Together We are One

Grace Lim

The band often gives us a unifying experience, despite how different we are. Keito Watanabe (12), Emmett Balzer (12), and Kimberly Horton (12), along with Mr. Kearney, had a week they can never forget as talented musicians. These three seniors were selected to represent our school for the ACSC honor band which was held at Hong Kong International Christian School. As three of the best players in the high school band, they were extremely proud to have the chance to represent the school. Nevertheless, representing the school wasn’t easy; they had to spend countless hours practicing even before they went to Hong Kong.

Although they practiced for a long time beforehand, they had to practice even more once they got to Hong Kong. In fact, they practiced about 8 hours on both Thursday and Friday for their concert on Saturday, March 4^th, at 4:30p.

 As the most talented musician in the ACSC honor band, Watanabe was able to seize the solo position.  Keito said, “Having gotten a solo for our opening song, ‘Don Ricardo,’ I couldn't help but feel pressured. What if I played a wrong note? What if I rushed the piece? All of these thoughts whirled through my head as the conductor's eyes, glaring like a hawk, penetrated the pitiful courage that I had into nothingness. Despite this, however, I was able to successfully play the solo without any mistakes. Both the conductor and I were satisfied with the performance that I showed during the concert.”

Apart from their long practices and amazing performance, these seniors were able to befriend students from the other schools. Balzer said, “I liked how we had to arrange ourselves in small groups of three students. We were forced to socialize with other schools and made many lasting friends in such a short time.”  

Thanks to developed technology, those of us at home were still able to enjoy the resonant sound of the band through the live stream. Kylie Toh (12) said, “That was incredible to be able to watch and support my classmates even though we were so far away. I felt like I was there with them. I was extremely impressed by the effort they have put into the music. I loved the music, especially the solo done by Keito.”

Watanabe 

Horton                                Balzer