By: Genesis Chavez
With the end of the year getting closer comes the last rehearsals and performances along with the class of ’22 getting ready to graduate from the Redwood Arts Department.
Beginning with Drama preparing for their one acts and Orchestra, preparing for there Disney Spring Concert on May 19,Band also prepares for their last concert, which is their goodbye to their music careers at Redwood.
Kyla Seitz ’22 mentions some of the pieces she’s looking forward to preform; “I may have a chance to play a timpani Concerto, which is a piece featuring me on Timpani as a soloist, which would be a really cool way to end the school year musically and to send me off to college.”
Evan Judson ’22 who plays the French Horn says “I play French Horn and as a result I am a sucker for any licks that the Horns get in the music. I am extremely excited to play Africa: Ceremony, Song, and Ritual by Robert W. Smith because so much of the song focuses on the horns.”
Returning to in person school after nearly a two year absence due to Covid was a big deal and it gave many returning Seniors the opportunity to create a few new memories before the end of there high school carrier including field trips and additional concerts. Family is how Evan Judson ’22 describes his time playing for the Redwood Band .
“One that comes to mind though is Family. Even there is a lot of bickering and whatnot we all can come together to create something special and magical . . . I feel sad, but also happy to be playing my last concert . . . So many of my friends are apart of the program and I’m happy to get one last chance to play with them”. Judson says.
Judson adds “My sophomore year and the whole practice came to a stop because a bird kept landing on our front ensemble’s equipment. We all tried to shoo it away, but it kept coming back”.
Preston Kearnan ’22 adds on with his experience being a crazy one (in the best way possible). “Playing in my last concert is a bit of bitter sweetness but I’m less focused on the fact that it’s my last and more focused on having fun and playing the best I can”.
“My sophomore year the band was just hanging out before we had to start warming up to perform. We were all in uniform already. And I was dancing around and doing “gymnastics” and I ripped the seam on my band uniform. Everyone was laughing. It was hilarious. Fortunately a band parent fixed it before we had to perform.” Kearnan says.
“Redwood band is the place that really solidified my love for music . . . I have met my closest friends through the band, have made some of my favorite memories, and have met many people in music who have helped guide me to become the best musician and person I could become”. Seitz says
Seitz “I personally loved every time I got to travel with my group in Winter Percussion . . . I also really liked the trip we got to go on last weekend, we swept first place, got to get awards at Knott’s Berry Farms, and went to Medieval Times and the Getty Museum. It was really funny to see Mr. Ray and Yokota lose their voices screaming for the Blue Knight at Medieval Times”
As Seniors give their last goodbyes they add on to what Redwood and Band means to them.
Kearnan says,”To me band means putting forth a level of commitment that no other high school activity or program asks of you . . . band requires so much commitment. And while band isn’t the most physically demanding, it still had its fair share of hard work and adding that to 9am -9 pm marching practices and 3 hour practices twice a week and every class period and band camp (two weeks of 9 am to 9 pm with a break from 1 to 5). The band is also about creating a family. The bond you build between other members”.
“The Redwood band is a community. It’s hard for someone to see everything we do; you would understand and realize that the band is a lot of work and Mr. Ray and every member of band pours their heart and soul into every last part of this program.” Kearnan says.
Setiz ’22 adds on her plans after high school that include her love for music “Next year I plan on attending the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSU Long Beach, and I never would have gotten to the point that I have if it wasn’t for my amazing instructors and teachers in music. BCCM was one of my dream places to go because of the Percussion instructor I’d get to study under, Ted Atkatz, and the fact that the school has come of the top ensembles in not only the state, but the country! I am super excited, and hope to become a band director myself in the future. “
No matter what these Rangers plan to do after graduation, they believe Mr. Ray and the Redwood Music Department have prepared them to be successful.
Tags: Classof'22, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwoodband, redwoodseniors, rhs, visalia ca