Let's Get To Know Lavalette

1- Where did you grow up?

Sophia - Clarence Center, a town just outside of Buffalo, New York.

Dan - Jackson, NJ, about 15 minutes from the beach and 2 hours from the snow.

2- What is one of the first songs you remember liking as a kid?

Sophia - Time to Say Goodbye, sung by Sarah Brightman and Andre Bocelli. Not your

typical kid’s song, but I loved it so much I taught myself how to sing the Italian

art song in third grade

Dan- Bruce Hornsby - The Way It Is, still one of my favorites to this day.

3- What influenced you to get into music?

Sophia - My parents noticed my love for singing at a very young age, so they asked me

if I wanted to audition for a community theatre show, and from then on, I’ve

been performing ever since.

Dan - My mom played clarinet when she was in school, and she pushed me to join the middle school band. Every Sunday, my dad had records playing in the living room and would pull out the guitar or keyboard whenever he had a free minute. My older brother played guitar from the time I was 7 or 8. It was a very musical house, and I loved every minute of it.

4- At what age did you start playing/singing?

Sophia - I began playing the piano in first grade, followed by the saxophone in fourth

grade, and I finally started singing in actual performances in fifth grade.

Dan - I started playing in the school band at age 10, then picked up the guitar around age 12. Every year or so after I would pick up a new instrument - sax, bass, drums, piano, etc.

5- If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to yourself

after finishing school?

Sophia - I haven’t finished school yet, but advice I would give myself in high school

would be to have more confidence in my talent and to not be afraid of putting

myself out there.