For the second time in three years, West Ranch High School placed first in the 5A division at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association Championship. Valencia also placed first in the 2A division for its second straight season.
The following local schools received these scores in the Nov. 22 competitions for their respective divisions, which are based on size:
- Valencia High School: first in Division 2A, with a score of 89.20.
- West Ranch High School: first in Division 5A, with a score of 92.30.
- Hart High School: second in Division 4A, with a score of 90.40.
- Golden Valley High School: fourth in Division 5A, with a score of 87.70.
- Castaic High School: sixth in Division 2A with a score of 78.20.
- Saugus High School: 11th in Division 4A, with a score of 75.40.
Rod Schueller, director of instrumental music at West Ranch, discussed winning the championship for the second time since assuming the position three years ago.
“The process really begins in January. We have our design team, which is made up of our instructional staff. This show was the idea of our visual captain, Jay Kamp. He laid out his vision of what he wanted the show to be. He had the title, ‘Red,’ and was going to loosely follow ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’ Then usually, I’m tasked with coming up with the music to match the show,” Schueller said.
The team often does five shows leading up to the last main competition of the season. Before competing in this year’s championship at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, the team had one of those preliminary performances canceled. Even with challenges, Schueller said the students still persevered and brought their best energy forward.
“This year, we were only able to do four because the show that we host, the Wildcat Classic, was rained out on Nov. 15, the weekend before championships. Every season has unique challenges, and this was no different. We not only were rained out of our home show that Saturday, but we lost outdoor time on both Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the championship,” Schueller said. “The students came in Saturday morning, we had a rehearsal, and they nailed it. Their energy was palpable and really gave our best performance of the year.”
From “prop dads” to colorful choreography, many things go into a performance. However, the “It Factor,” according to Schueller, is simply the students.
“I want to have a program that challenges the students, musically and even physically, but that is still attainable and gives them a sense of accomplishment,” Schueller said. “You can have a great design team and a great concept. You can have great arrangers and drill writers and creative people putting this all together. But it’s the students that make it come alive. They’re performing with conviction and communicating to an audience that is absolutely to make or break your season.”
Kelvin Flores, director of instrumental music at Valencia, discussed this year’s show titled “Transcendence,” which incorporated relationships between history, spirituality and light.
“We created this concept in February, so the overall concept was just going from lightness to darkness, through the architecture of a gothic cathedral. The show has three parts: The first part, there are pillars of light when you think of a gothic cathedral, and the music was heavily based on classical music,” Flores said. “The second movement, the representation is the stained glass and the imperfect fragments and how you combine them and create a beautiful image. The last movement has gargoyles and is a darker tone.”
Having an idea of what Flores and the team wanted to achieve, the concept became a focus starting in July.
“We performed during football games, and we had a clinic that we did. We also went to a showcase. Last year, we won as well. We’re kind of on this momentum. I’m very thankful that our seniors are graduating with three gold medals, which is really impressive. They’ve won a gold their freshman year, then silver, then another two gold medals,” Flores said.
Flores, who has been at Valencia for seven years, sees the progress and dedication of the students year after year, along with their focus on successfully competing as a unit.
“Every year, we get better and better, and the students are expecting more and more of each other. The program is growing, and we’ve built this culture of success and excellence, where I really don’t have to tell them — it’s no longer me trying to push them along,” Flores said. “Success breeds success, and we’re at the point where everyone knows what to do and how to achieve it, and they’re very supportive, too. I’m proud of the culture of support and the positivity that we built at Valencia.”
