Performing Arts Teacher Zanaida Robles won the Shining Star Award in Education Through Music-Los Angeles’ (ETM-LA’s) 19th Annual Benefit Gala on Dec. 6. The Jazz Singers performed “Flight Attendant,” “Troubled in Troubled Times,” “Joy to the World” and “Carol of the Bells” at the event. The Shining Star Award is presented to those who have positively impacted people’s lives with their work in music pedagogy.
Robles said her main source of inspiration comes from the personal connections she has with her students.
“I’m grateful that my profession feeds my soul,” Robles said. “Making music with my students is what keeps me going when times get tough. My students and I work diligently together to cultivate an environment conducive to authentic connection, mutual respect, creative expression and the highest level of musical excellence.”
Robles said having the Jazz Singers at the event while she was receiving her award made it more special.
“[Receiving the award] was one of the greatest achievements of my teaching career,” Robles said. “What made it even sweeter was the fact that my students were right there with me. They amazed everyone with their exquisite performance, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Ellie Liou ’26 said Robles was the perfect candidate for this award because she is someone that admires and looks up to.
“ Robles is such an inspiring and supportive figure to all of us, and I can’t think of a better [person] to receive such a prestigious award,” Liou said.
Maya Ray ’25 said this was a significant event for Jazz Singers, as they had never performed with an audience of musicians and were grateful to receive encouragement from the listeners.
“Jazz Singers had never sung in an environment and venue like this,” Ray said. “We usually sing at schools and little gigs around the city, but I don’t think we had ever sung in a room where every single person has such a deep appreciation of music and performance. There was still an undeniable amount of support from the audience as we sang up there, which was very special.”
Diya Schievink ’26 said she felt a lot of stress to perform well due because she spent so much time practicing.
“This event felt different than others because there was more pressure to perform at our best,” Schievink said. “I was very excited about this event because it was for an amazing cause and was a great opportunity. We practiced a lot leading up to the performance, especially in the week where we met during lunches and community times to be fully prepared.”
Ray said though the group felt anxiety promoting the idea of music education in front of a wide audience, they performed their best.
“It felt like there was some pressure not only because of the audience but also because of what we were helping represent, the importance of music in schools,” Ray said. “I feel all of us carried this responsibility well though and showed up to give the performance our all.”
