Hundreds of seniors race to the parking lot — it was finally spring break. As the traffic floods onto Mission Road, a white sedan turns into the carpool lane. Inside the white Camry, senior Felipe Pulgarin is preparing for his own “Mission Impossible.”
“Time for mission impossible, ”Pulgarin said. “The car’s pulled around, we just need to get it in there!”
The mission? Haul the 125-pound, three-foot-tall and four-foot-wide vibraphone — a percussion instrument made of metal bars — into his compact sedan, so that he could practice over spring break. Pulgarin needed to practice "Luminescence," the competition piece he had chosen for his small-group percussion ensemble.
“The main goal [in] my head [for the small ensemble] was, how can I get everyone to improve, collaborate together and how can we all get better together?” Pulgarin said.
Pulgarin started attending SM East at the beginning of the second semester of his senior year after moving from Chicago, IL. In the first week after Pulgarin arrived, he initiated the small competition percussion ensemble.
This is a percussion only ensemble, it was open to all percussion members in symphonic band class, that showed initiative, and were willing to learn a new piece. They practice with the assistant percussionist teacher in class and other practice times Pulgarin leads. The ensemble will compete in the regional and state band competitions coming up this spring.
Pulgarin could've done just the required work and learned the normal pieces, but he instead chose to make an impact and enhance the band. With the help of Band Director Alex Toepfer, he started the ensemble.
“One of the beautiful things about music is that you have a student come in, and contribute almost instantly,” Toepfer said. “What I appreciated is that [the percussionists] seem to be doing more bonding in the spring semester, and [they’re] seeing that there's more to percussion than just marching band.”
In the past, the percussion section primarily focused on marching band competitions and therefore collaborated more in the fall. In the spring,students start working more on individual skill with less of an emphasis on the percussion group. Since Pulgarin started the ensemble, in just a few months the group has gotten even more excited for what the spring season can bring.
The small percussion ensemble practices almost every symphonic band class, and in seminars, where Pulgarin helps lead. With the increase of time playing together, the percussion has improved and gotten to know one another better.
“At my old school, we had pretty solid percussion and the reason why we had a solid percussion section is because we played together a lot,” Pulgarin said. “I wanted to at least make an impact somehow and establish something cool that we can do as a group.”
Along with establishing the small percussion ensemble he also has been mentoring underclassmen percussionists in Jazz Band.
Sophomore Emerson Suever is one of his mentees, and has been able to improve in many instruments. Pulgarin sends them videos of slowed down and easy to follow explanations for techniques and rhythms for playing other instruments.
“In the Jazz Band, he taught us a couple of beats and he took videos of him slowing down so we can get the rhythm of it,” Suever said. “It's just been really helpful because my ear training is not that good.”
Pulgarin's relationship with Jesus Christ, and connection to the church is at the root of his motivation to start the ensemble and to mentor.
“When I want to make an impact, I always just think about how I can give them a good image of who not only I am, but who I look up to, which is Jesus,” Pulgarin said. “So how can I do that, if they're not religious, or they don't want to ask about [religion]or talk about it, how can I still make an impact by being Christ [helpful to them.”
Senior percussionist Claire Langford has been helping lead the ensemble and percussion group with Pulgarin. His commitment to showing people Christ has been noticed throughout the band.
“I've seen [his religion] through the way he treats everybody with kindness,” Langford said. "I think he really sees everyone's ability to grow as a person. He looks at everybody in the percussion section [and sees] a lot of potential.”
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