By Eojin Choi
With hundreds of Argentinians watching, Laurel Wayne â13 stepped forward, gripping her trumpet tightly in her fingers. She stood alone at the front of the stage with the rest of the band backing her up.
When the band finished the piece, the audience erupted into cheers and applause, Wayne said.
The upper school jazz band members performed six concerts in Argentina over spring break.
The 25 band members, accompanied by performing arts teachers Shawn Costantino, Carrie Green-Costantino â99 and Starr Wayne, performed in concerts and immersed themselves in Argentinian music and culture. Their audiences, composed mostly of Argentinians who wanted to hear jazz, ranged from a small group to 900 people.
“It was scary and difficult to play in front of so many people, but at the same time, I grew as a performer,” Wayne said.
In their free time, the members watched a tango show and visited the Pink House and the White House of Argentina, among other activities.
The students met the jazz bands of two other schools to talk and play music for each other.
Through this experience, Wayne said that they learned about the school lives of Argentinian students and thier different styles of music.
“It was amazing,” said band member Justin Ho â12. “It really gave me a better appreciation for the time and the work we as a band put into our music. I had so much fun [performing].”
