Music department and colorguard tour Spain BY MICHELLE LUM
M
usic rings out in a hall of stained glass and large paintings, an almost heavenly atmosphere. This is a venue like no other: it is the concert hall of the University of Barcelona. Performing on the international stage for the �irst time since 2013, students in the Lynbrook music program visited Spain over spring break. From April 14 to 22, the band and symphony orchestra toured the cities of Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza alongside students from Monta Vista High School. Members of the Lynbrook colorguard team also accompanied the band and orchestra on the trip, taking a dance workshop, although they did not perform. In total, 160 students represented America in Spain as national ambassadors of music and dance. The highlight of the trip were the concerts, held at wellknown venues in three of Spain’s largest cities. Students �irst performed at the University of Barcelona, then departed for the city of Valencia, where they performed at the Valencia Conservatory with the Banda Sinfonica del Conservatorio. The �inal leg of the trip was Zaragoza, where students performed with a local ensemble at the Auditorium of Zaragoza. Pieces played included Symphony No. 3 from Don Quixote, The Redwoods and The Stars and Stripes Forever. Mr. Michael Pakaluk, Lynbrook’s instrumental music director, decided to organize the trip to Spain as a nod to the tour in Spain that Lynbrook took in 2005, as well as in accordance with tours taken by other local schools like
Saratoga High School. The Lynbrook music department decided to combine groups with Monta Vista, which contributed many needed string players to the tour. “Many of our performances at Lynbrook are pretty formal,” said Pakaluk. “In Spain it’s a lot more about enjoyment of performing and sharing our music with another culture and trying to transcend the boundaries of distance and language and communicate with music. Spanish audiences are also really receptive, more so than they are here. They’re very enthusiastic with supporting concerts and music groups.” Besides performing, students also learned from Spanish conductors and teachers, discovering new styles and skills. While in Barcelona, students participated in a workshop led by musician José R. Pascual Vilaplana, who has studied at the Conservatory of Alcoy and the Conservatory of Valencia and conducted around Spain. In Zaragoza, students participated in a residency at the Conservatorio Superior, a conservatory for music students, and met some of the current students there. However, as with any other trip, there were unforeseen challenges. One of the three �lights carrying students to Spain was canceled, resulting in a group of more than 80 students joining the tour late. This meant that the students on the canceled �light missed the tour of Barcelona and the workshop with Vilapana, and a planned concert at the Conservatori Superior de Musica de Liceu of Barcelona with the Symphony Orchestra of the Vozes was canceled. Despite such challenges, the tour went on with considerable success due to the preparation that went into it. Students practiced intensively the weeks before departure, participating in long rehearsals. On April 12, just before students left, a
farewell concert was held in the Lynbrook auditorium, where they performed the pieces that would be played in Spain in front of parents and friends. Senior Davin Tjong, who plays the euphonium, was chosen to play a solo for the piece Morceau Symphonique alongside the orchestra after winning a concerto competition in December of last year. “The biggest challenge [of preparing for the tour] was working with new people,” said Tjong. “The groups that went to Spain are not the same groups that you play with normally. You’re playing with people from Monta Vista and other bands, and you don’t know how it all works out together. It’s also twice as big a group, so it’s different. I was honestly more nervous about practicing than performing because when I practice with the orchestra, it’s all people I know, but when we go on tour, we’re playing for a bunch of people we never see again.” Music, however, was not the only part of the trip. In their free time, students went sightseeing on guided tours of the three cities and explored the popular City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. While performing and learning, Lynbrook students also made new friends, such as students of the Conservatory in Zaragoza. The colorguard team also participated in a �lamenco dance workshop while in Valencia. Hours of work, planning and effort resulted in a culminating tour of Spain that was an overall success. During the trip, students performed in notable concert halls, learned from the best and explored a new culture. It was, undeniably, an experience of a lifetime.
ERIC WU — EPIC
Future freshman officer elections modified BY NICOLE ONG
B
eginning in the 2018-2019 school year, freshman class of�icer elections will be held in August rather than at the end of the eighth-grade school year at Miller Middle School. Instead of being voted as a class of�icer and then placed into a class of�icer position, the newly-implemented system will mirror upperclassmen elections, where students run for and are voted into a spot. These new policies were proposed by leadership adviser Jason Lee and assistant principal Brooke Chan. Prior to the switch, prospective freshmen ran to be a part of the freshmen class of�icer team; the eighth grade class would then vote for who they want on the of�icer team at the end of the eighth-grade school year at Miller. The four candidates with the most votes were then named as the freshmen class of�icers. Speci�ic positions, such as president or secretary, would be chosen after an interview with the ASB president, Lynbrook leadership adviser and assistant principal in charge of activities. “Obviously, this changes the election in its entirety and strategies as well,” said ASB
president senior Lilian Chen. “The freshmen class of�icer team will not be comprised of the four most popular or most voted for candidates, rather it will be the candidate best for each speci�ic position. I think that freshmen should have to go through the same election process as the upperclassmen to keep things fair and transparent.” The goal of updated election policies is to ensure that there is equality for all candidates since many incoming students come from middle schools besides Miller through a lottery system. In contrast to previous election process, the new voting method gives every freshman an equal opportunity to run for class of�icer, while the previous election process would give candidates from Miller an advantage over students from other middle schools due to past presence. There will still be �ive freshmen class of�icer positions: president, two vice presidents, secretary and treasurer. “I like how they are trying to include people from other schools into the class of�ice team, but I think voting in August is too soon for people to get to know their classmates from other schools,” said freshmen class vice president Antara Mallick. “The advantage
about the current freshmen voting system is that the class of�ice team got to meet up over summer and get to know each other.” Some issues with the new policies, however, have yet to be resolved. For example, the revised election process will impact Homecoming preparations. While the majority of classes begin arrangements in June, the freshmen class will not have a newly-elected class of�icer team to lead their preparations. Leadership advisers have proposed that senior class and ASB of�icers assist the freshmen in their planning, but details of the resolution are still in the process of being determined. “With all the homecoming prep that goes on over summer, their needs to be a stable team in order for the management of homecoming to run smoothly,” said Mallick. “I don’t really know how the new freshmen will be gathered to homecoming meetings and everything without a class of�ice team over summer because the class of�icers are the people who send out all that information.” While the goal of these policies is to offer greater equality to all students running for freshman class of�icer, only time will tell if new policies live up to the expectations.
BOYS GOLF// pg. 14