A love for music: Freshman Kiara Ryan makes Wind Ensemble

BY SABRINA WONG

Students who are just beginning to learn how to play an instrument often have the mindset to progressively improve and eventually make it into Wind Ensemble, the top group of musicians in a school band. Even in middle school, where band is first available as an elective class, most students move from Concert Band to Symphonic Band, and then to Wind Ensemble. Band in high school works the same way with the order of groups.

However, freshman Kiara Ryan completely jumped over the first two steps and became a member of Wind Ensemble in her first year of high school.

“I still wanted to play the clarinet after middle school to kind of prove my siblings wrong,” Ryan said. “I wanted to show them that band is really exciting and they would have enjoyed it if they didn’t quit so early on.”

Ryan started playing the clarinet the summer before her sixth-grade year at the Music Adventures Summer Camp. This camp is located at Pioneer Middle School and lasts for two weeks. Going to this camp encouraged her to continue playing the clarinet in future years.

“I learned the basics of how to play my first instrument, and I really enjoyed the experience,” Ryan said. “I knew that, from the moment I picked up the clarinet, it would play an important role in my life for many years.”

Ryan was initially inspired to join band because both of her brothers were band students in middle school. However, neither one of them continued playing going into high school.

“I still wanted to play the clarinet after middle school to kind of prove my siblings wrong,” Ryan said. “I wanted to show them that band is really exciting and they would have enjoyed it if they didn’t quit so early on.”

Although band consumes a lot of time due to many long rehearsals that all members must attend, the program creates friendships like no other. Since everyone in band is practically almost always together, it’s inevitable that the students will become very close with one another.

“I actually thought someone was pulling a prank on me when I first found out that I made Wind Ensemble,” Ryan said. “Needless to say, I felt ecstatic that I achieved one of my biggest goals for the upcoming year.”

“[Band] feels like a home of friends and it’s a tight bond that I have with many people in there,” Ryan said. “It has also given me and many others an outlet to be with music. Everyone is so welcoming when you first join and I think that’s what really begins the start of many relationships.”

Performing and succeeding in playing music is not the only aspect of band that Ryan puts her all toward. She dedicates her time to everything else involving the program as well. She was a member of the 2018 Sound of Pride (SOP) marching band this year and contributed to making the show have an amazing outcome.

“Kiara is always going above and beyond,” clarinet player Leah Applebaum said. “She’s constantly working to exceed her goals.”

Having freshmen in Wind Ensemble is not common within the band program. At CCHS, Ryan is currently one out of four ninth graders who were given such a high placement after auditions. Auditions took place at the end of last year in May, and results came out about two weeks later.

To prepare for auditions, Ryan practiced the audition pieces as soon as she received them. Six small excerpts of sheet music were provided to those who would be trying out a few weeks prior to auditions. While Ryan did rehearse each piece in one go, she also worked on individual parts of each one as well. Afterward, she mainly focused on playing the scales she already knew how to play.

“I actually thought someone was pulling a prank on me when I first found out that I made Wind Ensemble,” Ryan said. “Needless to say, I felt ecstatic that I achieved one of my biggest goals for the upcoming year.”

Wind Ensemble is very different from Concert and Symphonic Band. Students are much more challenged because the pieces that are chosen to be played are very advanced compared to those taken on by the two other groups. However, the sizes of all three bands are relatively similar– all are between 30 to 40 members.

“Kiara is independent, hardworking and always strives to do her best in everything she does,” freshman trumpet player Leah Hack said.

“At first, being in Wind Ensemble as a freshman was scary to me because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle it,” Ryan said. “So far, I have been, and while it sometimes may be a challenge to play each note correctly, I’m really just grateful to have made it into this specific section.”

Aside from doing band, Ryan excels in school and receives straight A’s. Although band is one of the most important things to her, getting good grades and high education is on the same level of significance in her eyes.

To many, Ryan is more than just a freshman on Wind Ensemble. As she balances her daily life with band and academics, her personality has helped her shine through any challenges she may face.

“Kiara is independent, hardworking and always strives to do her best in everything she does,” freshman trumpet player Leah Hack said. “She always has a great attitude no matter the circumstances … I definitely do look up to her both academically and musically.”

It is clear that Ryan has a strong passion for music and shows a great amount of talent in this area. With tons of hard work and dedication, it’s no surprise that she made Wind Ensemble as a freshman. Even with such a time-consuming activity and the demanding efforts that school comes with, she still continues to manage all her responsibilities with little difficulty.

Photo by Alexa Jaspan