Sophomore, Mayrin Abonce, has been a performer in Shadow Ridge’s band program since she was a freshman continuing to play the tuba. On November 2nd, the Ridge’s musical herd made it to the Southern Nevada Championships, held at Arbor View High School.
Abonce enjoyed getting to watch all the school’s performances, however she believes that the Ridge went above and beyond during this competition.
Abonce states, “I think all the schools had a good show and I think we did great in the performances for our first competition, we got second place in our division.”
The competition started before it had even begun, Abonce and her band members had to respond to their call time at 7:00 AM, at Shadow Ridge. The herd had to come ready and prepared to start their big day, as it would last until 10:00 PM.
“Before we even got to Shadow, we had to have our hair slicked back in buns and the boys slicked down. We didn’t have to come in our uniforms, thankfully, but we had to come in our practice gear, with our band shirts. We had to rehearse for a little while before we changed and had to wait for the bus,” comments Abonce.
After the herd boarded the bus and traveled to Arbor View High School, they got ready to perform on their field. The parents and student’s who were there for support had to pay $15 each to attend the performances as an all day pass.
The Ridge arrived to the school and got their instruments prepared. Before performances, Abonce always calms herself down by rehearsing the songs in her head, while doing the movements on her tuba on her leg.
“It all helps calm me down, especially knowing how nervous everyone else is. I like to be prepared and know the songs in my head. I also count my steps for the field in a small square to help me get my movements down so I don’t mess up,” states Abonce.
After performing the first time, Mayrin and the rest of the band had to set up for lunch. They all had to bring a healthy, fulfilling snack to eat, so they could perform even better than the previous performance.
“I had some small snacks because after our second performance we eat our meal that the parents make for us for when we’re watching the other performances. We had baked potatoes while we waited for everyone to finish and the awards to start that day. My teacher is always telling us how it is important to stay healthy before and during performances because if we eat well, we play well,” comments Abonce.
Mr. Hartley, the Ridge’s band teacher, is excited to keep moving forward with different performances to come and to work with Abonce herself. He wishes to see her grow into the great musician she is to be.
“As a whole, the band played very well! This is the best our band has sounded in a long time. Mayrin has improved so much over her two years in our program, from being your typical overwhelmed freshman last year, to a performer that others can count on to know her stuff and be at every rehearsal. I look forward to watching her grow as both a musician, a leader and a young woman. She has so much potential with everything she does,” states Mr. Hartley.
