Honor's Orchestra 2017-2019
The Alhambra Unified School District's Middle School Honors Music program started in the early 1990's, and have been serving the District's middle school students ever since. As a determined violinist, I joined this Program last year (2017), but since I am going to High School (meaning this is my last year at this Honor's program), I will describe all the fun I had in the Program. The Honors music is an after school activity, which happens at the local high school, Alhambra High School. Me and my buddies take the bus to get to Alhambra High, which happens every Wednesday. At Honor Orchestra, we play more advanced songs, meet more musicians, and experience new conductors.
This Honors Music Program is more state-of-the-art than the music classes in the individual Alhambra School District schools. Musicians from the schools across the Alhambra District attend this music program, making it rich with musicians across the community. To enter this extensive Music Program, there is an audition which happens at the beginning of the school year. The auditions are usually scales, and sight reading may pop up. The first year, my friend and I joined the audition, and we broke our A strings (violin) from tuning too high. So, for that audition, I had to play in third position, except my friend tuned his E string to A, and played his scales and music on his "E" string. We survived the audition, and found ourselves playing amazing songs with other students, including students that were a grade higher than ours. I found the Music Program really interesting, and as my eighth and final grade at Ynez School rolled around, I decided to join the Music Program again.
Similar to the year before, we took an audition, and this time we did D and G major scales, and fortunately, this time, my friend and I did not break our violins' strings. I messed up on shifting (like I always do in auditions), but everything else was fine. I was relieved to learn that I made in the Music Program. On the week after the auditions, we rode the bus (the one we take the previous years as well). We got to the High school (same as previous year), to find that we have about 40 violins (including me and my friend), 8 cellos, 16 violas. We started by playing scales, and as the year moved on, more musicians joined, including some that were in fifth grade.
As December 2018 moved away, Madame Quan, Honor Orchestra's conductor, invited her friend, Ms. Minwary, who is a conductor (actually they were friends when they met in Honor Orchestra!), from the nearby Jefferson School in San Gabriel Unified School District. She accepted our invitation, and on January 30th of 2019, we, Honors Orchestra, had a workshop with the Jefferson musicians, which they defeated us, for they have music all week, but we only have music for three days. We played music side by side, and we had a small performance to the parents, and all in all, it was a fun time. The event even made it to the to the local newspaper, on the front page.
We were all enjoying Honors, and Madame Quan made it more exciting, by inviting a composer of the song that we were playing. The composer of "The Day You Left", Dr. Bartlett, was invited by Madame Quan, through a rather special way. We were at Honors, when Madame Quan brought up the idea, which we all unanimously agreed, and she took out her phone and called Dr. Bartlett. As a whole class we all invited her cordially to our Honors Program, that we may play her song for her. She warmly accepted our invitation, and promised to pop-in soon. We all were pumped up, and were excited for the rest of the day. As promised she popped in during our Honors the next week, and she improved our playing of the song, and explained to us that "The Day You Left" was a song made when her 27 year old parrot passed away, and that composers expresses their feelings in the music they write. When our day ended, we all took a group picture with Dr. Bartlett, and my friends and I took a personal group picture with Dr. Bartlett.
It soon happened that we had our annual Honors Spring Music Concert. We showed our skills to our parents, and had a collaboration with the Honor Band. We played our best songs which were in the order of, "String Celebration", "Canon in D", and "Noche de Estrellas". We took a pause and with Alhambra High School Orchestra, we played "The Day You Left" (with Dr. Bartlett present at the concert), and "Dos Fuegos". My friend conducted "The Day You Left", which was a unique experience (for the rest of the songs were conducted by our music, Honors Orchestra and Band, conductors). We took a rest, and watched in awe as the Honor Band performed their songs, which were in the order of, "Magnificent Seven", "Havana", "All That Jazz", "Best Of Queen", "Black Panther", "Shallow", and "Feel It Still". We then combined with band and we played, "Magic Flute", "That's What I Like", "Island In the Sun", and "Sound and the Fury". The music concert ended, and when we were signed out by our parents, when we decided to take groups pictures. SO we walked up to the stage, and while our parents snapped pictures of us on the stage, Madam Quan and another music conductor, Mr. Hamilton, sneaked up on us. It was funny, (especially that we didn't know until the later on) and soon we left home for relaxation.
Now, as we reach the end of the school year, I feel pretty sad that I am leaving this Music Program, and all the adventures that may happen at Honors next year. Compared to the music at each individual Alhambra School District, Honors Music is more fun, and there are more experiences that you can only experience at this club. Meeting new people, community, conductors, and friends are the power of this Honors Program, and it is these factors that we enjoy and band together for the Honors Orchestra.
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| A few members of Honor Orchestra takes a picture with Madam Quan (in turquoise, and second to left), the conductor of this special program. |
This Honors Music Program is more state-of-the-art than the music classes in the individual Alhambra School District schools. Musicians from the schools across the Alhambra District attend this music program, making it rich with musicians across the community. To enter this extensive Music Program, there is an audition which happens at the beginning of the school year. The auditions are usually scales, and sight reading may pop up. The first year, my friend and I joined the audition, and we broke our A strings (violin) from tuning too high. So, for that audition, I had to play in third position, except my friend tuned his E string to A, and played his scales and music on his "E" string. We survived the audition, and found ourselves playing amazing songs with other students, including students that were a grade higher than ours. I found the Music Program really interesting, and as my eighth and final grade at Ynez School rolled around, I decided to join the Music Program again.
Similar to the year before, we took an audition, and this time we did D and G major scales, and fortunately, this time, my friend and I did not break our violins' strings. I messed up on shifting (like I always do in auditions), but everything else was fine. I was relieved to learn that I made in the Music Program. On the week after the auditions, we rode the bus (the one we take the previous years as well). We got to the High school (same as previous year), to find that we have about 40 violins (including me and my friend), 8 cellos, 16 violas. We started by playing scales, and as the year moved on, more musicians joined, including some that were in fifth grade.
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| Newspaper article (on left) of our Honor Strings Workshop with Jefferson School musicians. (There is an error with the date, the date is Jan 30, not Jan 20.) |
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| My friends and I, along with Dr. Bartlett (second on to the left), conductor of "The Day You Left". |
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| My friend conducting "The Day You Left" during the concert. |
It soon happened that we had our annual Honors Spring Music Concert. We showed our skills to our parents, and had a collaboration with the Honor Band. We played our best songs which were in the order of, "String Celebration", "Canon in D", and "Noche de Estrellas". We took a pause and with Alhambra High School Orchestra, we played "The Day You Left" (with Dr. Bartlett present at the concert), and "Dos Fuegos". My friend conducted "The Day You Left", which was a unique experience (for the rest of the songs were conducted by our music, Honors Orchestra and Band, conductors). We took a rest, and watched in awe as the Honor Band performed their songs, which were in the order of, "Magnificent Seven", "Havana", "All That Jazz", "Best Of Queen", "Black Panther", "Shallow", and "Feel It Still". We then combined with band and we played, "Magic Flute", "That's What I Like", "Island In the Sun", and "Sound and the Fury". The music concert ended, and when we were signed out by our parents, when we decided to take groups pictures. SO we walked up to the stage, and while our parents snapped pictures of us on the stage, Madam Quan and another music conductor, Mr. Hamilton, sneaked up on us. It was funny, (especially that we didn't know until the later on) and soon we left home for relaxation.
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| The award winning shot, with me and friend looking at the person (aka Mr. Hamilton) who popped behind us. Madam Quan is to the right of Mr. Hamilton. |
To all the music conductors that have helped us, and shape the musicians inside us, I (on behalf of all Honor Orchestra and Ynez School [the school I go to] Musicians) would like to thank Madame Quan, the best orchestra teacher, as well as the conductor for Honor Orchestra; Mr. Hamilton, band instructor; Ms. Jones, band director; Mr. Trulson, conductor of Alhambra High School Music, also a sub for Honor Orchestra once; Dr. Bartlett, for being patient and teaching us the real meaning of her song; Ms. Minwary, for getting her orchestra to join us for the Workshop; Mr. Batti, Honor Band conductor; and the all the AUSD supporters of the Honors Music, and music for the School District. Without you guys, we will not be so succesfull as we are today! Your teachings will forever leave a mark in the Alhambra School District, and all of us musicians!
Also, we would like to give extra thanks and best wishes to Mr. Batti, and Mr. Hamilton (both stated above). They are retiring this year, meaning that we are losing two awesome band conductors. Nevertheless, we do wish them to show up in future school performances!!
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