By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
Moapa Valley High School band student Zachary Anderson recently had the chance to perform at Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City, UT. Anderson, the son of Ryan and Michelle Anderson of Logandale, plays the baritone saxophone.
He auditioned for the SUU High School Honor Band last fall and was accepted. “I was really excited to be accepted into the Honor band,” Anderson said. “I really love band and playing the saxophone, so I was really looking forward to getting to play at that level.”
The Honor Band was made up of top high school musicians from Utah and Nevada, and was conducted by SUU Wind Symphony Director Dr. Adam Lambert. Musicians had only two days to work together on 5 new pieces of music before playing those pieces in a concert on Saturday, January 14. The SUU Wind Symphony also performed at the concert.
Anderson described his experience, saying, “It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun. We got together and practiced all day Friday.”
For Anderson, the experience was about more than just music. It was also about getting to know other music lovers from all over, as well as letting college representatives and scouts become familiar with the talent they will soon get to recruit from.
“It was a great opportunity to meet the director and let him get a feel for what I can do,” Anderson said. “I’m not sure where I’ll go to school, but it’s never to early to get myself out there and get colleges to look at me as a potential student and a potential scholarship recipient.”
The group played five songs, some of them extremely tricky and difficult. “They had a lot of variety for us,” Anderson said. “We played one dance number, one slow song, one march, one fun song, and one patriotic song. The only one I had heard going in was America the Beautiful, so I ended up liking that one the best.”
Anderson’s parents are understandably pleased with his experience. His mother, Michelle, said, “We are really proud of Zach and the effort he made to do this. I loved seeing him play at a higher level and show that he could rise to the occasion. It was also a great experience for him to get to meet other students who share his passion for music.”
His high school band teacher, Kim Delgadillo, was also proud of him. “Zach has enormous talent and I am glad he was able to rehearse and perform at the collegiate level,” she said
Zach said he learned a lot from the experience. “Mostly I learned that I could play difficult music if I worked hard enough at it,” he said. “It was a really rewarding experience.”
