Local Eagle Scout earns rank by supporting musical passion

Passion and purpose collided for Laguna Beach High School freshman Elliott Leeds as he fulfilled his Eagle Scout project.

Leeds, who earned his Eagle Scout rank last week through Laguna Beach Troop 35, has played saxophone since the third grade. He is now enrolled in his high school’s jazz band program.

When Laguna Beach High School jazz band director Steven Wade asked if there were any scouts on the hunt for
a project to earn their Eagle rank, Leeds jumped on the chance to help the music program.

The result was a collection of 15 manufactured, durable music stands that will now be used by the jazz band program at Laguna Beach High School and the jazz club at Thurston Middle School.

“It means a lot,” Leeds said of achieving his Eagle rank. “It looks like a really small assignment on paper, but once you start, it’s a massive mountain to reach, and I definitely couldn’t have done it without the community around me, without my patrol mates helping me, having a lot of fun at summer camp, all those things contributed to me getting my Eagle rank.

“I definitely couldn’t do it without everyone, my parents, my grandparents, my teachers, so I would say that it means a lot to me that they all helped me individually with this...they could have just stood to the side.”

Elliott Leeds, a member of the Laguna Beach High School jazz band, has played saxophone since the third grade.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Leeds said his time as a scout made him stronger in a number of areas, including physical fitness and leadership, which he noted is transferable to band when trying to communicate the importance of everyone working together in an ensemble.

His gratitude also went out to local businesses that helped with the project, including Home Depot, Ganahl Lumber and Coast Hardware. The project was also funded by the Laguna Beach Band Boosters.

“Without them, I probably couldn’t complete this project,” Leeds said. “Home Depot helped out majorly with the cuts because they offered to do the cuts for us, and so it’s much nicer to have them do it instead of having a bunch of scouts that are middle-schoolers with power saws and table saws.”

An appreciative Wade, who is also the music director at Thurston Middle School, said that quality equipment can be expensive for the music program. He expressed a belief that a donation like that made by Leeds could boost enthusiasm for the students.

“I think anything we do to support the students and help them feel like what they’re doing resembles the profession,” Wade said of what sparks interest in the program. “Somehow, we look to the music that we play. Everything sort of builds this identity within the students that allows them to see themselves in that position when they graduate, possibly.

“Music is a lifelong pursuit, so we’re trying to just make sure the students feel supported now, and that the arts are respected, and hopefully they’ll continue.”

Elliott Leeds’ personal stamp on one of the 15 music stands to be used by the music departments at Laguna Beach High School and Thurston Middle School.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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