By Genesis Chavez
On March 11th Redwood’s Band participated in 2022’s CMEA Music Festival, after two years of previously having no festivals they where able to preform on _______ and now returning back once again with there results.
Graciela Garcia ’23 who plays the Oboe responds to how it went for her in this years 2022 music festival “I think the festival (for Redwood) went well it was a little hectic . . . I don’t think there’s anything I could change but if there was id definitely change the method of operation and organization . . . some were lost an some got separated so I would make it so the event ran smoother”
Pricila Cenobio ’23 who plays the Baritone Saxophone also adds to how music festival went “Festival went a lot better than I anticipated. We didn’t crash and burn, which was a plus . . . Something I would change of myself would be the nervous antics that overtook me, while preforming”
Raul Arredono ’23 who plays the Bass Clarinet and Contra Bass Clarinet also mentions what are some of the things he would change looking back and what surprised him “I say to myself once things are done never look back. We did our best and there was nothing we could change. All we can do now is look towards our future. Which in our case is Fresno City Collage” Arredono ’23 adds what surprised him “It felt great to feel and hear music again. Other than Redwoods showcasing their music was just amazing”
Gavin Stoll ’25 who plays the Trumpet also says “Festival was extremely fun more than I expected . . . it was great everyone put in work and we preformed great . . . my favorite part is after you get done playing and the feeling you get when you play well and you did great in all aspects”
This year Bands CMEA music festival changed its location to the Gateway Church due to the restrictions the district has on outside groups using the LJ Williams Theader here at Redwood current juniors Pricilla Cenobio ’23, Graciella Garica ’23 and Raul Arredono mention the experience of playing in a different area, watching other groups preform and preforming as well as watching there own school preform having been practicing the very music they played at festival sense December.
Cenobio ’23 says “The experience was one of adrenaline, it was my first time playing in a church so it was different than anything I had ever experienced . . . We were able to pull off very complex music for the level of the band . . . there is some work to make the pieces better, but i’m proud of what our band has been able to reach . . . my favorite part was mainly being able to see other bands preform and helping out with band organization . . . I loved hosting the bands leading them to the warm up room . . . I got to meet many new students as well as reconnecting with those of other schools”
Arredondo ’23 also says “It just felt great playing music in front of judges. We’ve been playing music since December and to see our hard work paying off is amazing . . . part of me loves taking to others who feel the same way about the band. And since I was a host at CMEA it felt great to meet other bands and see how they warm up and how they would play”
Garcia ’23 also adds on ” I was expecting there to only be one other oboist from El Diamante and I was eager to watch it . . . there ended up being a second oboist from Golden West. I was excited to see her . . . I watched both of them. I wish I got the change to speak to them after their preformed but there schools left right after they preformed” Garcia explains how watching the others bands play and watching Redwoods was one her favorite parts as she takes pride on Redwoods Wind Ensemble “I take pride in Redwoods Wind Ensemble and it definitely boosted that pride when I found out us and one other band scored unanimous superior (which is the highest score you can earn)”
The CMEA is not only a time where students are give the chance to preform but its also a way for each band may get there score as well as feedback on there performance after each group is given a chance to preform what they have practiced for.
Arredono ’23 says “Some of the judges comments were down to each other and est. But the main point that I love about the judges is basically trusting each other as individuals and a group. Playing in a band is not just playing and thinking its good its about the role you play and who you play that role with others. It is also how you can blend or play quieter when its time for another individual to shine”
Garcia ’23 adds onto the judges comments given by the judges on a piece they played called “The Cruel Moon” “When we first began working on this piece Mr. Ray said to have little criticism/comments when we preformed it and for the most part all the judges said on the recordings were good things like “good job” , “that sounded really nice” or “wow yeah that’s great . . . our scores accurately reflect the amount of effort we’ve put into these pieces and again i’m certainly happy with wind ensemble score”
Cenobio ’23 also says ” I think our scores were justified. An overall 2 which were only a point off of a superior, really showed us that we are near the point of having a really good performance. small issues can be fixed, intonation can be better, and our scores would be higher if we take the feedback of Judges and Mr. Ray”
Stoll ’25 adds “The judges commented on how good our blend and balance was as a band . . . I believe our scores are right where we want them and its good for our next festival”
Tags: cmea, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood rangers, redwoodband, visalia ca
