This year, I finally attended Teen Arts. 

As many of you don’t know, I didn’t really know what Teen Arts was my freshman year. I attempted to go my sophomore year but was denied since I wasn’t even performing or in any other art classes (fair enough), and because of that, I didn’t try to go last year. Now, because I wanted to write about it for the Rampage, I was able to go! I’ve actually been planning to go through Rampage since the beginning of the year so I’m glad it actually worked out. 

First off, thanks to Mr. Porter for letting me go! 

The bus ride there reminded me of when I did marching band and how we had to open up the emergency back door to load our supplies in. I was also a bit disappointed because I broke my phone and wasn’t able to take pictures of anything. However, getting to Bergen Community College was a smooth ride.

So what did I even do at Teen Arts? If you don’t know, Teen Arts is a festival featuring live music from choirs and bands alike as well as several workshops spanning from illustration, animation, song writing, improv, dancing, and more. It was genuinely a really fun time. I had to pair up with someone when we were exploring, especially because I had no contact with the outside world and had to use someone else’s phone to contact my mom. While I had come here initially to see at least two Lodi Performances and write about them, Mr. Porter encouraged me to have fun and experience Teen Arts in its entirety. 

I first attended what was supposed to be a jazz improvisational ensemble workshop but based on my partner’s past experiences, the way it was run wasn’t typical and so for both of us it was a bit lackluster. 

I then volunteered to go with my partner to a hiphop dancing workshop and if you’ve ever actually seen me, you’d know that it was out of my comfort zone. I did it anyway right after our lunch since lunch and the workshop were both in the cafeteria. Honestly, I thought I did pretty okay for never usually dancing but I think I did look ridiculous at some point. The moment actual dancing happens, I start to feel awkward and I move like I’ve never heard of rhythm. I didn’t expect to work up an actual sweat from doing this but it was pretty rewarding to do it because I had fun! Unfortunately, I did have to leave early. 

What we actually went to afterwards was a jazz performance by Ridgefield Park! I was very impressed with their ensemble as they played “Take 5”, which is a jazz piece, an excerpt from Star Wars, and the opening theme to an old anime, Cowboy Bebop, named “Tank”. The solos were incredibly clean, everyone was confident in their part, and I especially enjoyed the bass playing. The only notes that my partner and I had was that the volume was overwhelming at some points and the brass was playing into their stands a lot of the time instead of playing forward. At this point, I also learned that for each live performance, there were critics present who were able to comment on how they did and really interact with them in order to help improve the performance.

I next watched my partner perform in our Honors or Chamber Choir performing “Seasons of Love” from the musical, Rent, and “I Lived” by OneRepublic, which I forgot even existed until I heard them sing it. I was really impressed by the performance since I overheard a few of the members being worried about not doing well. I really think the songs were well picked by Mr. McCann and the only critique I remember was that if their facial expressions matched or reflected the message of the song, it would connect better with the audience. Even with those critiques, I remember watching in the audience just being so engrossed in their performance and really just sitting there and enjoying it. It was really great to see.

There was a bit of a break between watching the choir performance and the jazz band performance so I attempted to go do whatever workshops I could. Unfortunately, it was just me getting lost for half an hour before I stumbled upon the art gallery. 

I was lucky enough to have found it while also being right behind a couple more students from my school, ensuring my safety now that I wasn’t lost and alone trying to go wherever. The art gallery was great and showcased multiple mediums and styles including layered recycled material, digital, photography, realism, and pointillism. These students really understood their craft! I was wowed by the gallery and pretty disappointed that I was unable to take pictures. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed. 

Now, I review what I really came for, which was the Lodi Jazz Band performance. 

Wow.

Can you tell I’m impressed?

I know I’ve been raving about each performance I saw, and maybe I’m biased because I play an instrument, but I can’t help but say that the jazz band is really on top this year. They performed two pieces, “Splanky” and “Second Line”, with confidence and true class. Their dynamics were punchy and their solos were clean. Everything was near seamless. With the solos, every part of the band was featured, I believe! 

Featuring what I wrote in my notes for the first song, the dynamics were very controlled, especially within the drums, and solos from Alex Pereira (senior, tenor sax) and Kaylee Britton (senior, bass) were stellar. From the second song, the solo entrance from Devin Pereira (senior, trumpet) showed off the expertise and skill that the band had gained over the years. Other clean and incredibly well executed solos include Edrise Usi (freshman, trumpet) and Alexa Vargas (junior, trombone) respectively. It was a great tune and a great performance of a classic. 

While I’m saying all of this high praise and compliments, my notes are nothing compared to the critic, who was actually extremely thorough in his examination. You could feel how eager he was to help the band and interact with them. He went in depth explaining how jazz band ensembles typically work and how the dynamics specifically come into play between the principal players and the rest of the ensemble. Within the first song, I didn’t realize he was able to have a score to look at while the band was performing and pinpointed a few areas for them to work on with him. The critic was very methodical and enthusiastic. 

What you should take away from this article is that Teen Arts is a great way to remind people why the arts are important. They breathe life into the real world and enrich it. It helps others express themselves and their skills. So the next time you’re able to attend Teen Arts, enjoy it to its fullest!