Jazz Studies
I had played music in and out of rock bands for five years prior to joining the FUHS Jazz Ensemble. Jazz Studies and the live experiences I've had with these groups have given me the tools I needed to pursue being a musician in high school and to take my skills to a higher level. Music has always been a big part of my life and I can't imagine a life without it.
Freshmen Year
My first year being in the Jazz Ensemble was such a fun experience! The bass player before me was a senior and had left so it was kind of fate that I came into the program at the time I did. With that said, I was also the only bass player in the band which meant I had more to be accountable for. I came in with five years of experience but there was still a lot to learn! The Music Director, Mr. Trimble helped to teach me proper placement of my hands and how to control tone better so my electric bass would sound more like the acoustic stand up bass. I also relearned all of my scales and learned how to walk bass lines. Bass, besides drums, is the backbone of the band. We lead and carry the rest of the band! It was very important for me to be on my a-game in order to carry this experienced group.
During my first year, I played four big concerts with the Jazz Ensemble. And outside of class, I was asked to be in a band with some of the seniors and we played five shows under the name, Apollo Descendant. We were all different ages and came in with different musical experiences and tastes. We were classified as a Neo-Swing Band but we were more than that playing a variety of styles such as jazz, swing, pop, rock, jazz and ska.
The photo taken to the left is actually from our first Fullerton Day of Music Performance! We played the event at Ziings, which is actually where my dad works as the Executive Chef and General Manager. It was such an amazing experience! Everyone in the audience was on their feet, dancing and singing along. I hadn't played for a rowdy crowd like that in so long and I definitely missed that kind of energy. It was inspiring!
Our band played a lot of summer shows that year and I used a lot of techniques I learned in the Jazz Ensemble class in order to execute solos correctly and play songs with a certain type of precision. I also started to improvise solos, which is something that intimidated me about Jazz at first.
Sophomore Year
I'll admit, that in my first year with the Jazz Ensemble, I was very timid and shy. But sophomore year took a different turn. I was way more confident from all of the experiences I had and I was ready to start the year off with a fresh and bold start!
This year we had a lot coming our way with festivals and community shows so I wanted to be extra prepared and be the best bassist I could be. At the beginning of the year, I refreshed myself on scales, practiced harder rhythms and tackled a genre I both loved and struggled with: funk. With practice, I got more comfortable but before I could really excel, COVID hit and sadly our upcoming shows were canceled.
I was able to get in some awesome performances before though! With the Jazz Ensemble, we played at the John Wayne Airport and the Winter Instrumental Music Concert. With Apollo Descendant, I played the St. Mary's Festival, a Tri-M Music Event, a Halloween Show, a wedding and a Valentine's Day Show! Each gig was different and fun and def added to my confidence of being a musician.
The image to the right was taken at the St. Mary's Festival in September of 2019. Our singer had gotten sick so we had a guest singer come sing for the first time! J.T. had a lot of energy and did an excellent job playing to the crowd. This was such a fun show, I love when people dance and sing along!
This year I got way more performance experience and built up my confidence as a performer and a musician. My favorite part about playing with Apollo Descendant was jamming and improvising back and forth and all of the the dancing. We were a lively band and starting to get a following before the world of performing came to a stop.
My Junior Year I was unfortunately unable to take the Jazz Studies Class because I auditioned and got into the Advanced Dance team. Though I am technically not in the Jazz class, the directors knows that he can count on me to fill in for a concert. I actually was able to play for the Winter Instrumental Music Concert in 2020. It was really good to get back to playing bass with the band. And after I was asked to play in a band for a senior completing his final Academy of the Arts performance! Sadly, quarantine hit me hard in the music department and sadly I lost a lot of motivation. I don't ever plan on giving up music. I know wherever life takes me, music will follow!