Shadle Park High School: Corey Hodges is orchestrating his future

Shadle Park High School senior Corey Hodges has found solace in music while experiencing sometimes agonizing soreness from involuntary muscle contractions that were only recently diagnosed.

“My pediatrician always knew I had something going on, but it really became something that started to inhibit my daily life,” Hodges said. “It was extremely painful.”

Hodges was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological disorder causing involuntary muscle contractions that create significant tension and soreness. That made playing his upright bass difficult.

“Most days I’d pick up my instrument, there’d be this sensation that ran through my arm,” Hodges said. “It’s very pesky. As someone who plays an instrument, you don’t really like that.”

Since his introduction to the instrument in fifth grade, Hodges has played the bass in many ensembles. At Shadle Park, he has been involved in the orchestra program all four years, joining the Chamber Ensemble during his sophomore year. Hodges was involved in the jazz program from freshman year to junior year, but had to leave the program because of the disorder.

Outside of high school, Hodges joined the Spokane Youth Symphony and has done contract work with the Whitworth Orchestra. These outside programs have allowed him to perform at the Fox Theater. He looked forward to the spring concert as a full circle moment.

“One of my youngest memories at the Fox, (was) the Spokane Symphony played some ‘Star Wars’ themed pieces,” Hodges said. “Funny enough, now with Whitworth this spring, we’re also playing a ‘Star Wars’ themed chart.”

Matthew Wenman, Hodges’ music teacher throughout high school, said because performances take place outside of normal school hours, he is able to get to know his students more than other teachers might be able to.

“I’m always trying to push kids out of the nest,” Wenman said. “The more experiences that they can have outside of the classroom, the better for them.”

Wenman said it is important to have a variety of musical experiences that expand one’s skills, so he was excited when Hodges pursued ensembles in the larger Spokane community. Through this, Wenman said he has seen Hodges’ work ethic and dedication.

“It’s somewhat unique to have a student who’s really dedicated to becoming as good as they can be,” Wenman said.

Hodges will attend Oregon State University in the fall, planning to major in finance and minor in music. Hodges said he wants to enter the field to increase his financial literacy and aims to help others become more financially literate as well.

Lesa Renner, Hodges’ high school counselor, said Hodges leads by example for the other students with his time management skills. Hodges juggles a variety of classes at the high school and through the Running Start program at Spokane Falls Community College.

“He’s just incredibly talented in multiple areas and he thinks learning should be fun,” Renner said. “The eclectic interests come from this amazing attitude towards education. It’s not a grind. It’s a privilege and something that should be fun and exploratory. He’s done a really good job of taking that variety of classes to expand his horizons.”

One of these eclectic interests was Hodges’ interest in studying Japanese, something he took through SFCC and said he hopes to continue studying at OSU. Hodges said he is looking forward to the future and is thankful for his time in high school, especially in the music program.

“I probably would never know about the dystonia if I didn’t play a stringed instrument, so in a way, playing bass has helped me learn a lot about myself and make me take initiative into managing the dystonia,” Hodges said. “Today, I feel a lot better than I did a few years ago.”