By Mia ’25
When recalling the many amazing experiences and opportunities provided to me as a Harvard-Westlake student, one of the most significant would be the impact that enrolling in the school band had on my life.
When first deciding which classes I would take during my seventh grade year, I originally was not going to choose that course. After talking it through with some of my peers attending Harvard-Westlake though, they had convinced me to sign up with them as it would be a fun and rewarding elective to participate in.
When the first day had arrived, I walked into my beginning band class thinking that I had made the wrong decision. It seemed so difficult and time consuming to learn another instrument, and I wasn’t sure if I was up to the challenge. Once Ms. Wayne, my teacher, began speaking though, she turned my regret into excitement, and I was immediately enthused in the idea of pursuing this type of performing art. After explaining every instrument we could choose from with great detail, we had to make our decision. Although all sounded amazing, the way she described the flute stuck out to me, so when we had to write our top choices, that is what I put down.
After learning that I had gotten my first choice and would become a Harvard-Westlake flautist, I was unaware of the difficulty being a beginner would have. When we first were handed our instruments, everyone was able to get a sound out, as irksome as they may be, except for me. That night, I went home and practiced for what seemed like hours, and I was still struggling to make the slightest noise. That next day, I learned that each group of students would have a specific teacher to help them get acquainted with their instruments, and I was lucky enough to have Ms. Wayne. Being in a section of only a few students allowed me to ask more questions and have more one-on-one attention. This is something not many schools offer, so I felt beyond fortunate to have the opportunity to learn in what felt almost like a private lesson.
During my first year, I accomplished more than I ever thought possible. One of the most important skills stressed to me was knowing how to read music. Every exercise we learned was only played once the piece was carefully analyzed and we knew exactly what note we were playing and how to do so. After around two months, the entire class rejoined together under the teaching of Ms. Wayne, and everyone played together from then on. That winter, after practicing for a matter of weeks, we had learned so much to the point that we could perform a number of songs as a group with precision and relative ease in the winter concert.
After my seventh grade year, my classmates and I moved from Beginning Band into Concert Band, a more difficult course. The main difference between the two was that the new class was harder and faster paced, but we were all ready for the challenge as everyone had been priorly introduced to their instrument. Once I finished eighth grade, I decided to continue in the band curriculum and went to Symphonic Band, although some of my peers chose either Symphony or Jazz Band. This year, although harder than last, is so much fun, and I continue to learn and grow within the course every day. My excitement was met with the opportunity to head my section, and I gladly accepted and now enjoy being the leader of the flutes.
One of the largest reasons why I continued all of these years with band is because of my amazing teacher, Ms. Wayne. Even when the pandemic hit and we were forced to resort to Zoom, her enthusiasm for music and teaching made the year of being on a computer screen as great as it could possibly have been. As a student of hers, I not only see her as an educator but also as a role model, mentor, and someone that I greatly admire. She has taught me the importance of pursuing my passions and always trying to the best of my ability. Ms. Wayne is someone that I can talk to about anything, and I know that she is someone that will forever have had an impact on my middle and high school experience at Harvard-Westlake.
Overall, from seventh grade to now freshman year of high school, I had been privileged enough to participate in the school band, and clicking the button to enroll in the course will forever be one of the best decisions of my life. Because of the excitement provided by my amazing teacher and great classmates, some of whom have become my best friends, I will forever feel grateful for the band curriculum and all it has done for me.
