Hollister - Desiree Castillo didn't know who the band Queen was until she came to Mr. O's band class at Rancho San Justo Middle School. Now, the 13-year-old plays songs like "We are the Champions" and "Another One Bites the Dust" on her clarinet and says she loves her band class with teacher Joe Ostenson.
Every morning, Castillo shuffles into the band room, covered with trophies and photos of bands from previous years and drops her backpack off her shoulders. She takes her clarinet out of the case, puts it together and focuses her attention on Ostenson, who is already sitting on his conductor's stool, armed with a baton. Several minutes later, the group begins tapping their feet and clapping their hands, establishing the rhythm for the first song. The clarinet section chimes in, then the trumpets and trombones, until the classroom is filled with an infectious beat that lasts for the duration of the "Queen Medley," a compilation of three songs the band has been practicing recently.
"Now, everyone," says Ostenson, looking intently at the group of mostly seventh and eighth graders. "Focus. Deep breaths." After the clarinets start up, Ostenson's eyes peruse the room, his ears pricked to every note. "Softer," he finally says. "Make sure you hold the sound."
The Rancho San Justo Concert Band, which is combined with students from Marguerite Maze Middle School, has swept up awards in competitions across the Bay Area and regularly participates in local parades and concerts. Earlier this week, the band could be heard playing the "Queen Medley" on KFOX 98.5, a San Jose classic rock station, where it has already been selected as one of five finalists in the station's "School of Rock" contest, a contest of local school bands competing for a chance to play in the station's studio. Winners are expected to be announced on Monday.
For Ostenson, or Mr. O as the entire school calls him, the contest is just another way of teaching his students the beauty and raw power of music.
"I try to motivate them and get them to practice their skills at home," he said. "But at the same time, you can't force them ... it's something they have to do on their own."
About 100 students make up the joint concert band, whose students have won recognition throughout the state. A Marguerite Maze student, Adrian Rodriguez, was recently selected for the California Band Directors Association honor band and will perform this weekend in Fresno. Similarly, three students from each middle school have been selected to participate in the Central Coast Section Honor Band and will play at a March 12 concert in Watsonville.
Winning accolades and trophies may be fun, but there is more to a band than that, said Ostenson, who has taught music at the school since 1971.
"Research has shown that when kids learn about subdividing rhythms and beats, they do better in reading and math," said Ostenson, 63.
Adam Marentis is an eighth grader at Rancho San Justo and one of the students selected to play in the Central Coast Honor Band. He plays piano, tuba and baritone sax and says he wants to be a professional musician or a music teacher when he grows up.
"I like playing the tuba because it's such a big instrument and it's what most gets heard," said Marentis, 14. "I keep the band together because the tuba sets the rhythm for others."
For the past two summers, Marentis attended band camp at San Benito High School and says he has high hopes for the upcoming season, including the first competition in May.
"I know we'll earn mostly first place trophies," he said.
The band attends four competitions a year and usually comes home with a trunk full of awards. Last year, they snagged 18 trophies, which, along with plaques and other recognitions, cover almost every available inch of space in Mr. Ostenson's classroom.
The appeal of band among kids is diverse, said Ostenson. Some aren't interested in athletics, finding happiness and a certain camaraderie among the saxophones, tubas and trombones. For others, it's a chance to show off their skills at local events like the San Jose Holiday Parade and the annual Veteran's Day parade in Hollister.
Robert Tabrizi, an eighth grader who plays baritone saxophone at Marguerite Maze, began his musical education in the fifth grade by playing trumpet, then moved on to the trombone in the seventh and eighth. He will also be playing at the Watsonville concert in March.
"What I like most about it is that I am around other people who like it," he said.
Karina Ioffee covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or kioffee@freelancenews.com
Karina Ioffee Staff Writer
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