Mariah Angasan, Violin

Rap Star Name:

Lil’ Nerd

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“Getting to answer the crazy questions Mrs. Whitfield posts in the chat box!”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Cooking pork chops and playing games with friends.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“Whenever Mrs. Whitfield accidentally throws her baton at people. You never know who’s in her aim.”

Shout-out to…

“My orchestra shout-out goes to our very own Mrs. Whitfield! Honestly, she’s the best teacher I’ve had and hers is probably the only class I haven't fallen asleep in mid-lesson.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I’ve been playing my violin for 7 consecutive years now.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

“The opera song Ave Maria.”

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“Sometimes plugs in this loud metronome into the sound system where a robotic lady counts out loud for us.  My craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory is when the metronome got stuck on the lady AND SHE STILL FORCED US TO USE IT.”

Future plans:

“I plan on getting an apartment with a buddy and a certificate in welding.”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I’m gonna try tutoring some newbies on the violin. I stay fresh with the moves and get cash.”

Max Blair, Viola

Rap Star Name:

Capricorn7

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“I like being able to feel like I’m participating in an orchestra despite being physically away from everyone.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“I played a lot of RPG’s and listened to a lot of albums.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“My favorite orchestra memory was definitely the rock concert.”

Shout-out to…

“I’d like to give an orchestra shout out to my little brother, Gus. He plays the Cello.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I lettered in swimming twice, and I was in two plays.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

“Never Meant by American Football.”

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“My best memories of Mrs. Whitfield are all the concerts we did and all the crazy outfits she would dress up in.”

Future plans:

“I am planning on moving to Oregon for college.”

How he plans on keeping music in his life after high school:

“I plan to keep making music in my adult life by practicing my Viola and Electric Bass, and by making more songs. I hope one day I might even become a music producer.”

Favorite quote:

“Listen to Death Grips.”

Vivian Cobarrubias, Violin

Rap Star Name:

Lil’ Viv

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“I liked knitting, baking, and going outdoors.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“I love the concert week. You get a rush of energy, and you get to be creative with the music before you go on stage.”

Orchestra Shout-Out:

“I want to thank my mom and step dad for encouraging me to play the violin throughout high school, and for purchasing my instrument.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I received the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish, I participated in the West Orchestra during all four years of high school, I have a cosmetology permit, and I participated in the West Dance program.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Nobody Knows by Russ

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“I love it when she asks for advice from the class and they give the craziest answers. Also, her contagious laugh.”

Future plans:

“I plan on getting a job and going to college. I’d like to major in business.”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“Music will always be a part of my life. It helps me focus on my work. Orchestra has always been a place where I can relax and get a break from life.”

Favorite quote:

“Follow your heart, stop thinking, and do it!”  Another favorite: “I’m not weird; I’m limited addition.”

Annie Couey, Viola

Rap Star Name:

Starz

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“I love how a lot of people were able to view our online concerts.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Skiing, reading, and cooking.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“The ‘rock’ concert where we covered classic rock songs.”

Shout-out to…

“I wanna give a shout-out to Mrs Whitfield for helping me become a better player and helping me gain confidence in my playing.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“My biggest accomplishment in high school has been committing to play for the Bard College volleyball team and getting a $62,000 a year academic scholarship.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

“Strawberry Blonde by Mitski.”

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“Her pirate costume she wore to one of our Zoom classes.”

Future plans:

“Playing volleyball for Bard College.”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I plan on joining a community orchestra.”

Favorite quote:

“It doesn’t matter what's happening right now, you will always be OK eventually.”

Cosmo Crowley, Violin

Rap Star Name:

Off da Leash

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“Getting to see how people dress when they think no one can tell.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Playing games with my friends and eating.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“My first concert with Francisco Badillo accompanying us on the drums.”

Shout-out to…

“Shout-out to the violas for playing the part that no one else wants.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I managed to make it through my entire senior year without being 18.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

“The cover of Hurt, by Johnny Cash.”

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“It'd be hard to pick between all of the different outfits for the special concerts.”

Future plans:

“College.”

How he plans on keeping music in his life after high school:

“Playing the violin whenever I get a chance.”

Favorite quote:

“We live in a finite universe, therefore the effort you put in will reap rewards.  If they haven’t yet, you simply need to put in more effort.”

Ryann Dorris, Violin

Ryann wasn’t able to submit her senior biography in time for publication, but we love her to pieces anyway!  For the past four years, she has been one of the most positive, kind-hearted members of the West Orchestra violin section.  We wish her the best of luck in her future and we will miss her tremendously!  Go Ryann!

Carmen Gordon-Rein, Violin

Rap star name:

Sad Boy

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“The chat box assignments always make me laugh.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“I like drinking tea and walking around. Sometimes I walk to this kiosk that’s about a mile from my house and get a Ginger Honey London Fog.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“Doing sectionals with Anchorage Symphony violinist Elena Lukina-Shelt. I liked when we would play a short section faster and faster until it fell apart. It felt like going insane.”

Shout-out to…

“Mariah Angasan was my stand partner once and then she was my friend and I appreciate that a lot. One time she gave me a note that said, “You’re the best violinist I know… in second period ;)” and it made my heart happy.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I was once called a mime god. I spent the last two years dual-enrolled at UAA. I won a writing contest once.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Laughing on the Outside

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“When she accidentally threw her baton across the room during a dress rehearsal.”

Future plans:

“Probably college.”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I hope to continue playing my violin in either a club or community orchestra.”

Favorite quote:

“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.”

Heaven Gutierez, Violin

Rap Star Name:

Ironic Tall Energy

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“I played a lot of video games.  I also went on a lot of walks, always blasting music through my headphones.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“My best memory from orchestra is every part of Junior Youth Symphony in middle school (which Mrs. Whitfield conducted).  I’d always bring random stuffed animals to rehearsal.”

Shout-out to…

“I would love to give a shout-out to Mariah Angasan for being my violin buddy all of these years.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I was a captain on my debate team, as well as a DDF State Champion.  Prior to COVID, I was a 4.0 student.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Can I Call You Tonight, by Dayglow

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“Her costume choices during our themed concerts.  I vaguely remember her dressing as Elvis one time.”

Future plans:

“I’m planning on obtaining a degree in Psychology from UAA, while hopefully working at a coffee-shop.”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I play 4-5 instruments as a casual hobby.  There isn’t a chance that music will ever leave my life.”

Favorite quote:

“Nerf or nothing.  Do everything you want to do in life, as long as it’s morally right.”

 Kaitlyn Hanson, Viola

Rap Star Name:

Hot Pocket

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“I enjoy the chat box assignments and I love that I can wear pajama pants all day.” 

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“I like to play with my dog, watch my favorite shows/movies, or hangout with my cousins.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“Our 80’s themed orchestra concert and our potlucks.”

Shout-out to… 

“I’d like to give a shout-out to my parents for encouraging me to continue orchestra through high school, Annie Couey and Emily Ogilvie-Fiacco for being there to make orchestra even more memorable, and Mrs. Whitfield for being the funniest teacher at West.”

 Coolest high school accomplishments:

“My freshman year I earned the “Outstanding Wise Learner” award in my Russian Immersion class, I’ve made it to Regions twice for swimming (I didn’t win but it was a fun experience), and I received “Most Likely to Sleep in Class” one year in orchestra.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

“There are so many songs that I could pick, but I’ll go with What Once Was by Her’s.”

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory: 

“When Mrs. Whitfield came in dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid.  Also, when she told us the story about her house getting flooded.”

Future plans:

“Hopefully, I’ll be in college next year. I’m still deciding on where I want to go, but Portland State and Northern Arizona are calling my name.”

 How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I listen to music a lot during the day, and I go through phases of the different genres. I’ll try to play when I have the time, and will probably use things like Sightreading Factory to help me remember how to read and play notes.”

Favorite quote:

“It’s okay to fail at things, it’s what you choose to do afterwards that matters. Life is all about failing and learning from your mistakes, and as long as you have a positive attitude towards yourself, you’ll be fine.”

Hailey Hodgins, Cello

Rap Star Name:

Small Man

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“Every orchestra member made a Google slide about themselves and shared it with the class.  It was a great way to get to know everyone.” 

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Playing my cello and bass guitar and watching anime.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“Just being able to play as a group in one room, and experience the dynamic of hearing everyone at once.”

Shout-out to…

“Shout-out to my brother and my friends who quit orchestra.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I was on the varsity rifle team for four years.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Virtual Insanity,” by Jamiroquai

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“When her 8-year-old daughter participated in our Zoom class on her tiny, tiny cello.”

Future plans:

“I’m going to UAA and after that I’ll go ahead and live in my car or something”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I’m going to keep playing the cello and bass guitar.”

Favorite quote:

 “I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'” -Kurt Vonnegut

Samuel Navarro, Violinist

Rap Star Name:

ObeySam

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“The weekly Kahoots and getting to play our instruments again.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Talking with my friends and playing video games with them.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“Preparing for our concerts and the graduation.”

Shout-out to…

“Shout-out to Adisak Prassanet, Christyan Duny, Kalani Pakileata, the West Orchestra, and my friends who’ve already graduated.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“Receiving the “Most Improved Player” orchestra award during my sophomore year.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Through the Fire and Flames

Future plans:

“Working in the military, I hope.”

How he plans on keeping music in his life after high school:

“Listening to music sometimes.”

Favorite quote:

“Just enjoy life.  Earn people's respect and vice-versa.”

Emily Ogilvie-Fiacco, Bass

Rap Star Name:

“EOF (my competitive softball team’s nick name for me).”

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“The daily stretches we do during our Zooms. I really like how they’re engaging and get you up and moving. Not many teachers try to interact with us through Zoom but Mrs. Whitfield does. I am always so tight in the mornings and throughout the day it just gets worse as I sit in front of my computer all day, so the stretches are very helpful.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Baking, watching Tik Tok videos, doing puzzles, and walking.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“I remember we were playing a pretty difficult piece (I think it was Bach or Mozart) and we had been practicing for a while trying to pick up our tempo. Near the end of the class period, Dasia Tirapelli shouts out that we should play the song as fast as we can, so naturally we tried it. I remember the pure chaos that resulted and remember laughing for almost all of the time when we were playing the song.”

Shout-out to…

“I want to shout-out everyone I have ever played with in the bass section! My freshman year I was terrified to walk into a class that contained mostly upperclassman, but my section immediately accepted me and did everything they could to make me feel a little bit more comfortable. I hope that I did the same for underclassman as I went through my four years. I have never met anyone in the bass section (or orchestra class in general) who was mean- spirited.  Everyone, especially those in my section, became my friends.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I have been on the varsity softball team all four years. Freshman year I was deemed Rookie of the Year and during my sophomore year I was chosen as MVP.  Academically, I’ve lettered every semester, and I’ve managed to partake in AP, IB, immersion classes and athletics while participating in orchestra all four years.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Probably Kids by Current Joy. I can really relate to the lyrics. The chorus sings, “Oh I’m just a kid”, explaining that it is normal to make mistakes when you’re young. The song then transitions to “Oh I’m no longer a kid”, and I feel as though this change perfectly describes what has happened to me over quarantine. When quarantine started, I was a junior in high school who hadn’t even taken the SAT yet (I took it the day after everything shut down).   This summer I was hospitalized and away from my parents for 7 weeks, and now I graduate in two and a half months. Where did all the time go?”

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“I was not in orchestra when the earthquake hit our sophomore year, but I have heard many, many stories (some from Mrs. Whitfield herself) about how she was cussing and totally panicked. I can just imagine the room shaking and the chaos that was happening. Her reenactment of that moment is probably my craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory.”

Future plans:

“Hopefully, I will be playing college softball at University of Puget Sound.”

How she plans on keeping music in her life after high school:

“I am thinking about joining an ensemble at whichever school I end up at, both to keep myself well-rounded and to hopefully earn some scholarships.”

Favorite quote:

“Make sure to start every day with an iced coffee (preferably from a local Alaskan coffee shop), or a Red Bull if you like that more.  They can save your life.”

Kalani Pakileata, Viola

Rap Star Name:

Frozen Harmony

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“Just being there, playing music, and enjoying each other’s company.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Playing video games with friends, watching anime, and sleeping.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“My favorite memory was our rock concert.  Also, I enjoyed the potlucks where we brought food and drinks.”

Shout-out to…

“I’d like to give a shout-out to the middle schoolers who are thinking about joining the West Orchestra next year.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“Being a four-year member of orchestra, having amazing teachers, and just being a part of West High School.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

Hawaiian Coaster Ride

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“The crazy outfits she wore during our themed concerts.”

Future plans:

“I’m thinking of taking the ASVAB test and going into the Air Force.”

How he plans on keeping music in his life after high school:

“Maybe playing something once a day on my viola, or coming back to visit the orchestra.”

Favorite quote:

“One can always find the light in any situation if one remembers to turn on the light.” – Dumbledore

 Adisak Prasannet, Viola

Rap Star Name:

McSacman

Favorite thing about West Orchestra Zoom classes:

“Just talking and catching up with each other through music.”

Favorite stress-relieving activity during quarantine:

“Building plastic-model kits, learning guitar, and playing video games.”

Best West Orchestra memory ever:

“All the concerts were fantastic.  Playing in the West Theatre was such an enjoyable experience.”

Shout-out to…

“I’d like to give a shout-out to Brandon.  He is two years ahead of me.  He’s super funny, friendly, and just an outstanding violist.”

Coolest high school accomplishments:

“I get to livestream many of our West Basketball and SWOOP activities for an easy grade.  Working with computers is my thing.”

Personal quarantine theme song choice:

The Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars.

Craziest Mrs. Whitfield memory:

“The insane costumes she wore during our themed concerts.  Also, I heard that she accidentally cursed at the top of her lungs during the giant earthquake we had at school in 2018.”

Future plans:

“Next year is all about making money and making myself healthier, both physically and mentally.”

How he plans on keeping music in his life after high school:

“Music will always be a part of my life, culture…everything.  I plan on learning some new instruments, as well as pursuing my interest in music sound directing.”

Favorite quote:

“If you bestow a little kindness, give them a large serving.”