On January 12, 2019, the San Joaquin high school county honor concert was performed at Stockton Delta College. Twenty students from Ripon High were admitted into the program and went through a few rehearsals and practices until it was time to perform.

Mr. Geoffrey Felver, the Ripon High school music teacher, was exuberant that so many of his students got accepted. “Makes me feel really happy,” Felver said. “I eventually want my standard to become the county’s best. Because I believe that to be a reasonable request.” In the years that Felver has been teaching music, he has never had so many of his students attend the program. When asked how he will push his students in the upcoming years, Felver responded with, “the push will come from their peers because the peers will come back and talk about their experiences.”

Otto Kellner is a sophomore who plays the upright bass in the high school’s orchestra. He was also the only person from Ripon High school to join the County Honor Orchestra. When asked, he responded by saying that during the breaks between rehearsals he was lonely but that being lonesome gave him a chance to go out and have an espresso. “It sounds sad, but it was nice.” Kellner concluded. Kellner really enjoyed the music that they performed during the concert. “The times when we were playing pieces all together sounding good were pretty amazing. I haven’t had anything else like that in music. And it was the experience of being there in the middle of it all, contributing to it.”

And Pablo Merlos, a Senior and 3 time Honor Band attendee, was comparing the experiences he had in the concerts a couple years back. “I felt it was less difficult but the music had more of a message and feeling. When you see the music with a deeper understanding than just looking at it you can appreciate it more.”

This years Honor band music really did have a wide variety. From medieval sounding hymns to a Southern piece that puts you on the bayou there definitely was a lot coming from the music.