Washougal students to perform at North County Honor Band concert

Approximately 130 student musicians, representing eight high schools and 15 middle schools from the Battle Ground, Camas, Hockinson, La Center, Ridgefield, Washougal and Woodland school districts, were chosen for the honor bands. They were recommended by their band director and selected on the basis of their ability and accomplishments, according to a news release issued by the Hockinson School District.

The middle school honor band will be directed by Mark Lane, professor emeritus at Central Washington University. The high school honor band will be directed by Patrick Murphy, director of bands at the University of Portland.

In addition to Haralson, WHS is represented by Amara Farah (clarinet), Thomas Hein (trumpet), Grace Jacobsen (trumpet), Braxden Zumwalt (trumpet), Lexi Kneipp (flute), Mary Lendvoyi (flute), William Weihl (percussion), Spencer Perkins (percussion), Jace Poulsen (percussion), Hunter Thacker (baritone saxophone) and Hayden Zumwalt (trombone).

“Washougal has a really great music program,” Weihl said. “A lot of the other schools in the area have kind of lapsed on that, which is unfortunate. It’s rough. A lot of the middle school (programs) are good, but once (the students) get into middle school, they don’t have a lot of that support. But here we’re blessed because (band director Kelly) Ritter is a great director, all the middle school directors are good, we have great instruments and we have great music. It’s just a lot of fun to play music here.”

Farah a junior, plays clarinet for WHS’ wind ensemble and pep band, and piano for the school’s jazz band. She started playing the piano when she was a first-grader and took up the clarinet about five years ago. She takes private lessons in both instruments and plans to major in music in college.

“Band at WHS is pretty much everything to me,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without it. Mrs. Ritter is an incredible director. Every day she teaches me not only about music, but about life. I look up to her greatly as a role model.”

Hein, a senior, serves as the top trumpet player in the school’s jazz band and wind ensemble, and as the president of the WHS band program. He started playing the trumpet when he was in the sixth grade.

“With the trumpet … You can be the melody, the show. (Being in band) really gives you a sense of community,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of people (in school bands) who I consider to be friends. I think if I wasn’t in the band, I would be far worse with my interpersonal skills and leadership skills.”

Jacobsen, a senior, is a member of the school’s wind ensemble, jazz band and pep band, and is the vice president of the WHS band program. She began playing the trumpet when she was in fifth grade.

“(Since then) I’ve learned to listen more, to be more together,” she said. “I joined jazz band sophomore year, and that really challenged me to adapt my sound to jazz and be able to really take more control of my instrument.”

Kneipp, a junior, has been playing the flute for seven years. She’s a member of the wind ensemble and jazz band.

“I just like the sound of the flute,” she said. “I was like, ‘I’ll give that a try,’ and over the years I’ve grown to like it more. I was proud to make symphonic band freshman year. That was a big thing for me because I had always just kind of floated the boat where it brought me. That’s when I decided to take a leap of faith to see if I could make it. And making it into the wind ensemble was good as well.”

Lendvoyi, a sophomore, is a relative newcomer to her instrument; she began playing the flute during the second semester of her eighth-grade year.

“My range has greatly improved,” said Lendvoyi, a member of the school’s wind ensemble. “Knowing how to really play music — not just play notes, but learning about the different levels of volume, the piano and forte, and the crescendoing, (has helped me) get better. I’m getting more confident with the instrument, and improving on my tone quality and sound. Everything’s basically improved.”

Weihl, a senior, has been a percussionist since he was in the sixth grade. He also has experience playing piano and guitar.

“(The drums are) really different than any other instrument, a completely different mechanism,” said Weihl, who plays with the school’s jazz band, wind ensemble and percussion ensemble. “When you’re playing percussion, you get to play so many instruments – you’re not stuck (with one thing) your whole life. You get to make a lot of noise and get a lot of really cool parts. I love everything about music — listening, playing. It’s what I enjoy the most out of life, honestly.”

Perkins, a senior, was introduced to rock music (“mostly Aerosmith,” he said) by his father, and has played the drums for about eight years.

“I really like the personal interpretation that you can put on music because I do a lot of different styles on my own,” said Perkins, a member of the school’s wind ensemble and jazz ensemble. “Just being able to really drive a song, or even writing my own music, being able to change how it sounds, or the mood of the music, through a couple of notes, is pretty amazing.”

Poulsen, a senior, plays drums for Northwest Gospel Church in Camas in addition to his responsibilities for the school’s wind and percussion ensembles.

“Before I could talk, I was always tapping on stuff, making play drum sets out of cups and pillows, and playing with pencils,” Paulsen said. “I started drum lessons when I was in second grade, and I saved up and bought an electric drum set for myself, and I just played and played and played. I could hear stuff and repeat it.”