Holt teen heads to Interlochen to hone music skills

Unlike most local high school freshmen, who are learning to navigate hallways congested with upperclassmen and getting their first taste of Friday night lights, 14-year-old Caleb Worthington is facing changes of an entirely different sort: a new city, new peers and a whole new curriculum. 

Worthington, of Holt, recently began his first year at Interlochen Arts Academy, a specialized boarding school near Traverse City. With 570 students from 45 states and 25 countries, it was named the No. 1 best high school for the arts in America by Niche, the country’s leading college and school search platform.

Worthington is studying drum performance and composition, participating in daily classes, electives, frequent performances and the school’s signature social-emotional learning program known as the Interlochen 5.

He joins the ranks of countless distinguished alumni, such as New York Times best-selling authors Brittany Cavallaro and Doug Stanton, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra principal oboist Elaine Douvas, New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill, Martha Graham Dance Co. artistic director Janet Eilber, painter Nathaniel Mary Quinn, actor Benjamin Walker, Grammy-nominated singer and actress Alexandra Silber and Grammy winners Peter Erskine and Jewel, to name a few. Approximately 17% of the nation’s professional orchestra musicians have attended Interlochen, and alumni have been awarded more than 100 Grammy Awards.

Worthington began drumming at 9 years old. He was drawn to the instrument after watching the 2003 comedy “School of Rock.”

“And then I found this place called School of Rock, and I started taking drum lessons because I thought the drummer character was kind of cool in that movie — and I just liked hitting things,” he said.

He plays in School of Rock’s House Band, which performs regularly around the area. In addition to drumming, he also fills in on guitar and bass at shows.

Just playing music wasn’t enough, however. At 12 years old, Worthington began composing his own music. At 13, he released his first recordings under the name P1.E on all major streaming platforms.

“It all started when my dad was showing me some music, some classical music, and explaining how it all functioned,” Worthington said. “And then he showed me this program on his computer called MuseScore. He showed me a little thing that he composed, and I started modifying it and extending it, and then I just made it my own thing. I was like, ‘Wow, this is really fun!’ So, I just started writing my own stuff and going from there.”

He enjoys metal, jazz and classical music, fusing all three in his innovative compositions. Currently, he’s in the process of re-recording the music he’s released to improve the quality.

“I think the main reason I’m into those is because of the technical proficiency required to play those genres,” Worthington said. “With jazz, you have to have a very good knowledge of music theory and know how music works, and with metal, especially progressive metal, which is my main genre, you have to not only have a good knowledge of theory, but you also have to be insanely skilled at your instrument. I like complex music and whatnot.”

At Interlochen, he hopes to continue honing his skills.

“But I also hope to meet a bunch of cool people that’ll be creative like me,” he said. “I felt a little bit out of place in public school because the classes aren’t designed for people whose minds wander. They’re mainly designed for people who just kind of sit and do their work, nose to the grindstone. ‘I’m doing this because my parents are telling me I have to.’ So, I’m really excited to be in a place that’s designed for people like me.”

After Interlochen, his goal is to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“The acceptance rate into choice colleges after you’re done at Interlochen is stupidly high,” he said. “I’m gonna try and get into Berklee because my uncle went there, and he’s a really good musician. I mean, he can just pick up an instrument and start playing it. It’s insane. 

“Also, that’s gonna look really good on a resume. I mean, you went to one of the most prestigious music colleges ever,” he continued. “And it’s the same reason I’m going to Interlochen, people that are like me. Also, I like Massachusetts.”