As a young child, Sarah Fine had three primary dreams: dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench; play trombone in a ska band; save the world (not necessarily to be accomplished in this order).

As time went on, it became clear what the first step must be. Although she wanted to learn the trombone first, Sarah’s mother, a wise guitar player and singer-songwriter, insisted that flute would be much more fitting. Conveniently enough, Sarah’s mother was dating a woodwind teacher at the time so Sarah started learning flute at age 11 or so, and eventually started honing her skills as a piccolo player. She has since picked up trumpet, F horn, and the saxophones. She can also play snare drum, but wishes she had enough natural dexterity for the drum kit. Trombone, and bass clef in general, are still a work in progress.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Sarah spent her adolescent summers in Loch Lomond, California. She moved to Arcata in 2010 after graduating high school, attracted to HSU for the area’s natural beauty and for the fact that she could play music while not being part of the university’s music department (choosing instead to major in International Studies - (see childhood dream #3).

In addition to playing in Checkered Past, she is also part of the Northern Humboldt based brass bands Loud Neighbors and Safety Corridor. She is also active in community groups such as the Humboldt Crabs’ Crabgrass Band and the Cal Poly Humboldt Marching Lumberjacks.