Zedric McCorkel and his family take pride in keeping their instruments well-polished and their strings always tightened. Aside from the strings, McCorkel is known for participating in six different instrumental groups and several other paid gigs. In addition to his electric bass guitar, McCorkel could pick up an upright bass, flute, or even a banjo.

As many high school band members can attest to, the first taste of instruments they experienced was in 5th grade band. McCorkel, himself, tried and tested his skills for every instrument offered.

“I was best at trumpet but my 5th grade best friend…told me that I wasn’t allowed to play trumpet because he was [playing],” McCorkel said. 

Due to that, he decided on the flute with “no regrets today”. After talking to his parents, McCorkel was quickly on his way to purchase his first instrument, a concert flute. 

“Flute was fine for me. I joined the band in 5th grade to avoid extra homework…it was kind of more towards when I started playing [electric] bass that I actually was excited about music,” McCorkel said.

In 2021, McCorkel was asked if he would lend his talents for Impact show choir. McCorkel was given seven months to learn the instrument. Without knowing how to play, he relied on YouTube videos to learn.

“Learning on my own was fun because I could play songs I liked,” McCorkel said.

McCorkle’s love and inspiration for music was supported by several people in his life. One of those was Steven Heffner, a head professor of jazz at Simpson College who recently transferred to an assistant jazz professor at the University of Utah. McCorkel named Heffner for leaving a significant impact to his pursuit of music.

“I went to one of [Heffner’s] camps over the summer…I’ve gone to a couple of his shows. He’s a really big influence [to me] and introducing me to the community,” McCorkel said.

Beyond visiting camps and concerts, McCorkel spends a lot of his time pushing himself through countless, long nights to learn songs on his electric bass guitar.

“One song I worked on a lot and I’m really proud of, and it impresses the jazz guys, is Donna Lee by Charlie Parker,” McCorkel said.

A major difference between learning to play a regular guitar and a bass is the thickness of the strings. Bass is made to play an octave below a standard guitar. This means that the strings have to be made much thicker and therefore more difficult on new hands.

“Countless times, I’ve come home with blistered and red hands,” McCorkel said.

Playing a bass guitar isn’t as simple as reading sheet music and playing the corresponding notes. In many small group performances or rehearsals, the performers rely on body language to communicate their notes.

“So the music will just say the cord changes…you just have to be able to walk a line [to move a bass line in a constant rhythmic pulse],” McCorkel said.

Jazz players, unable to communicate on stage, find their own ways to signal a start, end, or repeat. A touch on the top of the head is a signal to start on the top of the melody.

“You kind of give each other the ‘look’…I always look between my drummer and pianist… You have to always be present,” McCorkel said.

Without the help of others, it should’ve been impossible for McCorkel to learn everything himself, yet he managed to teach himself much of the material alone.

“During the [band] season…I practice for two or three hours a night,” McCorkel said.

McCorkel’s dedication and commitment are continuously shown through his work. Namely, in his audition for the Des Moines Symphony High School Jazz Band in 2023, he was picked out of dozens of auditions for the chance to play his upright bass.

“They sent out the list over email. I was a little nervous because it was pretty much made up of an All-State roster ,” McCorkel said.

All-State members are the best-of-the-best performers from across the state. Participating in this group even led to McCorkel receiving a $1,000 scholarship to spend toward his music development. 

“I was with Derek Brown at an Iowa football game when I got the [scholarship] email…I was like ‘Oh my God’,” McCorkel said.

McCorkel is always striving for excellence in his field. To him, it’s gone far past the point of being just an instrument. He sees it as an academic goal.

“I hope to go to college for music, though I’m not sure for what yet,” McCorkel said.

This strive leads McCorkel to practicing some form of music every day. This is either morning practices at 6:45 AM for both marching and jazz band to two hour practices downtown performing in large group jazz symphonies. 

“I have to get up at 5:30 every day, and I don’t get to bed until 10:30 some nights,” McCorkel said.

Despite the continuous push for success in his current apparatuses, McCorkel still finds time to learn new instruments. His most recent addition to his ever-expanding inventory is the banjo.

“I only learned to play the banjo in like…2023? I was supposed to play in Bella Voce with it, but I didn’t like their arrangement so I suggested [the banjo] get taken out,” McCorkel said. 

Currently, McCorkel finds his passion to perform in two major groups; Des Moines Jazz Symphony and JHS’ varsity jazz band, Syndicate. 

“[The Syndicate audition] was just a competition between me and one other kid, and there’s only one bass player that gets in,” McCorkel said.

Syndicate is a dedicated and yet underrated jazz band group. This lack of recognition strikes McCorkel deeply.

“I hope that Johnston brings more attention to their jazz program, and I hope they bring more music education to the school,” McCorkel said.

Since joining the varsity level McCorkel has put emphasis on improving his upright bass. Teacher and Syndicate band director Craig Crilly has noticed this growth and perseverance. 

“He improved on the marching band field significantly…and what I already heard today [in Syndicate] was fantastic,” Crilly said.

Crilly, through his short months with McCorkel on flute and few Syndicate rehearsals, already believes in McCorkel’s chances for success later on.

“I think his ability to work even harder is there. He’s put in plenty of time and I think the upside for him is gonna be tremendous,” Crilly said.

McCorkel with high chances of achievement has also felt the extreme pressure many feel when competing at a higher level.

“I have a really bad fear of not being perfect, and I’ve had to work a long time to work through my mistakes and not stop,” McCorkel said.

This idea of not being perfect is shared by many of McCorkel’s peers. Many struggle with perfectionism and burnout in high school. Some have found ways to combat these factors.

“Being ‘perfect’ is actually either unachievable or unrealistic, but an idea that only exists in your mind as an unfair expectation you set for yourself,” sophomore Lucy Minger said.

Despite the struggles, hard times, and disappointment that can come with any skill, McCorkel has proven that he is worthy of his place among the best of the best. Whether that’s with banjo, flute, upright bass, or his electric bass guitar, Zedric McCorkel has never sold himself short.

“[When I get nervous], I just always keep playing,” McCorkel said.