From flutes and clarinets to the roaring drumline and multicolored pieces of fabric tossed through the air, the Saugus High School All Valley Showcase, presented by the Saugus Instrumental Music program, brought students together to perform at Valencia High School on Saturday.
But the showcase wasn’t about receiving the highest score and a shiny new trophy. It was a celebration of community, driven by the shared love and passion for music.
The Saugus Centurions, Golden Valley Grizzlies, Valencia Vikings, Castaic Coyotes, and Chatsworth Chancellors from the San Fernando Valley, all came together for a music celebration.
All students delivered a mass band performance for the large crowd seated on the bleachers of the football field at the conclusion of the annual event.
In traditional high school band competitions, student musicians usually don’t have the chance to see each other perform, but at the All Valley Showcase, “they get to sit out here the whole time, they cheer, and get to watch,” said Andrew Sherman, booster club president for Saugus High.
The event also served as a fundraiser to support the Saugus High School band program with any needs throughout its performance season, he added.
As the final performance ended and students engaged in a drum-off with other schools to create an energetic finish, Golden Valley freshman Esther Ethakpemhi, with juniors Jacob Estrella and Nala Scott, were hauling their equipment to end their day.
To the Grizzlies, music is about self-expression and telling stories, they said, but they’re also driven to do their best because of their music director Angel Nazario, who is the heart of the program.
Last year, Nazario and his family lost Ellie, their 5-year-old child, to a brain mass.
The students said it’s their leader and mentor who inspires them to give their all in every performance and strive for the best.
“He pushes through in his resilience. His ability to turn that into something really good is what really moves me,” Scott said.
Estrella and Ethakpemhi both agreed.
Senior and color guard dancer Jaycee Bailey-Neves performed with the large ensemble swinging their flags through the air and catching them mid-fall.
What she loves the most about being a part of the band and dance ensemble is its community, and a place where she can “do what I love. I love being out there and performing in front of people,” she said, adding that the adrenaline rush is her favorite thing to feel.
“If we (perform) successfully, it helps to show what we do is actually hard, harder than what people would expect,” she added.
“I like expressing myself in front of people. It lets me let out all of my emotions onto the field,” added Polina Semenova, a sophomore Saugus color guard dancer.
For Bailey-Neves, entering the final season of her four-year color guard experience is a bittersweet moment.
It’s a place where she’s made friends she believes will last a lifetime, and she encourages students to join the music and color guard programs at their schools because “they have nothing to lose,” she said.
