Mirador2 News 2/5/10

Two Seniors Selected for Prestigious All-State Bandby Elizabeth Lenczowski

Two Miramonte seniors were selected for the California Band Directors Association’s All-State High School Honor Band, announced Sunday, Jan. 3.

The two selected students, Erin Walsh and Sunaina Kale, had to audition to be considered for this group of talented musicians.

“You send in a CD of yourself playing the scales and excerpts of pieces that the directors of the honor band require,” said Kale. “This is different for each instrument.”

According to Rick Meyer, the Symphonic Band teacher, it took the students all semester to prepare their pieces for the audition CD, which was due just before Thanksgiving break. The applicants are judged based on intonation, tone, rhythm, technique, interpretation, balance, and overall performance.

“They did all the hard work,” said Meyer. “I just helped them finalize their applications.”

More than 1600 students from across California applied for the honor band this year, including four students from Miramonte.

“It is highly competitive,” said Meyer. “But we usually have somebody who gets picked.”

Walsh and Kale are an integral part of the Symphonic Band at Miramonte, practicing daily during second period.

“Erin is the section leader for the clarinets,” said Meyer. “And Sunaina is the oboe player; she has all the solos.”

The applicants are competing with the most talented students from all over California, so it is evident that Walsh and Kale are top-notch muscians.

“In order to get in this band, you have to be incredibly talented,” said Meyer. “[Walsh and Kale] are obviously at the very top.”

Three hundred students are selected and divided into the concert band, symphonic band, and the wind ensemble. There are two different conferences of honor bands: one on Feb. 18-21 in Fresno that Walsh and Kale will attend, and the other on March 11-13 in Sacramento. The bands meet for four days, where they will first endure a live, blind audition. This entails playing for judges behind a screen, to prevent bias. A

couple 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. rehearsals lead up to a free, afternoon performance at the Saroyan Concert Hall in Fresno.

“The rehearsals are intense,” said Walsh, a six-year veteran of the All-State Bands, who was selected when she was first eligible for the Junior High School All-State Honor Band in seventh grade.

Walsh has studied the clarinet for almost nine years and has taught herself to play soprano saxophone this year for 0 Period Jazz Band. Also an avid lacrosse player, Walsh appreciates the diversity that music brings to her life.

“My favorite part about playing the clarinet and music in general, is that it allows me to express myself in ways that other activities can’t,” said Walsh. “It brings out a totally different side of me which I love!”

Kale has played the oboe for about three years and is a first-time member of the All-State Band. She also plays the piano and saxophone.

Be sure to catch Walsh and Kale in the Symphonic Band’s next performance, at the All Orinda Band Festival on March 31 in the Miramonte Gym.

by Jamie Riley

Miramonte will soon host a “Red Watch Band” event on campus, providing students with an opportunity to learn to react quickly when someone is dangerously intoxicated.

“The program is focused on knowledge, skill, and confidence building regarding preventing death from alcohol overdose,” said Acalanes school nurse and Healthy Choices liaison Dvora Citron.

The “Red Watch Band” training session was first established at Stoneybrook College in New York, after a student died of alcohol poisoning.

Lynne Alper and Jamie Zaffanella are the two Miramonte parents in charge of this event. Both Alper and Zaffanella are familiar with alcohol education; Alper works as a physician at UC Berkeley and Zaffanella works for a non-profit group called “Center for Human Development.” In this group, Zaffanella focuses on alcohol awareness, among other areas.

“The event came to our attention last summer, and since then we have been determined to have it for Miramonte students,” said Alper.

During the event, students learn exactly what to do when someone is intoxicated. After completing the event, each student is given a red watch, to show that they are certified.

The six hour training session will take place at Miramonte. The first several hours will focus on CPR training, taught by Miramonte Sport’s Medicine teacher John Grigsby. The rest of the day will be centered on intervention during an emergency situation.

“With this event, we hope to empower students,” said Associate Principal Sharon Bartlett. “We hope they will learn to be more responsive in a student emergency.”

This training session will be held on a Saturday during March on a date to be determined. Interested students should talk to Dvora Citron or Lynne Alper.

Red Watch to Teach Alcohol Awareness

Photo: T. Alper

Seniors Erin Walsh and Sunaina Kale were chosen from 1600 other California students to perform in the All-State High School Honor Band.