The horns section dies down, giving way to the steady underlying rhythm of the piano and guitars. Gentle chords fade into the background as Isha Kotalwar (12) rises from her seat, clutching her alto saxophone, left hand perched on the keys. The focus shifts to her as she breathes in and blows through the mouthpiece, captivating the audience with the rich opening notes of her solo to “Cool Yule” at the 2023 Winter Concert.

Isha embarked on her musical journey in fifth grade after attending an instrumental concert. Inspired by the saxophone’s sonorous sound and versatility, she decided to pick up the instrument and joined the middle school jazz band in sixth grade.

After watching the high school jazz performances, she was amazed at not only the bands’ attention to detail and cohesive sound but also their team chemistry. When she joined Lab Band and then Jazz Band in high school, she found this encouraging environment waiting for her, boosting her confidence and allowing her to enjoy herself while playing music.

“Playing a solo instrument versus playing in a band is very different,” Isha said. “In a band, you have the support of everyone else, like the support of your teacher. You have someone to watch because someone is conducting you. It’s a completely different experience. Everyone is just so excited to play together.”

The closeness of the bands fostered many memorable moments for Isha. In particular, Isha pinpoints last year’s Evening of Jazz concert as her favorite performance due to the familiarity between the members that developed throughout the year.

“Everyone had bonded so much throughout the entire year, and finally we got to show everyone what we were working on for a long time,” Isha said. “You could see the crowd grooving to the songs. It’s fun to see people enjoy what you’re playing on stage.”

Having taught Isha for the past two years, upper school instrumental teacher and jazz band co-director Jaco Wong noticed her growth as a saxophone player and her rise in confidence to lead the other band members. He values Isha’s dedication to improving as a musician along with the brightness and positivity she brings to the group.

“Whenever Isha doesn’t get a rhythm or a certain part that she’s not feeling good on, she has no problem asking questions,” Wong said. “When I tell her how to play it, she is very receptive to comments. She is someone who is open to growth and someone who’s open to feedback and takes it with a smile and makes it happen.”

Isha brings the same open-minded attitude to the basketball court. She started playing the sport in sixth grade after watching Warriors games with her dad and later joined the varsity basketball team in ninth grade. Throughout her basketball journey, she embraced the motto “don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”

“At first, I was scared of the mistakes that would come out of basketball and jazz band and how they would embarrass me,” Isha said. “But instead of trying to avoid everything that would cause mistakes, I decided to lean into their source and learn from them and use that to become better.”

On her path to self-confidence, Isha acknowledges the support her teammates provided, no matter the circumstances, as a crucial factor that helped her improve and gain courage to perform well even under pressure. She remembers the encouraging atmosphere of last year’s basketball team despite losing many members and facing tough opponents.

“It was good to be surrounded by a team that supported everyone and forgave each other for their mistakes and just kept looking forward instead of trying to point fingers at each other,” Isha said.

Close friend Rani Patel (12) admires Isha’s balance between self-drive and teamwork. The two spend time watching and discussing the Warriors’s games together, and Rani also attends Isha’s home games.

“She’s very passionate about basketball, and she cares a lot about her own basketball team as well,” Rani said. “She’s competitive but not extremely competitive. She obviously wants to win. But she always is hyping up her teammates.”

Off-court and off-stage, Isha continues to embody the same positive energy, using it to cheer others up. Close friend Sasha Masson (12) highlights her sense of empathy and ability to notice when someone feels off, identifying Isha as the person she would go to when she is “in a crisis.”

“Isha really puts things into a bigger perspective,” Sasha said. “She always says, ‘it’s not just the tiny things that matter but there’s so much more to life than just the small things that happened to you.’ That positive outlook that she has, it’s really inspiring.”

As Isha’s advisor, upper school library director Lauri Vaughan recognized her positivity and cheerfulness from the start, recounting her first impression of Isha as being a fun and accessible person who “always walks around with a smile” and tries to make other people’s day. She recalls when Isha came in during the minion-themed spirit week in junior year to share the success of the minion hats Vaughan made for her advisees.

“She came in and said, ‘you know these minion hats were so popular Mrs. Vaughan, and everybody loves them,’” Vaughan said. “I love it that she wants to tell me that because she senses that’s going to make me happy. You can know that you had a great time with your minion hats with your friends. But to come back and tell that to me meant a lot, but I think that that’s because she’s that kind of empathetic person. She will circle back and realize that I spent some time on them.”

Through the support of others and her own efforts, whether it be jazz band, basketball, friends or advisory, Isha gained the courage to step up and find joy in what she does. Having previously been limited by a lack of confidence, she now aims to provide the same encouragement to others who need a morale boost or a bit of guidance.

“I want to be remembered for just being a fun person that people can always talk to,” Isha said. “When I was an underclassmen on the basketball team, I saw everyone being super supportive of each other. So when I became the upperclassmen last year and this year, I decided to make more connections within the team and reach out to members and support them in every way possible, not just with basketball, but also high school advice.”