![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Award-winning composer David Amram imparts wisdom, music at Speaker Series performance
Award-winning composer and musician David Amram answers questions from the audience at last Friday’s Speaker Series performance. Amram shared wisdom from his life’s work as a jazz and classical musician, telling anecdotes along the way.
November 12, 2019
Award-winning composer David Amram wrapped up his week’s visit at the upper school as this year’s artist in residence with his performance at this year’s Speaker Series event in the Patil Theater last Friday.
Amram spoke about his life’s work, sharing stories and wisdom from his rich career of music, and played Dizzy Gillespie’s “Manteca” with the upper school jazz band, followed by Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” and Amram’s own “En Memoria de Chano Pozo” with the upper school orchestra.
Throughout the week, Amram taught at various upper school music and English classes, and he also hosted a workshop, entitled “Making Your Music Career Profitable” with CareerConnect on Nov. 5. Last Thursday, Amram spoke to students interested in creative writing, passing on advice from famous writers with whom he’s worked, such as Jack Kerouac and Kurt Vonnegut.
“I think the beautiful thing about Mr. Amram is he reminds us about what is important in life,” Sophia Gottfried (11), a creative writer who attended Amram’s talk on Nov. 7. “He’s had all these wonderful experiences, and it’s not like he did it by getting all straight A’s in school or pulling all nighters studying. He did it by talent and genuine good spirit and a little bit of luck, which is nice to see.”
A lifelong musician, Amram began his journey in composition by scoring films in Hollywood, but soon set off on his own path on composing original music reflecting his personal values. He has played with iconic musicians including Charles Mingus and Thelonius Monk.
Amram has traveled the world, gathering musical styles which he infuses into his classical compositions, and his musical spontaneity and originality also mixes techniques that he has learned and adapted from other musicians.
Following his artistic philosophy of “hang-out-ology,” one of the characteristics of Amram’s musicianship is that he values community through creativity.
Award-winning composer David Amram conducts the upper school orchestra in the first movement of Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” at Nov. 8’s Speaker Series performance. Amram spoke about his life’s work, offering advice and anecdotes to the audience, at this event.
“Tell a story. Create a certain atmosphere or feeling of being there,” Amram said in an interview with Harker Aquila. “Everyone has their own reaction to any situation, but when you work in music, you realize that it’s much larger than yourself, and you’re part of the whole.”
Amram has written music for movies and theatrical productions, including “Manchurian Candidate,” “Splendor in the Grass” and “Pull My Daisy.” No matter the project, Amram is known for adding his unique sense of rhythm and flair to the piece, breaking down conventions along the way.
“That’s not what was in his heart. He wanted to make original music that spoke to him,” said upper school English teacher Charles Shuttleworth, who helped organize Amram’s visit. “He also didn’t like Hollywood and the whole system out there. He felt confined.”
Above all, Amram emphasizes the value of the artistic community and creative collaboration, which shaped Amram himself into the musician he has become.
“The great composers of the past whose works we still celebrate and the present composers and your fellow composers and the audience are not your enemy, but that you’re part of a whole picture, and just try to do as good a job as possible,” Amram said.
