Hitting the Right Notes - The Webb Schools

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Hitting the Right Notes

The Instrumental Music Program at Webb

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Music surrounds Webb students every day—

from the trill of native birds in the natural landscape enveloping the school to the melodious sounds emanating from the practice rooms and studios of the Susan A. Nelson Center for the Performing Arts and the Copeland Donahue Theater.

At Webb, the diverse selection of music courses, ensembles and activities offe s students the chance to make music a richer and deeper part of their lives. And nowhere is that more true than the instrumental music program which has developed and expanded over the years. The program allows for the training of classical music lovers and provides opportunities for other music enthusiasts to create, improvise and perform in a variety of musical venues and to play a diverse repertoire.

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Director of Instrumental Music Linda Silva says the focus of the program is to help students learn a skill in performing arts and to understand the historical contexts in which the music they play was created.

“It’s a nurturing environment,” explained Silva. “We’re considering their needs and expanding upon that.”

Students in the Sinfonia Orchestra: String class, and Sinfonia Orchestra: Wind and Percussion class perform with The Webb Schools Orchestra, the string or wind ensembles and small chamber groups. There is also an Honors Sinfonia Orchestra which is designed for advanced musicians who have demonstrated exceptional performance skills and musicianship.

“We have close to full instrumentation (15 diffe ent instruments) in the orchestra, including strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, which is rare for a small high school” explained Silva.

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In addition to Silva, who has wide ranging experience as a professional musician playing clarinet in numerous Southern California orchestras, and teaching at local colleges and universities, as well as instructing private students, the program is also assisted by Kyle Champion, the principal cellist with the Redlands Symphony. Champion works part-time with students and he and Silva also bring in professionals to instruct specific sections such as Wendy Waggener, who performs with the Redlands Symphony and San Bernardino Symphony, work with students playing string instruments.

“Since I work in the greater educational world and am an active performer, I can connect my students with professionals who can help them advance in their studies,” said Silva. She also encourages students to take private lessons in order to expand themselves.

Lengyi Zhang ’17 is one of two female percussionists in the orchestra.

“I started to play percussion instruments in sixth grade.

At that time, I was living in China and it was still very rare for a girl to play drums,” explained Zhang. “Most parents want their children to play instruments like piano or violin, believing these instruments represent elegance. Once I passed by a music store and I saw a young drummer playing along with the music. I was so in love with its unique sound and the passion behind the rhythms. I told my mother that I really hoped to learn this instrument and surprisingly my mother agreed. I bought a drum kit and tried to practice every day till my neighbor knocked on the door and complained about the noise that I created.”

Webb Magazine • Spring 2017

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As much as students enjoy performing, they also appreciate the other opportunities associated with the program including attending live performances.

The school’s proximity to Los Angeles allows students to participate in musical experiences at institutions in the city.

With funds from the Mortimer Fleishhacker ’50 Endowed Arts Fund, Silva took the group to a performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic where Gustavo Dudamel was conducting a piece that the Webb orchestra was also working on.

“I had them write a concert report—an experiential synopsis of the experience—‘what did it make you feel like, what was new about it?’” she said. “Dudamel didn’t even have a score in front of him, we talked about it later—‘how did he do that?’”

Chelsea Chen ’18, who plays clarinet, said that some of her fondest musical memories at Webb are the multiple concerts she has attended, including a trip to the recording studio at Disneyland where the young musicians spent a couple of hours reading through various short snippets of music from Disney films and then promptly performed it to track (recorded it to film) “These experiences connect my classmates and I through the music program outside of the classroom,” she explained.

Most students (as many as 90%) stay with the program for four years said Silva. And the level of play is very high, with many participants entering the program having a minimum of two years’ experience in a junior high or equivalent orchestra. This year, trombonist Eric Liu ’20 was honored with an invitation to participate in the selective CAIS Honor Music Festival.

“We teach them the three B’s: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms,” said Silva, “but there’s also a lot of new music, including swing and ballad styles. I try to help them conceptualize the music,

to problem-solve and to integrate the music into their lives— it’s not just about practice.”

According to Silva, there are many transferrable life skills in the study of music: • Discipline – how to follow through on a project from beginning to end, and how to be a part of something larger than yourself, • Recovery – how do you recover from a mistake? It takes a professional musician about 1 second to recover from a mistake. If you get lost, you have to step out, and fin where you are in the score—that in itself is a skill, • Life Skills – how do you support your colleagues and take care of yourself? How do you know how to appear on stage, to accept praise and learn grace?

And, as much as the orchestra can be an extracurricular activity, there are Webb graduates who study music in college and go on to viable careers in music, including: Ben Davis ’11 played the French horn at Webb. After graduating from the USC Thornton School of Music in spring 2016, he is working as a music director and experienced guitarist. His sister Mary Davis ’19 currently plays in the Webb orchestra.

Kevin Kumar ’92 played violin at Webb. Today, he is co-artistic director of Salastina Music Society, a chamber music ensemble that performs throughout Southern California. He has also been a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra, West Los Angeles Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, and the Peninsula Symphony.

For current students who are interested in pursuing advanced instruction, Silva can help them apply to prestigious summer institutes including pre-college and youth summer programs at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute and the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. In fact, Elias Kim ’20 was selected to participate in BU’s Tanglewood Institute this summer.

Some students even take it upon themselves to form bands.

David Hou ’17 plays guitar and put together a rock band— “It’s great to see my bandmates improve as musicians, and although we have conflic s during rehearsals sometimes, these are the people I appreciate most at Webb.”

Numerous studies show that music learning supports all learning—a study by the U.S. Department of Education (with data on more than 25,000 secondary school students) found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show “significa tly higher levels of mathematics proficienc by grade 12.”

A teenager practicing music must tap into multiple skill sets, often simultaneously.

“ My life at Webb, admittedly, is busy and sometimes

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it can be hard to keep up with practices and improving my playing,” said Chen. “However, the fi e arts program plays a big role in my life. To pursue my passions and hobbies, I remind myself that going to practice isn’t something that should be hard. Every time I sit down with my music and instrument, time fl es. The music program is an important factor of my Webb career and can be placed at an equal value as all of my other commitments like leadership and dance.”

Music also helps students understand important life lessons.

“With an orchestra, you are building citizens, better citizens for the community,” said L.A. Philharmonic’s Conductor Gustavo Dudamel in a 2008 interview with The Washington Post.

“Accepting mistakes during a performance is the same as accepting any mistakes in your life,” related Zhang. “We need to learn how to face imperfection.”

Many students arrive at Webb with significa t playing and performing experience, while others are ready to discover new musical skill and encounter new knowledge. The depth and breadth of the music program at Webb supports all students who share a passion for music.

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