WYOMING, Mich. — On a Friday afternoon, the band room at Godwin Heights High School is full of music as senior Fernando Bresso and his band director Roger Wagner play saxophone side by side. Before the two get on with their weekend plans, Mr. Wagner makes a note on a piece of sheet music Fernando has been working for months to perfect.
"Anytime you see this, I want vibrato. Cool? Yeah? This should just like shimmer and be beautiful," Wagner instructs Fernando.
These are the small details Fernando needs to work out before he participates in the state-level solo and ensemble coming up in April.
Solo and ensemble is an opportunity for students across Michigan to receive feedback on a song they've chosen to perform. Fernando's participation is the first time anyone from Godwin Heights has done solo and ensemble in more than 10 years. It's surprising when you consider Godwin Heights has a band that has won multiple state championships in the last two decades.
"There's been a legacy and a tradition of outstanding bands at Godwin, and a lot of our kids join because they know that, and they want to be a part of that. They want to be a part of something that achieves at a high level," Wagner said.
Wagner feels getting kids at Godwin Heights back to participating in solo and ensemble on a regular basis will help take his band to the next level — especially when they put in the kind of work, and achieve the kind of results, that Fernando did in the district solo and ensemble in February.
"My song, from what I've been told, is at a level that undergraduates play. So when I first started looking at it, I was kind of nervous, because I never played a piece of that difficulty before. And then at the same time having to perform in front of a judge," Fernando said.
"I have some stranger who, the professor out of college, critiquing me, and I don't know how that's gonna go."
It went well for Fernando.
"It wasn't a perfect run through, but it was good enough for me and good enough to where I got to a 'one,' so I was pretty satisfied with my performance there," he said.
The "one" rating Fernando is referring to means that his playing ability is considered superior.
"When his judge was giving him feedback, the judge said, 'When I hear you at state, I want to hear these changes, or these improvements,' and that was the ticker to me, like, cool. Yep, he's moving on," Wagner said.
As the two work on improving Fernando's song, they're also hoping that his performance will open a door for more band members to participate in solo and ensemble in the future.
"I've already had some students approach me about, 'Hey, I want to do that next year, let's start looking at music,' and so it's really cool," Wagner said.
"One of the motivations to do solo and ensemble this year was to help students build their individual skill levels. It's one of the places we need to grow as a program, and it's how we build everybody up. We build individuals."
Fernando hopes current and future band member will consider participating, and he says a little bit of effort working on your music at home can make a big difference.
"All it takes is just a little bit of time every day to be able to do it," he said. "If you're working on one spot thoroughly for just a little bit, it sticks with you until the next day and the next day, and it just keeps building off each other."
Fernando will also perform his song at Godwin's concert on May 4.
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