ROHINI MALAGI, Staff Writer
KIMBERLY FIRRELLO, Interviewer
Kimberly Firrello, a member of the Banner, had the chance to interview Daniel Branz to find out a bit more about who he is and the passions that drive him. Daniel is a senior this year and will be graduating in June. Kimberly sat down with him to discuss his enthusiasm for both soccer and music. Daniel Branz has given permission for his words, name and any photos given to be used in this article.
Daniel has been playing soccer for thirteen years and credits his family for the start of his soccer career. He says, “We would just start playing and it just went from being fun to playing what it is now at club and school level.” As he has been playing soccer for quite some time now, what keeps him passionate is the “happiness and joy” it brings him as well as the goals he has set for himself. Daniel is part of the NBTHS Varsity Soccer team and “it made [him] want to play it more because playing for the school brought something you can’t get in other places. And that's like a family bond with the soccer team.” That bond is what makes soccer even more special for Daniel. The feeling of togetherness and knowing that everyone would fight for each other and the common goal. He adds, “Any team keeps me motivated and makes me want to play better because of the other people there.” He loves a little healthy competition between his teammates and knows it pushes him to be his best. Even watching soccer on television or at other games motivates him to try new skills or practice to become better. He also believes having fans and supporters are always huge motivators. He explains, “It puts the pressure on you because it's just everybody watching,” and then continues, “but for me it calms me down more.” While the eyes can be nerve wracking, Daniel knows that they wouldn't be there if they did not believe in him or the team. He commends the school and students for being so supportive towards all of the teams across all seasons. Daniel is very excited and hopeful to be continuing his soccer career in college next fall.
Along with his passion for soccer, Daniel also plays the drums, guitar and is working on writing lyrics. He comments, “What got me into it? Drums my uncle 100% just like seeing him because he was in a band.” He started playing in front of people when he was four but even before that he would mess around with his uncle and make noise on pots and pans. He reminisces on his first time playing for an audience and describes, “It was like a couple months little before my birthday and we were also celebrating my dad's birthday so it was a huge party. And for my birthday I got my own mini drum set.” He loves the feeling he gets when he plays and describes, “It's the music style a lot and the good feeling when I play drums there's that feeling of no bad in the world like just everything leaves your mind all the stress. It's just good vibes, you're happy you're excited you have so much energy and that feels great.” He also notes how his music really helps as an outlet to destress from school. His music will also change based on his emotions. If he is happy then his music is more upbeat, if he is sad it's slower and if he is angry then it's very intense and loud. He explains it as, “your emotions translate into music.” Daniel has also been a part of many of the school’s music programs and talks about them with great fondness. He describes them as “supportive”, “great fun”, and says his favorite time playing would be for the elementary students during the holiday season. He would love for his music to reach as many people as possible and loves the joy music brings.
Overall, Daniel feels like soccer and music has provided him with a multitude of ways to express himself and have an outlet for emotions. He describes it as if he didn’t have these in his life then he would not be the person he is today. Be sure to check out both Daniel’s Instagram and YouTube where he shares his music.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniel_drums25/
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