For senior Rayna Saron, music has always been a part of her life. With a parent as a cellist in the San Francisco Symphony, Saron dabbled in a variety of instruments when she was younger, but she fell in love when she was in fifth grade.
“I couldn’t make a sound on a clarinet or a saxophone, and the trumpet was pretty ‘eh,’ Saron said. “But then I picked up the trombone, and it was this big, awkward, weird thing that made funny noises and basically was a lot like me as a fifth grader. And it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life.”
Saron has since taken her passion for music further than simply participating in Redwood’s Wind Ensemble and middle school band programs. Outside of school, Saron is a member of the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra (YPSO), a youth orchestra based in Berkeley.
Though she has been a member of YPSO for two years, she was previously a part of the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra.
However, Saron said she decided to switch orchestras because of a shift in fellow players.
“Sometimes with orchestras, they go through phases of having a lot of good players, and then a lot of the good players graduate, and that’s kind of what happened with Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra,” Saron said. “By the end of my sophomore year, a lot of the really talented players had left. It was still a fun ensemble to be a part of, but it wasn’t giving me the experience that I really wanted to have.”
According to Saron, YPSO was a natural next step to her because of their larger size, more frequent concerts and overall more challenging environment.
“It’s a much more challenging but more also more rewarding atmosphere,” Saron said. “When I saw that that was a possibility where I could really push myself I went for it, and I’m really happy that I did.”
Senior Jane Bhan, a clarinetist in Wind Ensemble, followed a path similar to Saron’s.
She switched from MSYO to YPSO two years ago, and said that YPSO has provided her with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
“We have played at Davies Symphony Hall, and it’s one of those opportunities that you’re not going to have just by being a part of a music program in the school,” Bhan said. “It was a really valuable and unique experience to be on the stage where all those worldly virtuosos have performed.”
In addition to YPSO and Wind Ensemble, both Bhan and Saron participate in other musical organizations.
Bhan plays in small chamber groups with friends, and they perform at various venues including retirement homes and weddings.
Saron attended Cazadero Performing Arts Camp for four years, and she now works there as a counselor.
Saron said that she doesn’t find difficulty in prioritizing the music in her life.
“The thing about being a musician, no matter what group you’re with, no matter if the music is hard or the music is easy, if you don’t practice basically every day you’re going to get worse,” Saron said. “So a lot of the practice I do is just for my own maintenance and upkeep and improvement as a player, not necessarily for one group or another.”
For Bhan, music is about much more than just playing notes.
“What music requires in itself is a lot of practicing, and you need to learn to cooperate with your fellow section members. You have the responsibility for your own part…to your whole contribution to the whole orchestra, and trying to balance your sound and trying to fit it to a level where you try to make the music beautiful, and enjoyable for many people including yourself,” Bhan said.
While neither Saron nor Bhan plan on majoring in music in college, both said they hope to stay involved in music in their future.
“It makes me kind of sad to think about it that I know I won’t be able to maintain the kind of level of playing that I am right now,” Saron said. “Even though have a parent who’s a professional musician and she has an incredible job now, she free-lanced for 20 years in New York and I know how difficult it is. And I see a lot of my friends who are trying to pursue the professional track and I wish them all the best, but that’s not the life for me.”
