Rebecca Sifuentes (12)

Director of bands Mike Wooten conducts the symphonic band during the Bonita Music Festival on March 6.

On March 6, the symphonic band showcased its first major performance at the Bonita USD Music Festival. Performing “How Sweet the Sound,” “Cathedral Mountain,” and “Woodlands Overture,” the band impressed the judges, who awarded them high scores on a superior-to-poor rating scale. Nilah Ulloa (11) and Samantha Szűcs (12) shared their own reflections on how they felt they performed that day.

Despite South Hills earning high marks from the judges, Ulloa–a trumpet player in the brass section –opened up about what really motivates the band on stage.  

“We got unanimous superior, [which] means that [we got] the highest rating–44 out of 45–which is really good. We don’t go to the festivals for the rating, we go to play [for the] people, like the parents,” Ulloa said. 

Ulloa reflected on the performance, sharing what she felt went well and which song was her personal favorite.

“We had good tone quality, we were blended and balanced [which means] being in tune with each other. We were following each other and listening to each other, which is something we’ve been emphasizing in [the] band,” Ulloa said, “I liked ‘Cathedral Mountain,’ it’s the first [out of three songs that] we played. The parts the trumpets have are pretty cool, I like the way the song sounds.”

Though the performance appeared seamless, Szűcs revealed some unforeseen obstacles she had to overcome on the spot.

“There’s always going to be a need for some improvement because that’s the kind of thing you’re always working on. One problem I had was seeing the instructor to get time from him. You’re supposed to have your music [sheets] at a level where you don’t have to look up from it [so] you [can] see him, [but] since I [was] standing, the stands don’t go as tall as I [do]. Every time I kept having to look at my music, [to] look [at him], and find my music again,” Szűcs said.

Szűcs has been a percussion player in the symphonic band since her freshman year. She spoke about a personal highlight from that day, particularly the emotional response it drew from one of the judges.

“It was a really good performance. One of the judges got so moved [to the song ‘How Sweet the Sound’], she was crying. She told people how good our performance was, so that was nice to hear.  [That song] is my favorite one to play because there’s a lot of percussion,”  Szűcs said.

Ulloa delved deeper into what really pushed the band to reach their advanced level–being in tune with the music they play on an intimate level. 

“Mr. Wooten makes sure we practice our parts, and he wants us to make music, not just play notes and rhythms. In order to make music, we have to really feel it. You have to be a part of it,” Ulloa said.