14 Camaron Steen

Story by Alyssa Chang and Jasmine Wongphatarakul Photos and Graphics by Ryan Factora and Brooke Johnston

To perfect their performance, dancers and artists have to practice for countless hours. Freshman Camaron Steen is part of the West Ranch Hip Hop team and knows all about the time, commitment and effort that is put into dancing. Steen’s passion for dance has led him to dance professionally for the past five years. Even when he was just five years old, Steen “would always run home from school and just watch Michael Jackson videos, trying to follow his moves.” Ever since then, Michael Jackson has been a huge inspiration throughout Steen’s dancing career. Although many high school students are struggling to find their passions and goals, Steen has already set his mind to working hard to go on tour with a professional artist. As he continues to receive opportunities, Steen hopes to turn his hobby into a job after high school. He has also received numerous opportunities for his talents. Steen has starred on Disney and Nickelodeon, and danced for many artists such as Justin Bieber, ASAP Rocky, J Cole and Becky G. He also performed at the BET awards and the Kids Choice Awards. “Dance can be challenging sometimes when I get in my head and when I have the fear of people judging me, so I feel insecure,” says Steen. However, he always keeps a positive mindset and is able to get rid of his nerves. There have been times when Steen felt stuck or afraid that people might judge his dancing, but what kept him going was thinking positively and persevering to be the best he can be. Steen states that dancing has taught him “that it’s okay to express how you feel and to let the music move and guide you.” He explains that dancing is not just about moving to the music, but expressing yourself and putting your heart and soul into it. When he dances, he connects to the music and “feels like a part of it.” Dancing will always be a huge part of Steen’s life. The Paw Print hopes to see Steen achieve his dreams and succeed as a young dancer. let the music move and guide you “

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Aadya Abhyankar Chad Park & in

Story by Jasmine Wongphatarakul and Lauren Guss Graphics by Timothy Kang Photos by Chika Winston

Playing an instrument takes a lot of commitment and practice, especially for a talented group of musicians in the Wind Ensemble here at West Ranch. This band is made up of students who are outstandingly skillful in playing their instrument. The students who play in this program are dedicated to both the complex music they play and to keeping their skills above all expectations.

To secure a place in the Wind Ensemble, ambitious musicians must complete a competitive audition process. Freshmen are rarely accepted into the exclusive ensemble. Mr. Marshall, the Wind Ensemble and marching band director, accepted two extraordinary freshmen musicians this year: Aadya Abhyankar and Chad Park.

Mr. Marshall only places the extremely talented in the ensemble, and Abhyankar and Park certainly top the charts. Since elementary school, Abhyankar has played the flute and Park has played in percussion.

“I have been playing since fourth grade. I am not actually sure what inspired me to start, but I just remember always wanting to do music because I played piano since I was little,” explains Abhyankar.

Transitioning straight from playing elementary school and junior high music to now learning much more difficult pieces in Wind Ensemble proves to be challenging to many. Playing in the Rancho Pico band provided musicians with a solid foundation, but Wind Ensemble offers a much more advanced experience. Park is now playing more intense music that he is very invested in.

“I improved in the Wind Ensemble because we play much harder music than junior high,” emphasizes Park.

Being in the Wind Ensemble may be difficult, but the memories and friends made along the way are what make the hard efforts truly worth it. For Abhyankar, it is her favorite class to go to because it has introduced her to many new friends. Wind Ensemble gives students opportunities to meet new people in other grade levels, which some programs don’t allow them to do. This creates an inclusive environment for the freshmen to form bonds with people they wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Another challenge of being in the Wind Ensemble is being able to perform in front of a panel of judges that score the band on a scale consisting of poor, fair, good, excellent and superior. All three levels of band, concert band, symphonic band and Wind Ensemble participate in these competitions, each playing two pieces of music they’ve prepared. However, only the Wind Ensemble takes part in sight-reading, which is another part of the competition. The group of musicians receives a piece of music they’ve never heard before; then they have four minutes to review the sheet music and prepare to play it for a judge. This is a very difficult activity and takes a lot of knowledge and talent to sight-read properly.

In addition, Park confesses, “I am really nervous at concerts because I don’t want to mess up and make the band sound bad, but it is fun.”

Being a freshman in the Wind Ensemble comes with the responsibility of meeting tremendous standards. They must keep up with the upperclassmen in practicing their music to keep their skills up to par. Freshmen cannot hold the band down if they think the music is too difficult. However, some students like the challenge, and it motivates them to practice and become better.

“I like that the music is challenging but fun at the same time,” expresses Abhyankar. She adds, “It’s actually my favorite class at the moment and I look forward to it every day.”

Abhyankar plans on continuing her passion for music after high school. She is considering minoring in music in college, but will certainly continue playing flute and piano after she graduates.

Park wants to become better and improve his skills in percussion as he progresses in Wind Ensemble. He will certainly be continuing in the band.

Abhyankar and Park definitely deserve their spots in the Wind Ensemble. Their dedication to music and hard work paid off through the experiences and lessons they learned from being in this program. They wish to continue playing in the Wind Ensemble throughout all of high school because of the fun memories they made this year.

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