga ret Wharton leads a group of flautists during a Brown Bag concert. Photo by Debbie Hallick. doesn't even know that. Warton has definite ideas on what it takes to be the best. "You have to be into the music aspect of it. Into the actual musical– ity. Because if you're not, then you lose it and you'll just sound like somebody who's just trying to get through a piece, instead of someone who takes the piece and says, 'Here. This is how it should be played.' You have to have that kind of confidence. You have to be able to turn around to the audience and say, 'This is how it's supposed to go. I don't care if you agree or not , this is how it's supposed to be.' And if you end up sounding apologetic to the audience, then they don't take you as a very sincere artist." -Michelle Keesecker. 21