Mesa Verde Middle School's Select Ensemble to Perform in Chicago Symphony Hall

Dozens of local seventh and eighth graders will soon take the stage at Chicago Symphony Hall

Mesa Verde Middle School’s Select Ensemble is one of three middle school groups invited to the Heritage Festival's 2011 Festival of Gold March 18-22. The other 10 ensembles are comprised of high school students.

“This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for these kids,” said Jay Posteraro, director of bands. “I am honored our group has this opportunity to travel to such a wonderful city.”

Mesa Verde Middle School is also the only middle school represented in the Honor Band. Eleven students were selected to perform alongside the best high school musicians.

“There is a great sense of accomplishment for our students and our community,” Mesa Verde Principal Cliff Mitchell said. “All of the hard work that our students have put forth, combined with all the family support that they get, is finally being recognized on a national level. This is something that everyone in our community has contributed to, which should give us all a great sense of pride.”

Seventh grader Tyler Chang is one of 68 students in the Select Ensemble.

“It’s a new place and I get to play at that big hall,” said Tyler Chang, who plays the clarinet. “We get to go to lots of places in Chicago that I’ve never been before.”

Last year, the Select Ensemble performed at a Heritage Festival in San Francisco and received a Gold Award rating. Only groups that received a Gold Award were invited to perform in a Heritage Festival of Gold this year.

Tyler Chang’s brother, Alex, was in the Select Ensemble last year and performed in San Francisco.

“It was a new experience,” said Alex Chang, who now attends Westview High School. “Band can really change what happens in your life and how you look at things. It was my first real trip away.”

The 15-year-old has given his younger brother a few words of advice about his upcoming performance: “I just told him to have fun.”

Alex and Tyler’s father Bradlee Chang said he is excited his son will have this experience.

“He’s never performed in a major hall or in a festival,” he said. “I think it will be fun for him to see other bands, from middle school and high school, and see how they do and get on the stage and have that little stage fright and get through it.”

The Select Ensemble will perform three selections in the upcoming festival. They will perform an arrangement of the hymn “Be Thou My Vision,” “Second Suite in F for Military Band” and “Eternal Peaks.”

“The caliber of the music that Mr. Posteraro is putting out is just phenomenal,” said Lorrie Frost. Her eighth-grade son, Christopher Frost, plays the trumpet in the Select Ensemble.

The Select Ensemble, which was formed in 2003, is one of six concert bands offered at Mesa Verde Middle School. The Select Ensemble musicians meet each Friday after school for 90 minutes.

In addition to the hard work of the students, Mitchell attributes the Select Ensemble’s success to Posteraro, who has been the director of bands at Mesa Verde for 17 years, since the school first opened.

“He’s been dedicated to our kids and the arts,” Mitchell said. “Through good times and bad times economically, he’s remained consistent for all of our students, giving them every possible chance for them to experience everything that music has to offer.”

Posteraro’s students agree.

“He understands how we think better than most people would,” Christopher Frost said. “He has fun with us in a way that most other teachers wouldn’t, but he still demands respect and we give him that respect.”

Alex Chang added, “He was really, really good. I don’t think there’s anyone better."

Still, the Select Ensemble would not be able to perform in Chicago if it weren’t for the support of parents, Mitchell added. The group raised funds through donations and fundraisers.

“Our families are recognizing the opportunity. It’s not every day you get to play in Chicago Symphony Hall,” Mitchell said. “We know that without our community, without our parents, we couldn’t do things like this. We couldn’t provide our kids these opportunities, and that’s really what makes Mesa Verde and Poway Unified such a great place: the community itself.”