Colette Berg, a senior, is more than just your typical Mercy over-achiever.  She is a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist and takes demanding AP and honors classes. She fills all her spare time with practicing for this year’s fall play, playing violin in her Civic youth orchestra, and participating in MUN, quiz bowl, Tri-M, and French Honors society.  And this year she’s decided to take a college-level music theory class in her free time.

Berg began playing the violin when she was five years old, and music has been an significant aspect of her life ever since.  She enjoys being part of the Detroit symphony’s youth orchestra, where she is one of forty violinists.  Every day, she tries her best to squeeze in practicing violin for an hour.

“Music is really important to me, and learning about theory is really getting to the root of why music is the way it is,” Berg said.

Although her music theory course is not specifically designated as an AP class, it is taught by an Oakland University professor and Berg expects that it will prepare her well for the test.   She does not want to major in music in college, however she says she might consider getting a minor in music.  If she does well on the AP exam, she would be able to skip some of the more elementary theory classes and move on to more interesting courses, such as music composition.

Berg has a lot on her plate, but she is confident that she will be able to pursue her music theory class.  “I have to keep up with the homework, but I think I can do it.”