Volume 137 Fall 2022 Roundup Issue 6

School celebrates 75 years of service Festivities included the grand opening of new auto building

BY FABIOLA CARRIZOSA Bull Magazine Editor-in-Chief

In 1947, Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture opened its doors to the first group of male agriculture students. Fast forward to 2022—75 years later. Now known as Los Angeles Pierce College, the Hispanic-serving institution offers 145 disciplines and 85 academic degree programs, and it is looking to the future with an expansion of a new building for the Automotive Service Technology (AST) majors.

Pierce celebrated its 75th year of serving the community on Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Advanced Automotive Technology building and with a car show.

The anniversary celebration began with speeches in the new building. President of the Academic Senate Barbara Anderson introduced the speakers, including Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District Francisco Rodriguez.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Pierce College alum, gave one of the opening speeches where he talked about how Pierce College has helped people to work their way into the middle class.

“Pierce College is one of the jewels of my assembly district,” Gabriel said. “It is one of the jewels of the San Fernando Valley. It is creating so much economic opportunity.”

Surrounded by politicians and Pierce administration, Chancellor Rodriguez cut the red ribbon in front of the archway leading into the new autotech laboratories.

The car show featured rows of cars from different eras, countries

and styles, from the past to the present, from muscle cars to a VW bus. Guests at the event included local car dealerships and former Pierce faculty.

AST students mingled and

explored the new facilities, and they will begin to take classes in the new building starting next semester.

“This is a huge upgrade compared to the classrooms that we have now,” said AST major Rafael Velezmoro. “Seeing this building really makes

you want to start taking classes here.”

This new automotive expansion facility will enable the professors and students to have a dedicated space for electronic systems training and advanced diagnostics.

Professor of Automotive Technology Alex Villalta said that while it is fine for students to want to work on hot rods and classic cars, technology is transitioning quickly. Even the professors will have to expand their training.

"Our main goal is to prepare the students to work in the industry with what is relevant,” Villalta said. “What is going to make them money is working on Teslas, Rivians, Honda Claritys or any other electric car.”

Starting next semester, the new and the old building will be used in tandem.

Tom Rosdahl, an adjunct professor in Automotive, said that one of the benefits of the new building is its extra parking area. Rosdal said that with the original building, cars had to be moved in and out to accommodate different classes.

“One of the problems the auto building has had in recent times is where do you park all the cars,” Rosdahl said. “These labs are set up similarly to what factory training centers do. With the labs like this, the cars are already in the lab set up for the training for that particular class.”

A second new Automotive Technology building is set to break ground in 2024. Once that one is completed, the original 1967 building will be demolished.

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Preview: "Clue" to premiere this weekend

Play based on board game and film; tickets can be purchased online

BY BENJAMIN HANSON Managing Editor

Was it Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick? Or was it Mrs. White in the lounge with a knife?

Get a clue and find out who killed who when “Clue” opens at the Pierce College Theatre on Oct. 28.

The murder mystery, based on the board game and 1985 film, is set in a mansion where six guests are invited under suspicious circumstances.

"Bodies start popping up and everything,” said theater professor Shaheen Vaaz, who is directing the show. “Everyone suspects everyone of the murders."

Vaaz said the biggest challenge of getting this play together was the enormous amount of detail.

"Props being moved from one place to the other, the bloody knife, the unbloody knife, what's in the purse, what's not in the purse, all of that has been kind of excruciating to work on," Vaaz said.

She added that the play has a lot of silly physical humor.

"Clue" features eight actors who never leave the stage during the

entire production. Vaaz said the audience can expect the actors to fully embody their characters.

"The actors love this material," Vaaz said. "They really grooved on the writing of it. They find it funny."

Costume designer Sarah Birke created bright costumes to match each actor's intensity. With colors based on the character's pseudonyms, the audience will be able to easily tell who is who.

"Everyone's screaming, everyone's running around," Birke said. "So I wanted the costumes to be big and bright to match that kind of crazy energy."

Birke landed the job at the end of the Spring 2022 semester. Birke dedicated her time out of Pierce planning for the show.

"I started designing at the end of the last semester," Birke said. "Once I heard that I got the job, I pretty much just spent the entire summer sketching and doing random things."

Actress Laura Lyles was inspired by a famous Disney villain in portraying her character, Mrs. White.

"[Mrs. White is] obsessed with death and she's very dark," Lyles said. "I envisioned how Cruella De Ville kind of talks, so that's how I got it."

"I definitely think that people will love this play. Because it's funny. It's outrageous in a very cool, comedic way and you have a lot to explore."

Actor Itzhak Matos landed the role of Wadsworth, the butler who keeps the plot moving.

"It's been a challenge to play all these different colors," Matos said. "First he's a very calm, well spoken, confident character and as the play progresses, you see his other colors come out in sort of extreme circumstances."

Matos said each character has something special.

"Each character is so unique, and each one of [the actors] is given a great challenge to put on these wacky characters," Matos said. "They all have their little quirks and the way they move and the way they talk."

Matos said one of the deeper meanings behind 'Clue' is a light-hearted look at the fear of McCarthyism and communism.

"Although that's a serious topic, we play off with that in a very comedic way," Matos said. "Constantly questioning each other and suspicious movements and interactions and banter between characters. I think it's the idea of blaming the other person or being

suspicious of another person because you don't fully understand why they are the way that they are."

"It's a wild ride," Vaaz said. "It's crazy and madcap and very silly. I think it's very appropriate for

Halloween."

“Clue” runs from Friday, Oct. 28, to Sunday, Oct. 30. The shows on Friday and Saturday are at 8 p.m., while on Sunday it begins at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at

https://cluelapctheatre.bpt.me.

Note: David Pashaee contributed to the story.

Photo by Daniela Raymundo

LACCD Board of Trustees member Andra Hoffman plays with the ribbon while Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel claps at the 75th anniversary ceremony at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2022.

Photo by David Pashaee Theater students perform during a dress rehearsal of “Clue” on the Performing Arts Mainstage at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2022.

STREET BEAT

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCARY MOVIE?

Bring back the spooktacular decorations

The spooky season is in full swing, but it doesn’t seem like it at Pierce College.

One year ago, the campus was empty due to COVID-19.

Now that students have returned, it would be fun to put up decorations to bring in the Halloween spirit.

Such as decorating the Bull with a pumpkin or the library with ghosts. Aside from bringing energy to campus, studies have shown students feel more comfortable in class.

According to The Plaid Press, “Decorations in a teacher’s classroom can help create an engaging learning environment for students.”

““ScaryMovie5."It'sfunnyandit'sa goodremixbetweenhorrorfilmsand comedyfilms.”

-Isabella

Professors should be encouraged to decorate their classrooms if they would choose to.

Professors could decorate their doors and around their classrooms with handmade or store-bought decorations. But one problem Pierce might argue is the cost. But if the school doesn’t

want to fund it, it’s fine. There will always be students in clubs that would do it

just to make the school look better. ASO could sponsor a

Let them watch the movies

BY JAYNA KUKLIN News & Copy Editor

making it fun for the little ones to enjoy.

the respect of MPAA-obsessed fans.

““TheConjuring."Inotice somethingdifferenteverytimeI rewatchitandit'salwaysfuntosee peoplewhohaven'tseenitgetscared too.”

-LindaGarcia,criminaljusticemajor

Pumpkins are lit, and people will go out trick-or-treating while others will opt to stay in and watch scary movies with the lights off.

However, having kids watch scary movies has been a controversial topic since time immemorial.

There have been arguments for adults to cover their kids’ eyes when watching a movie deemed "too scary" for them or even to be cautious of what they show their kids, but what they don’t necessarily know is that not all scary movies are for adults.

In fact, 35 Best Scary Movies for Kids and Teenagers, written by Rohan Sinha on Sept. 19, 2022 for MomJunction, lists a number of movies that are deemed kid-friendly while also being scary in their own right.

For example, in this list, some movies listed that are kidfriendly are “Frankenweenie” and “Spirited Away.”

“I'mnotafanofscarymovies,I've seenmaybethreeinmylife,butI wouldsay,"SweeneyTodd"becauseI love musicals. ”

-SarahPadron,biologymajor

Corrections:

Any corrections feel free to email us at newsroom. roundupnews@ gmail.com.

“Frankenweenie” is a 2012 stop-motion animated comedy horror film based on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” except Victor Frankenstein is shown as a 10-year-old boy. The film shares “Frankenstein’s” story, but with some minor changes: Instead of bringing his monster back to life, he revives his dog that had been killed in an accident. Like the original, the film is also in black-and-white, which packs in some creepiness while also

“Spirited Away,” a 2001 animated film produced by Studio Ghibli, a Japanese production company famous for making other animated films such as “Ponyo,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle,” follows the story of Chihiro, a 10-yearold girl who moves to a new neighborhood and discovers the mysterious town of Kami (, this character means deity in Kanji, one of Japan’s three writing systems). After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba, Chihiro takes a job at the bathhouse Yubaba is in charge of to free herself and her parents and return to the world of the living.

While being haunted and chased around by spirits in a bathhouse or having to experience your pet getting into a brutal accident might seem daunting to most audiences, some kids might find particular scenes (Spoilers: In “Spirited Away,” when the male lead turns into a dragon, he is attacked while in “Frankenweenie,” a supporting character’s cat turns into a bat which is ultimately killed) in both movies rather distressing.

In When Scaring Children Is A Good Thing: Why KidFriendly Horror Matters written by Meredith Borders on Sept. 20, 2018 for Slashfilm, kid horror is one of the subgenres of cinema that is the least likely to succeed at the box office, and a majority of kid-friendly horror films are also rarely distinguished by critics or earn

In the same article, while kid horror films are made with the intention of scaring them, the concept of fear is an educational lesson, considering that kids are observant while also being anxious at the same time. So maybe watching a horror movie with them will help conquer that fear.

Age isn’t what should be considered in kids, but also their level of development, as well as whether they become frightened easily being a big factor into showing them horror movies.

At What Age Should Kids Watch Horror Movies? written by Lindsay Miragalia on Oct. 28, 2020 for Moms explains a strategy for parents to help their kids in the event that they’re watching a horror movie with them, such as comforting them when they get scared while also considering when the time is right and the type of film you show to them.

Even when parents take the right precautions, there are some kids that may end up having nightmares after watching them. This is completely normal.

The objective isn’t to scare kids by making them watch horror movies—It’s to teach them that it’s okay to be scared. What is more important is helping conquer that fear in a proactive manner.

jkuklin.roundupnews@gmail.com

who want to help to make decorations. You can also have graphic design students practice their skills. It’s an exercise/project for students and doesn’t cost Pierce anything.

Another idea can be that the Farm Center could help make a scarecrow.

It would also make sense to hold a pumpkin carving competition at Pierce since it already is hosting a costume competition.

Remember not too long ago Pierce used to have a Halloween Harvest Festival with a corn maze, haunted hayride, and other attractions.

So why can’t we go back to those days and bring the holiday spirit back?

In doing all these activities, students will have the opportunity to meet each other, make new friends, and express themselves creatively.

decoration day and have people make some.

You can also ask students

newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Not in my house

BY PETER POLYGALOV Copy Editor

Exposing children to horror movies will likely lead them to copy the behaviors being displayed, as well as cause mental problems later on.

Watching scary movies is a staple for thousands of kids worldwide, whether it is “Resident Evil,” “Swamp Thing,” or “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” While parents are not to blame in any way, children, tweens and teens shouldn’t be exposed to the graphic, violent and often traumatic nature of horror movies until they are emotionally mature enough.

There are several reasons for this. One is the level of gore, violence, and sex often associated with the genre. Arguments are often made to support the theory that ingesting violent media may lead to copying violent behavior and desensitization of the viewer. While I am not quite ready to pin the responsibility on horror movies alone, it may be one of the factors that contribute to the development of violent behaviors.

In an article written for the Michigan State University Extension website, Carrie Shrier, an Early Childhood Educator, states that children are great at imitating behavior. “Young children can, and will, copy what they see happen on television,” Shrier wrote.

Nudity and sex are also a staple of horror movies, particularly slashers. The representation of this is also often very one-sided, with female characters being given this treatment much more often than men. In many horror movies, there are often scenes of a female protagonist sprinting across

the lawn with a bathrobe barely covering her chest, while a knifewielding maniac chases after her. Such displays of violence and vulgarity can’t be healthy for a developing mind. An article on the Association for Psychological Science website cites Dr. Ross O’Hara from the University of Missouri. O’Hara argues that adolescents exposed to increased sexual content in movies engage in sexual activity at an earlier age, have more sexual partners, and are less likely to use contraception.

Allowing children to watch horror movies can lead them to develop anxiety, sleep disorders, and aggressive behaviors, claims a study published by the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYorkPresbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center.

The elephant in the room remains. What is the appropriate age for a child to start watching horror movies? The answer is different in every case and depends on the individual’s level of emotional maturity. Once a child can separate fact from fiction, avoid copying unsavory behaviors, and prevent the imagery and scares of a horror movie from affecting them, they should be mature enough to watch Jason Voorhees chasing unaware camp counselors without the fear of it permeating into their developing psyche. Either way, it is better to be safe than sorry and avoid allowing your kids to watch horror movies for as long as possible.

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Advisers:

Photographers:

Valeria Estevez

Mikey Piyarat

Arwen Dominguez

Quotes gathered by Madeleine Christian

Photos by Rachael Rosenberg

Gershick,signlanguagemajor

File photo by Katya Castillo

Several carved pumpkins are displayed as Halloween decorations in Los Angeles on Oct. 30, 2020.

Soccer Football Women's volleyball Women's

Soccer ends in a draw

Brahmas edge closer to the playoffs; overall record is now 10-2-4

BY TRISH ALASKEY Reporter

Although the game ended in a draw, the women’s soccer team defended their pitch and stuck it out Friday against Allan Hancock, a team they lost to earlier in the season.

The Brahmas are fighting an uphill battle this season due to injuries suffered by some of their top players.

First, Midfielder Arianna Vigil against Santa Barbara and now Forward/Midfielder Alexandra Meza suffered a season-ending injury in Friday’s game.

The Allan Hancock Bulldogs played an aggressive game leaving head coach Adolfo Perez and his team frustrated with the performance of the referees.

“I never blame the referees,” Perez said. “But we got banged around a lot and obviously the referees didn’t help. It’s frustrating when their number one job is to protect the safety of the players and obviously that didn’t happen.”

Despite these unfortunate circumstances, Perez was content with the way the team played Friday against the Bulldogs.

“I was very pleased with the first half, our energy was outstanding,” Perez said. “Our bench is not very deep though, so we started the game gangbusters and then as a game progressed, it got tough because my players got tired.”

Forward Malinaly De Los Santos felt like the team put up a good fight and gave it their all against the Bulldogs.

“We definitely could have finished opportunities, but we fought through

the end,” De Los Santos said. “We played a good match and we stood to their standards. We lost to them 2-0 last time, but we showed them this time that we could do it.”

Forward Samantha Perryman, who has played in goal this season, ended Friday’s game with five saves for the Brahmas.

Perryman is grateful to have the backing of her teammates during this difficult transition.

“It's really good to have the energy from the team supporting me because

it's hard,” Perryman said. “It's not an easy position, so it's just nice that everyone supports everybody, and we're able to do it as team.”

Looking forward toward the remainder of the season, Perez remains cautious but hopeful.

“We still have two teams left to play, Ventura and Santa Barbara, who are probably better than we are overall,” Perez said. “So, we have our hands full, but I love our energy.”

This draw puts the Brahmas in a difficult position to win the conference

Out with the old Special Services gets new name

BY JAYNA KUKLIN News & Copy Editor

Dealing with change can be tough for people. Whether it’s moving to another town to start school or even to a new country to start a new job, it can be a lot to take.

However, for the Special Services department at Pierce, the change was not too difficult.

Academic Accommodations Center (AAC) Director Carlos Rosas said the name change was something that had been discussed before COVID-19 took the world by storm.

“The name change is something that was talked about pre-COVID,” Rosas said. “Since we came back to on-campus services, the name change was discussed once Pierce named its new VP of Student Services (VPSS).”

Rosas stated that with the support of the new VPSS and Dean, the AAC had executed the name change quickly so it can be more inclusive and de-stigmatize the words "special and services".

championship this season, according to Perez.

“A tie is better than a loss, but we were still contending for conference,” Perez said. “This draw puts us in the playoff hunt, but it kind of puts us a little bit away from winning a 12 conference championship.”

The Brahmas are back home on Nov. 1 when they host Ventura College. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

talaskey.roundupnews@gmail.com

to reflect the name change,” Rosas said. “The signage still reads "special services."”

Special Services Assistant Millissa Marks had a positive reaction to the name change.

“I was very much on board with the name change,” Marks said. “The name change directly tells the story of what we do here in this department, we offer academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Not to mention the welcoming feeling of having a 'center' rather than an office.”

Marks praised Rosas, Dean of Students William Marmolejo and VPSS Jason Cifra for their participation and research in finding a new name for the department while sharing her hopes for the future.

Brahmas Scoreboard

“We wanted to make our Services more welcoming for our campus community,” Rosas said. “Ultimately, all DSPS offices provide Academic Accommodations, so we found it fitting to make the name change.”

Ironically, despite the name change now in effect, Rosas said the Academic Accommodations building still has the old sign with the old name.

“We are in discussion about getting new signage for our building

“Our Director, Carlos Rosas, did a lot of research and advocating for this name change and we could not have done it without him and the support of our Dean, William Marmolejo, and our VPSS, Jason Cifra,” Marks said. “The new name is used at many other community colleges and four-year universities which creates a sense of unity.”

Interpreter Coordinator Cindy Julian was also a fan of the name change.

“Our DSPS office has been called Special Services since the 1970s,” Julian said. “I do like the name change. It clearly describes what our office does, which is provide academic accommodations for students who need them.”

jkuklin.roundupnews@gmail.com

Auto majors, start your engines

New building creates opportunities for students

BY JOSHUA MESA Reporter

The new Advanced Automotive Technology building is open for business.

The Automotive industry is constantly evolving and changing.

Auto Tech professor Alex Villalta believes this new building will help prepare the automotive students for the future generation of cars.

“From an academic standpoint we need to prepare our students for them to learn how to repair, maintain, and diagnose vehicles that are relevant to the industry in today's era,” Villalta said.

Currently the building that the students and faculty work in was built in 1967, and was starting to show its age, so this new building will work as a great expansion for the Automotive branch.

At 35 million dollars the new building stands over 21 thousand square feet and holds state of the art equipment such as electric charging stations of all calibers.

The new building will be strictly geared towards zero emission vehicles, focusing on all cars except those that use gasoline, this will be fully electric, hydrogen, etc.

All resources that are needed for these cars such as new lifts and outlets that support them and even special storages for the batteries that run them.

Cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and Prius Prime were also bought in order to be used as utilities for students to learn.

The building was also created with the environment in mind, it has a multitude of water efficient features including drought-tolerant landscaping and low-flow fixtures, construction also incorporated building materials that were made of recycled or rapidly renewable materials.

Villalta emphasizes that this building is also for the safety of their

students when performing these actions that will be essential for their careers.

“You need more room to work on electric vehicles because now when you're working on a regular car you can have people around you, but when you're working on an electric car and if you're the technician you're the only one in that area right, so if somebody doesn't know you have an exposed wire you can get electrocuted or you could die it could be a safety issue,” Villalta said.

Although this building will not only be for the use of new technology but will also be used in the hopes to express more equality for women in this field.

Villalta expresses that in this mostly male dominated field this can be an opportunity to create an equal environment for anyone who may want to get involved..

“We have one stall for female bathrooms here in this department, because back in those days (1950’s, 1960’s) right? We’re still, to this day, fighting for equality between, you know, women and all that,” Villalta said. “This field to this day is very

male saturated, so we do have a small percentage of females, but that’s one reason why we went and got the new building.”

Many students are also excited for this new building to come out as it will create new opportunities for them to learn and understand more about their career.

“I’m actually excited, seeing how it's going to look like, the advantages that we’re going to be able to use the classes and especially going farther down my major.” Automotive major Araceli Perez-Garcia said.

Automotive major Jesse Moreira recalled how they are ready to learn about the new technology which will be the face of the future for cars.

“I think it's going to be a really good opportunity, because they are going to show us the more advanced new technology, which is the future,” Moreira said. “I am going to learn a lot of new things, you know, each year keeps advancing with new technology.”

File photo by David Pashaee

Nalani Casarez defends the ball during a game against Antelope Valley College at Pierce College’s Shepard Stadium in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 2, 2022.

File photo by Benjamin Hanson

Andrew Valdez knocks Charles Yates off his feet during a game against the Victor Valley College Rams at Shepard Stadium in Woodland HIlls, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2022.

Photo by Valeria Estevez

Kevin Stumph works on parts in the hanger bay at the new Advanced Automotive building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Oct. 13, 2022. Stumph works at DYNOJET as a research consultant and dynamometer admin.

A new era for auto tech

Pierce College celebrated its 75th anniversary with a ribbon cutting ceremony and car show at the new Advanced Automotive Technology Building on Oct. 20. The event featured cars from all eras, music, food and drinks.

The ceremony’s speakers included Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez, Board of Trustees President Gabriel Buelna, California Energy Commission Air Pollution Specialist Larry Rillera,

Interim President Ara Aguiar, and Professor of Automotive Service Technology Michael Van Dyke.

The new facility will help students learn to work on electric cars.

“I am thrilled to celebrate Pierce College’s 75 years of service

with leaders in our community, and at the same time introduce our Advanced Automotive Technology Building,” Aguiar said. “This impressive facility will be a game changer for keeping Pierce College students on the leading edge of alternate fuel and

electric vehicles emerging in the automotive industry.”

Rodriguez said that everybody is welcome to study at Pierce.

“Every student who walks through our Pierce College doors is admitted,” Rodriguez said. “Every person who submits an

application is accepted and given a course of study.”

Rodriguez had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

bhanson.roundupnews@gmail.com

Photos by Fabiola Carrizosa, Arwen Dominguez, Felipe Gamino, Benjamin Hanson, Phatarapong Piyarat, Daniela Raymundo and Rachael Rosenberg

Copy by Benjamin Hanson

A row of numerous Porsche cars are showcased during the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif. Photo by Phatarapong Piyarat Pierce students, staff, faculty and admininstrators attend the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by Benjamin Hanson

LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez cuts the ribbon to commemorate Pierce College’s 75th anniversary and the opening of the new auto tech building in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by Benjamin Hanson

Juan Montes, Angel Garcia and David Morales admire a Pontiac Trans Am during the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by Daniela Raymundo

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel speaks during the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif. Photo by Rachael Rosenberg

A Ford GT500 is showcased during the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif. Photo by Arwen Dominguez

Sean Kumar, Rafael Velezmoro and Estevan Abdala admire the engine of a 1932 Duesenberg Murphy during the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Photo by Fabiola Carrizosa

Pablo Sela, Hasti Almasi, Adrian Clark and Jonah Matos perform during the ceremony in Woodland Hills, Calif. Photo by Rachael Rosenberg

School bands gather under one roof Students from both institutions perform different classical pieces

BY FABIOLA CARRIZOSA Bull Magazine Editor-in-Chief

The Pierce Symphonic Band and the CSUN Wind Symphony performed together on Thursday in the music department’s room 3401.

Music Department Chair Wendy Mazon welcomed attendees to the event and introduced CSUN’s professor of music and director of bands Lawrence Stoffel.

The two met over the summer, and Stoffel thanked Mazon for making the performance possible.

Both conductors introduced each piece of music with a brief description of its background and of its composer.

The performance began with CSUN’s band with a fanfare by Rafe Von Williams called The Flourish for Wind Band.

“It is the epitome of British elegance and British style,” Stoffel said.

CSUN Wind Symphony played Incandescence by Richard L Saucedo, a composer who arranged primarily for competitive marching band shows and concert music.

A theme of the evening was America, as heard through Timothy Broege’s “America Verses”, which was written at the end of the 20th Century.

Broege wrote that America Verses is not a conventionally celebratory piece of music. It is for each listener to determine the message of this work – to decide whether it ends on a note of despair or in a mood of hushed optimism.

CSUN performed Epinicion by John Paulson, which Stoffel described

as haunting and poignant. Paulson was moved by the struggle that the nation was going through during the Vietnam War when he wrote this piece.

Finally, Stoffel encouraged the

audience to dance if they wanted to when CSUN performed the last piece by French composer Camille Saint Saens called Pas Redouble.

“He’s a biggie from the 19th Century,” Stoffel said. “He would be

like a Beethonen or a Mozart in terms of importance and notoriety.”

CSUN cleared the stands and made way for the Pierce Symphonic Band.

The set was kicked off with

a version of the “Star Spangled Banner” as arranged by Pierce Music Composition Instructor, Dr. Alexander Zhu.

Pierce then played “O Magnum Mysterium”, which Mazon described

as an endurance piece.

“That was just a long blow for their chops,” Mazon said. “It takes a lot of endurance for their mouth muscles. A lot of long notes on that one.”

After “O Magnum Mysterium”, Mazon explained to the audience that “Chase the Shouting Wind” by Vince Gassi was in 5/4 time. She told the right side of the audience to clap to one beat and the left side of the audience to clap to another beat at the same time to show them how difficult it may be to play in a quintuple meter.

The show concluded with the two bands, 70 musicians, playing together and conducted by Mazon. They ended on a piece by John Philip Sousa called the “Quilting Party March”.

Fernando Cortez Osuna, a Music Performance major at CSUN and trombone player, said that the concert was a good experience.

“It was a really good experience meeting another trombone player from another college that is near to my university,” Osuna said. “It’s always good to have the networking in.”

Spencer Bowen, the tuba player for Pierce Symphonic band, said that it was nice to be able to play with other great sounding musicians.

“There is no other feeling or experience like playing live, especially, in this instance, playing with people I have never played with before,” said Bowen.

Mazon said that the Pierce Symphonic Band is going to be performing all these pieces and more on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Music department holds simultaneous events

An open house and band showcase at the stadium were held on the same day

BY CHRISTIAN CASTELLANOS Reporter

The hills were singing at Pierce College Saturday as two musical events took place simultaneously across from each other.

The All Valley Band Tournament, hosted by Cleveland Charter High School Band Booster Club, was held at the John Shepard Stadium while the Pierce College Music Open House was held at the 3400 and 3401 building of the Performing Arts Center.

The Pierce College Symphony Band kicked off the tournament by performing a rendition of The StarSpangled Banner arranged by Pierce College composition instructor Alexander Zhu and Festive Flourish, from the 1999 piece Theme Song composed by Mark Zuckerman.

But just as quickly as they performed, the symphony band, led by Music Department Wendy Mazon, left to prepare for the Music Open House, which opened again with the band and featured performances by Pierce faculty and students.

“It’s one of those things you get to do,” Mazon said about doing double duty between both events as well as taking on the roles of coordinator, conductor and performer.

The All Valley Band Tournament was the first event of its kind hosted at Pierce and a partnership between Cleveland High School and the college. Over 20 high school marching bands from the Greater Los Angeles area and beyond were set to compete against each other to see who takes home the Sweepstakes Trophy, according to the event’s online Eventcreate page.

Band tournaments happen all across California with bands with as many as 100 people performing to audiences of more than a thousand, according to Mazon.

“It’s really exciting. There’s lots of energy, so it's great to have something like that here in the valley,” Mazon said noting events like the tournament don’t happen here and hosting it at Pierce is something very special for the schools in the San Fernando Valley. “Hopefully we can have another event like this and

make it a yearly thing.”

The Pierce Symphony Band started at 1:30 p.m. Earlier than expected.

“Sometimes you have to be flexible with what the event needed, so they moved us up,” Mazon said.

The forecast called for cloudy weather, which it delivered and more. As the band began, the wind made a musical appearance and attempted to disrupt their performance. However, Mazon said the band was prepared for such an occasion using their folders and clothespins to secure their sheet music.

“The wind kind of felt good,” Mazon said chuckling while describing how wonderful of a day it was. “Partly cloudy. Nice and cool.”

The band performed a special rendition of the national anthem composed by Zhu which was arranged specifically for the band to perform at the tournament, while Zuckerman’s Festive Flourish with its light and dance-like rhythm was supposed to embody what a momentous occasion the tournament was, according to Mazon.

“It's the first time we’ve ever had a band festival like this on our campus so we wanted to open up with a piece that suited that.” Mazon said.

Down by the stadium entrance, Applied Music Director Charlotte Wilkins operated the Pierce Music Tent and handed out Pierce College swag bags to passersby containing information about the college’s transfer rates and music programs to get more students interested in attending Pierce. She said the tournament was a great opportunity for students.

“It's been a really great collaboration between Pierce and Cleveland High School, with our open house getting to allow our students the opportunity to perform, along with the high schools that have come in and all of the vendors from the community.” Wilkins said. “It's just been really cool to see the community come together for music.”

Wilkins did not have a chance to watch the show but said, ”Getting to hear little snippets from out here of all of them has been really great.”

For Flutist Annie Yolo, the wind was a persistent problem during practice for the band, but their luck changed for the better when it came time to perform.

“During the performance it died down a bit, which was good for us because we were able to project a little more over the slight breeze.” Yolo said.

Yolo, a Pierce College Student, said playing in front of a crowd was a good experience even if they were still trickling in, adding “It’s been a while since I’ve been in a marching band, so it brought back some good memories, just being able to play in front of people, even if it was just for a little bit.”

Trombone player Jose Espinoza felt the performance was more casual saying, “For one, it was the beginning of the actual performance before the majority of the people showed up so it wasn’t as nerve wracking as it would have been if the stands were full of people. So it was nothing too crazy.

Trumpet player Aramar Mardirossian was nervous about the wind knocking over the band’s music stands but, “We were fortunate enough that during the actual performance, our stands were relatively still, so it was all in all a great performance, and I'm looking forward to the show.”

Asked if he was staying to watch the tournament, Espinoza said he couldn’t because he was performing at the Open House but afterwards “I'm definitely going to head down there and check out the other bands because I hear some of them are big and have bigger field shows and there’s schools with 100 students in the band so i'm definitely excited for those.”

At 2:30 p.m., the second event started at the Pierce Music Open House.

The audience was greeted with the Symphony band warming up in MUS 3401. On Mazon’s mark, the band began to play a series of 6 pieces, starting with Zhu’s rendition of the national anthem.

From 2:30 to 5 p.m. the event offered performances in various genres by the Pierce College

symphony band, jazz band, choir and musical theater. The event also had tents with swag bags and Music Club students sharing information about the music program and applied music program.

The Open House is another special event making its debut at Pierce College and offers a chance for the public to learn about what the college has to offer in regards to the music department, according to Mazon.

“This is a great opportunity for (students) to gain exposure,” Mazon said. “It's also a great opportunity for them to network and it gives them work experience for whatever they plan to do in the future, whether they are going to be a music educator music performer, or someone even working in the studios just watching how these ensembles work and understanding how they might mic them and record them in the future.”

During the performance, Mazon often engaged with the audience, asking them to participate in a polyrhythmic exercise and explaining why a particular piece was being played. In every performance, the performers focused their attention on Mazon and their sheet music.

At one point, Mazon asked the crowd if anyone ever attended a parade with a marching band.

“Does Disneyland count?” an audience member was heard saying and the room filled with laughter.

The band ended their set with John Philip Sousa’s 1889 song The Quilting Party March.

“Now what we’re going to do is pick you up and bring you over to 3400,” Mazon said to the crowd after the performance. Pierce College professor of voice and choral music Garineh Avakian added, ”We are inviting you next door to continue the festivities.”

In the next room, the audience was treated to an eclectic mix of music, from jazz to classical, to operetta to pop to oldies, with the repertoire chosen by the students and performance workshop, according to Avakian before the start of the open house.

“I’ve been hearing them in class and verifying that they are ready for the performance and they’ve been given this opportunity to perform today.” Avakian remarked.

The event also had tents outside with swag bags and Music Club students sharing information about

the music program and applied music program.

The Pierce Choir ultimately could not perform at their scheduled time because there was no available sound system, according to Mazon.

“This was unfortunately a lost opportunity where they could have performed during the dinner break of this competition, where there will be literally thousands of people watching,” Mazon said. “So hopefully moving forward we’ll be able to secure a sound system that we’ll be able to use in the stadium.”

Ultimately Mazon hopes that Pierce students in both events got a sense of what it takes to perform for a large crowd, as well as building discipline and understanding how to organize.

“To be a part of something this big is great for the students,” Mazon said. “Being able to play for the opening of the event is really special and gives them more performance opportunity and understanding that being a musician is a special and unique thing.”

Photo by Rachael Rosenberg

The CSUN Wind Symphony plays with the Pierce College Symphony Band at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2022.

Photo by Juni Yi

Music Department Chair Wendy Mazon directs students during the open house at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Oct. 22, 2022.