![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Music Creation Club hosts student musical showcase event
Senior Spencer Cha performs his composition “Rhythmic Etude No. 5” on the piano during Music Creation Club’s showcase on Friday, Dec. 3. The showcase featured performances or recordings from five students.
December 7, 2021
Music Creation Club hosted an open showcase event on Friday during long lunch to present the musical compositions and works of five different students.
During Friday’s school meeting, Richard Zhang (11), co-president of the Music Creation Club, invited school members to attend the event. Music Creation Club is a new club started just this year, and the event consisted of both virtually presented recordings as well as in-person performances by club members to an audience of around a dozen students. Prior to the event, club members could request to perform or send in recordings.
“[The event] was rather successful, especially as something that we rather rushed,” Richard said. “People were able to showcase what they’ve done, and the positivity was great.”
The event featured performances ranging across a variety of instruments and styles. Sophomore Shayla He sent in an audio of her vocal cover of “Avalanche” by James Arthur. Shayla specifically chose this piece because of the contrast between Arthur’s vocal tone to her own. Next, the club showed a YouTube video from Iris Cai (9), who played “Fantasia in E Flat Minor” on the piano, which she composed by herself as part of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s pre-college composition class.
Following Iris, freshman Pranav Sukesh presented a brief introduction about his first-ever composition of an “anime series intro” style song, which he made after deciding to start music creation this year. Pranav chose an upbeat tone and built his song with mostly trumpet instrumentals.
“There was decent turnout, and I liked the structure,” Pranav said. “Everyone was really nice during the [event]. It wasn’t super formal either, we just got to go around and talk about the songs. I thought that was really cool.”
After each student’s performance, the audience members took a few minutes to discuss their reactions to and thoughts about the song, with general feedback and praise.
Ethan Guan (9) then shared a music video of the Korean-pop song he wrote called “Pemberton.” Ethan, who uploads his music to a YouTube channel under the stage name “Be The Future,” released “Pemberton” online on April 10 earlier this year after he started exploring music creation in late 2019.
Finally, though not on the original set list, senior Spencer Cha ended the performances with a piano piece he previously composed called “Rhythmic Etude No. 5”. Richard hoped to bring together music composers and share their songs and creations with the school public through the event and future Music Creation Club activities.
“Most of the independent musicians are in their small groups,” Richard said. “In broader terms, what the club meant to do is connect the independent musician community of Harker, so this event was showing how everyone has their own style and to show off their amazing time commitment and effort into their work.”
Currently, Music Creation Club holds informational meetings almost every B-day, teaching attendees about making music, and they also offer a mentorship program to pair newer composers with more experienced mentors with meetings to work on songs together. Music Creation Club plans to hold more music discussions and potential contests as well as another showcase next semester. Interested students can contact Richard, Shayla or Spencer to join the club or its activities.
