For St. Pius X 2020 senior Edie Bickel, learning 10 musical instruments has come naturally.

“My mom says my native language is music,” Bickel says with a smile.

Studying classical violin since age 4, Bickel’s violin skills landed her auditions and acceptance into the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall in New York City last February, the Sydney Opera House in Australia last summer and at the Vienna Opera House in Austria in summer 2020.

Nominated for the international honors by St. Pius X band director Keith Jordan, Bickel says “Mr. J” has continuously opened doors to help her explore music. “He has helped me thrive and grow as a musician,” she says.

Bickel says traveling to play in iconic venues with talented students from around the globe has given her a greater appreciation for and realization of her love for music. “At Carnegie Hall I realized I can do this,” she says. “This is my passion and what I love. I realized it is something that is feasible. 

“And Carnegie Hall is so iconic,” she adds. “You really get that feeling of, ‘Look Ma, I made it!’ It changed my perspective of music in my life. Music is who I am.”

Oddly enough, Bickel doesn’t play violin for Mr. J. While she does play the violin with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, doing so since third grade and studying privately for 14 years, Bickel chose to switch to stand up bass at school her sophomore year which led to the electric bass to play in the St. Pius X jazz band.

“I have the coolest blue bass; I just love to look at it,” Bickel says. She taught herself to play bass watching YouTube videos and plays in the SPX jazz and pep bands. She also played in a rock band of fellow Sartans called Wednesday After School, in honor of their regular rehearsal time during her sophomore year. The rest of the band has now graduated and moved away for college, but she hopes they’ll get together during the Christmas break.

During Bickel’s junior year, a new musical need arose: St. Pius X needed someone on the drum line. “I started playing quads and the drum kit.” Add that to the flute and clarinet she learned in middle school at St. Charles because they didn’t have an orchestra, cello, viola, piano, guitar and ukulele, and her instrument count easily reaches 10.

With school work, friends, 10 hours a week on music, the daughter of Carla Villa ’80 and Mike Bickel ’80, also still makes time each week to work at her family’s restaurant, the High Noon Restaurant in Albuquerque’s Old Town.

Bickel plans to pursue music in college, and is considering a double major with communications or journalism. She plans to audition for music scholarships at the University of New Mexico, University of Portland and University of Denver. In January, Bickel will play in the New Mexico All-State Orchestra, which she auditioned for and made, and play bass for the All-State Mixed Choir, a gig set up for her by SPX choral director Clarissa Clark.

“The thing I like about music is there’s no scoreboard,” she says. “You all come together for the collective good to create something.”