Palisades-News-June-3-2015-

Page 24 Palisades News June 3, 2015PaliHi Music ProgramWins Top AccoladesBy LAUREL BUSBYStaff WriterPhotos by Mark GalassoOver the past eight years, PalisadesCharter High School’s band programhas become something tocelebrate.From a 17-student marching band whenband director Arwen Hernandez took overin February 2008, the program has swelled toan 84-student band in the upcoming schoolyear, and this school year, the marchers finishedfirst in division 3A of the SouthernCalifornia School Band and Orchestra Association.In addition, the school now offers acolor guard, a women’s chorus, a drum line,a wind ensemble and a concert band—allof which have placed well in competitions.Hernandez is the driving force behindthis success, but for her the most essentialaspect of the music department is that itprovides a welcoming place for experiencedplayers as well as kids who have neverplayed an instrument.“I want to give them a place to call homewithin the high school,” said Hernandez,who grew up playing French horn in theYucaipa High School marching band. “Theyspend a lot of time here. They’re very closeto each other. They know each other’s parents.They’re really a family. It’s very importantto foster that sense of family here.”Next year, she will have a staff of 10, includingballet instructor Kimberly Croninfrom Fancy Feet Dance Studio. Cronin’s assistancewas one facet of the band’s triumphin the 3A division finals, where it performedpieces from the ballet Billy the Kid.“She has been a delightful addition to theband,” said Hernandez, who plans to takethe marching band to the national competitionin Dayton, Ohio, for the first timenext year to perform Leonard Bernstein’sMass. “You could really see the differencein the way they moved this year.”Other facets of the program have alsoshowed strongly this year. The color guardArwen Hernandezplaced second in its division. The concertband and wind ensemble both received thehighest ranking—superior—for both performanceand sight reading at May’s regionalfestival of the Southern CaliforniaSchool Band and Orchestra Association. InApril, the drum line finished ninth placeout of 56 entrants at the Southern CaliforniaPercussion Alliance.For the drum-line performance, “We hadlots of wind players learning percussion forthe first time with a very challenging show,”said Hernandez, who marched in her highschool’s drum and bugle corps and laterworked on stage in London’s West End inthe original cast of Blast!—a drum corpsstage show. “They did a great job—a believable,deep job for such a young group.”PaliHi’s percussion director, JeremyMiller, wrote the show based on a DylanThomas poem featuring the beast, madmanand angel, while visual instructor anddesigner Sean McDermott did the piece’svisual design. The kids portrayed the piecenot only with music and movement, butalso on their faces since drum-line performances,featuring a small troupe aboutone-quarter the size of a marching band,Members of the color guard include (left to right) Mikkah Del Prado, Angie Gonzalez,Allison Wyant and Shenoa Butler.Five PaliHi drum-line members (top to bottom): Trebor Meseroll, Ray Pineda, TomomiUruma, John Doland and Sarah Bonder.typically occur indoors and more intimatethan marching band shows.A judge’s commentary said, “They weren’tacting; they were performing.” Hernandezadded, “It wasn’t high school kids are supposedto be smiling now. They really werefeeling what they were trying to portray.”Many of the students are extremelydedicated to the band program, which hastaken more than 100 field trips over theschool year. Forty-two students arrive aboutan hour before first period starts to participatein the wind ensemble. Most of theseplayers also take band in 6th period, and aportion also join drum line during 7th period.The wind ensemble is by audition only,but the other portions of the program areopen to any interested students.“The participants in marching band areextremely enthusiastic,” said Hernandez,adding that the more seasoned playersmentor the new players. “They spend a lotof time with us to hone their abilities.Everyone in band performs in every show.We have no bench.”The band and color guard will performin the Fourth of July parade and at theevening concert.UCLA Memory Training OfferedVacation BibleSchool Will BeHeld June 15-19The Palisades Lutheran Church will holdVacation Bible School from 9 a.m. to noon,from June 15-19 at the church, 15905 SunsetBlvd. Classes are available for preschoolstudents through sixth grade. The sessionis open for all residents; one does not haveto be a member to attend. Please registerat plc.cc or call (310) 459-2358.AUCLA Memory Training Class foradults 50 and older will be offeredfrom 5 to 6:30 p.m., every Wednesdayin June, at the Pacific Palisades Wom -an’s Club.Developed by the faculty at UCLA, theclass provides practical strategies and exercisesto help one understand his/her ownlearning style; develop new methods to retainand recall information; and improveone’s ability to put names with faces and recalllists without writing everything down.Trivia and “brain games” exercise shortmemory,but this class will offer exercises toimprove long-term memory. The class is offeredthrough a grant from the L.A. Departmentof Aging and is sponsored by the JewishFamily Service of L.A. Call: (310) 454-9012.