By: Neval Mulaomerovic
Several band students received recognition for being accepted into regional bands, District Music Teacher Moises Fagundes said. Along with a player from Thomas Russell Middle School, multiple MHS students qualified to Honor Groups in the state and county, he said.
Junior Rebecca Wang was accepted to the all-state honor band, which includes a rigorous application process, Fagundes said. “Many students from all over the state submit recordings by the beginning of December,” he said. “They have educators from all over the place listen to them and they rank them and give them scores. In Rebecca’s case, she made the Wind Symphony which is the highest group to make in the state level.”
Clarinet Player Michael Nguyen was the only student who qualified to the Santa Clara County Honor Band this year. Students from high schools across Santa Clara County audition to earn a seat in the band, which rivals some all-state bands, Nguyen said.
“It’s usually some months before that you know what the piece that you’re going to perform is,” Nguyen said. “On the day of audition, [judges] pick some excerpts from the piece and you play that. It’s a blind audition they have their backs turned so they’re not going to see your face. There’s also scales and sight reading that you do beforehand.”
Being placed in a high level band looks great on resumes, and the performance experience is extremely beneficial in improving one’s playing, Nguyen said. The achievement is especially helpful for those pursuing music in a serious way in college, he said.
“Getting into an event is a good accomplishment because there are a lot of other great players in our class but not a lot of spots,” Nguyen said. “One of them is called the Wind Symphony. When you get accepted, you’re not placed in a band right away. You keep auditioning. There might be a live audition to place you in one of three bands and another audition so they can give you seating within that specific band so it’s a lot more specific.”
Other outside band groups include the Peninsula Symphony and the San Jose Youth Symphony, Fagundes said. Drum corps is an independent non-profit group where students can audition to compete against other groups in front of judges he said.
“There are youth orchestras and ensembles,” Fagundes said. “There’s also marching band opportunities over the summer. Currently we have three senior students that are going to be marching in drum corps over the summer, so that is another opportunity for them to keep playing. We have some students playing community groups and different youth ensembles, orchestra or band, over the years.”