Pekin Daily Times
When Elsa Olmstead, 15, of Washington was in kindergarten, she began playing the violin. But the violin was not conducive to her musical aspirations.
“She’s always wanted to be in a marching band,” said her father, Craig Olmstead. “She loves sports, and to see the marching bands at football games has always intrigued her.”
At the age of 9, Olmstead traded her violin for a flute. Five-and-a-half years later, she plays in a marching band at Washington Community High School, participating in the halftime shows that she used to relish watching. When the chance came to audition as a flautist in the Bands of America Honor Band, she was quick to seize it.