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WAUKESHA - He's a member of the Waukesha South High School Marching Blackshirts, and the Jazz Ensemble. And for the second year in a row, Andrew Sowatzke will be part of the All Star Band in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

It's clear that Sowatzke is thrilled. He exclaims, "I'm really excited I met some great people last year and many are coming back as well. It will be fun to connect with people who don't live in Wisconsin."

Andrew Sowatzke appears much deeper than most teenagers his age. He notes, "Music speaks in ways that the tongue cannot that's one of my favorite quotes."

Band Director Guy Kammerer points out that Sowatzke is a mainstay of the music program at Waukesha South. Kammerer says, "This is about life experiences and we hope they are able to take what they learn here on to the next level." Kammerer adds, "To see these young people and what they're capable of developing into it's just very rewarding for us."

Sowatzke spends a lot of time hanging around the band room. It's only natural since he started piano lessons at the age of five. The 17-year-old hopes to continue with music as he gets older. But he also hopes to nurture another passion, psychology. "I love thinking about why you do things, or what makes you feel the way you do. I think it's really fun fighting for that understanding of oneself."

But whatever this talented musician ends up doing, right now he's finding the harmony of life. He's also discovering that music really is the universal language.

Sowatzke sums it up this way. "The love of music is something that can bind us all together no matter what our personal opinions on other matters are."