Sophomore strikes a chord, plays jazz guitar
By Audrey Kim, Staff Reporter
Ever since they strummed their first chords on the guitar at the age of 7, sophomore Keira Beachell has been honing their musical talents. By the time Beachell was 10 years old, they discovered a new passion: jazz guitar.
This year, Conestoga’s jazz ensemble picked Beachell as its sole jazz guitarist. Beachell has been studying guitar with their teacher, Michael Simmons, for almost seven years.
“I genuinely like jazz music, and my mentor is really well-versed in jazz as well,” Beachell said. “It felt like one of the right things to do. Plus, I could do school with (jazz guitar).”
In February, when Beachell was in Canada visiting their sister, they went to the Modavie Jazz Club in Montréal. Their sister convinced the band to play one more song, and the band members invited Beachell to play on stage with them.
Along with playing in Conestoga’s jazz ensemble, Beachell also participates in Stage Crew. For this year’s musical, “The Little Mermaid,” Beachell learned audio and sound production skills. When reflecting on their growth, Beachell credits jazz ensemble teacher Christopher Nation and the music department at Conestoga.
“He (Nation) plays guitar, and I love having conversations with him,” Beachell said. “’Stoga music in general has made me feel more comfortable playing in public. If I were in eighth grade and I was asked to go on stage with professional musicians, I would have said no. The department has just helped me be more confident.”
For Beachell, navigating music during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging because they were not able to meet with their teacher in person. They said that they faced difficulties maintaing their sight-reading skills while taking online classes.
“One of the most unmotivating things about guitar is sight-reading because of how complicated it gets,” Beachell said. “Going into jazz guitar, sight-reading is an important thing. It was a feat I had to get over, but I eventually did.”
In the future, Beachell plans on continuing jazz guitar as a hobby, aiming to refine their skills and build a community around their passion for music.
“I want to have fun with the musicians I know,” Beachell said. “I’m not worried about making a career out of music but about making joy out of it.”
Senior plays bass in band with brothers
By Abbie Preston, Staff Reporter
For senior Cosmo Thompson and his brothers, Gus and Finn Thompson, music is a constant presence in their household.
The Thompson brothers entered the world of music at an early age. From “Rush” and “Boston” mixtapes and sounds of their parents playing the trumpet and guitar to learning instruments on their own, they eventually channeled their shared passion and formed a band.
“My parents both played music a lot, so music has always been a part of us growing up,” said Cosmo Thompson, bassist for the band. “It wasn’t a big leap from listening to awesome songs to playing these awesome songs because I wanted to do that anyway. I thought it would be so cool to play this music and then get to do it with my brothers.”
The band’s name, Three and One Band, stems from its members: three brothers and one drummer, Neil Goldenthal, who is friends with the Thomspon brothers. Specializing in classic rock and pop, the band covers popular songs for regional events, ranging from weddings to block parties, with the help of minivans crammed with sound equipment. One of the band’s annual events is “Thursdays on the Lawn,” a weekly summer concert series in which Three and One performs in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.
“The people there know us and appreciate us, and we get free ice cream,” Cosmo Thompson said. “The best part is that we learn new music every single time we play there, and we always pick good songs that are so fun to play.”
The band practices in what is called the “music room” of the Thompson household. As most of the bandmates are in college or have jobs and do not live together, practice relies on individual preparation.
For Cosmo Thompson, being in a band with his brothers serves as a source of motivation and accountability.
The band aspires to explore song writing, mixing the eclectic musical taste of the bandmates.
“I would love something that I worked really hard on and be able to point that out and say, ‘Look at this thing that I did,’” Cosmo Thompson said. “I want to mix all the different kinds of music that we like.”
For Cosmo Thompson, being involved in the band has fulfilled a lifelong passion for music.
“It’s just something really cool that I love to do,” Cosmo Thompson said. “I think it’s awesome when somebody will come up after a gig and say, ‘That was awesome.’ Like, yeah, we worked for that. It is awesome.”
Junior explores multiple musical activities
By Sowmya Krishna, Staff Reporter
With a deep passion for music, junior Audrey Nguyen engages in many musical activities, including singing, music production and songwriting.
Nguyen began her music journey by taking piano lessons and participating in school-sponsored music programs, such as chorus and band in third grade. In eighth grade, she started attending formal voice lessons, taking music more seriously and pursuing pop and classical singing. She also sings in Vietnamese.
“She’s what we call in the industry a utility player, meaning that she’s strong in several areas,” Nguyen’s vocal coach Grant Birchard said. “Even in the areas where she’s up and coming, she still has the ability to make herself better.”
This year, Nguyen participated in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s choir competition. Nguyen qualified for the regional level of the competition.
In addition to participating in the organization, Nguyen performs at recitals recommended by her vocal coach and often seeks out opportunities to perform at local areas such as coffee shops. Nguyen also has a passion for writing and composing her own songs. Nguyen said that her songwriting process varies. For her, inspiration usually comes from emotional catalysts.
“Usually (writing a song) starts with an intense emotional experience or feeling that I’m going through,” Nguyen said. “I just like to sit at the piano and start writing things down. Sometimes it starts with the lyrics, and sometimes it starts with the melody.”
Nguyen produces her own songs in addition to writing them. To do this, she utilizes the music production software Logic. Last summer, in order to learn more about songwriting and music production, Nguyen attended a program at the Berklee College of Music.
“The summer program was a really great experience for me to collaborate with other people and kind of just solidify my passion for songwriting,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen uses social media as an integral part of her music expression. She has a music Instagram account, @audreymei.music, on which she posts covers of other artists’ music as well as her own original songs. One of her covers of a Vietnamese song received recognition through an Instagram story post by the original artist who created the piece.
In the future, Nguyen hopes to be able to pursue a career related to music production and songwriting. She also hopes to release her own songs, regardless of what she chooses to study in college.
“I’m just excited to see her career grow,” Birchard said. “At some point, the student surpasses the teacher, at least in terms of needing to take it to the next level and starting to knock on all the doors that they need to knock on.”
Piano prodigy: Junior sees success in music career
While balancing schoolwork and extracurriculars, junior Isabella Florendo finds the time to practice her most prized instrument: the piano. From using a $1 keyboard to playing at the White House, Florendo has come a long way in her musical journey.
Florendo has been playing the piano since she was 5 years old. Her passion for music began when she saw someone play the piano at her ballet lessons. Since then, she has won or placed at various piano contests such as the Princeton Festival Piano Competition, Tri-County Youth Festival, West Chester University Annual Pre-Collegiate Piano Competition, George Gershwin International Piano Competition and Geneva International Music Competition. She even performed at the White House on two separate occasions. Florendo said that her parents always supported her passion for music.
“My dad has always kept on driving me to lessons even when he is so busy with his life, and then my mom also worked extra hours just to keep up with all (of it),” Florendo said. “My parents have driven me, stayed with me, have listened to me practice and have been there since I started and seen me grow.”
Florendo maintains a consistent schedule of balancing piano and schoolwork by practicing for an hour and a half every day before she starts her homework.
She is also a part of the Back to Bach Project and the Harmony for Peace Foundation, both of which provide live performances to kids who do not have access to music lessons or instruments.
“I don’t feel nervous at all (during performances). I’m pretty calm, but during performance, I feel excited to be performing for an audience. I’m excited to share my music and what I worked hard for and practiced for,” Florendo said.
Florendo’s teacher, Ronaldo Rolim, is a professional concert pianist. Due to his workload, he holds lessons online, and he sees improvements in Florendo’s skills.
“It’s always been extremely impressive to see her development continue to grow. It’s never stopped for a moment, even now that we don’t have lessons on a regular basis,” Rolim said.
Audrey Kim can be reached at [email protected].
Sowmya Krishna can be reached at [email protected].
Abbie Preston can be reached at [email protected].
Rajan Saha can be reached at [email protected].
