Hutto student earns scholarship to prestigious music academy
School began for Central Texas students several weeks ago, but one Hutto teen did not join them.
This week, Kyle Aldridge, 15, left for Michigan to pursue his dream of becoming a classical musician and attend the Interlochen Center for the Arts.
Aldridge has been playing the trumpet since he was 6. His mother’s father and uncle were both musicians playing the saxophone and trumpet, respectively. Brianna Aldridge wanted her son to play an instrument, too.
“I told him to pick one,” the mother said.
Aldridge chose the trumpet and, while he admitted at first he just liked to make noise, he soon realized he could make music.
“What started as a young boy learning his first notes has grown into a deep passion for music,” Brianna said.
Aldridge added, “I like how music makes me feel.”
In the past nine years, Aldridge has worked to develop his musical muscles by participating in programs like the Austin Soundwaves and Soundwaves Symphony, which, according to the website, “serves student musicians across the greater Austin area, providing diverse opportunities for learners of all ages, backgrounds and experiences.”
“They help us with our music and create opportunities,” Aldridge said.
Through Soundwaves, Aldridge was inducted into the Draylen Mason Fellows Program in 2025. Only a select group of young musicians are chosen “to design and lead an original capstone performance that draws inspiration from a social justice issue collectively chosen by the cohort,” the website said.
“It’s an accomplishment that reflects his dedication, character and promise as a young artist,” Brianna said.
The summer before his freshman year of high school, Austin Soundwaves facilitated Aldridge’s attendance at the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer program at Interlochen, Michigan. Before the summer ended, Interlochen offered him a place at the school, but Aldridge’s mother thought he was too young to attend a boarding school so far away.
Aldridge pushed for the opportunity and he and his mother struck a deal.
“I gave him a year to show me that he could clean his room and tend to his schoolwork and other responsibilities without me reminding him,” Brianna said.
Aldridge began high school not in Michigan but at the Hutto Ninth Grade Center, where he joined the Hutto High School marching band. He put in several hours each week in rehearsals, performances and competitions, but he still kept his end of the bargain he made with his mother.
“He exceeded everything I asked of him,” Brianna said. “He went above and beyond.”
With his mother’s permission, Aldridge applied to Interlochen and was not only accepted but also granted a merit scholarship.
“I’m excited and a little nervous,” Aldridge said of the opportunity.
Aldridge will leave behind his family, but he is excited to take the next step toward his dream of becoming a classical musician. Although he does not yet know anyone at Interlochen, Aldridge will attend classes and practices alongside other talented young artists from across the country.
Of his plans after high school graduation, Aldridge said, “I want to go to college at (The) Juilliard (School) or Curtis (Institute of Music).”
After that, Aldridge does not know.
“I’ll go where the music takes me,” he said.
“ It’s an accomplishment that reflects his (Kyle’s) dedication, character and promise as a young artist”
— Brianna Aldridge, mother of 15-year-old trumpter Kyle
