As the school year came to a close, the students of the Modern Band elective prepared a showcase of performances at Keepers Day, in accordance with the 2026 theme, “Hawkchella.” Throughout the two-hour duration of the carnival, Advanced and Intro Modern Band students alternated performances, with different groups playing a setlist of about four songs each.
To prepare, students learned to work collaboratively with one another in small musical groups all year. They learn individual musical parts for songs and perform them together as groups to one another. Freshman Safia Rizik, who is in the Intro program, said, “We’ve been practicing whenever we can… whether it be in class or meeting up after school.”
During Keepers Day, students set up on the sidewalk and played a constant stream of music, which was the culmination of all of the previous showcases during the year. Sophomore Alisha Saelao, who is in the Intro program, said the group’s experience at other performances throughout the year helped get everyone ready for the larger crowds of Keepers Day.
“I’ve kind of gotten used to performing in front of small crowds of people,” she said. “I think our performance experience and etiquette and how we present ourselves is definitely a skill that we develop through these performances.”
For other students, Keepers Day is a learning experience. Safia said, “I think we should have better communication and confidence. I feel like whenever we perform, we’re always so quick to doubt ourselves. I’d like for us to be more celebratory.”
According to Keepers Day organizer and English teacher Brian Sweeney, the band students’ performance is an essential part of the day.
“I really appreciate how hard our students work to present something special for Keepers Day,” he said. “I know the student performers and Mr. LaRocca have a lot going on at the end of the year, so I am grateful that they take the time to perform at the carnival as well.”
In his first interview with The Classic, Mr. LaRocca spoke about providing students as many opportunities to perform as they are interested in having. “I really do get a lot of enjoyment from being able to do that,” he said.
“This was Mr. LaRocca’s first Keepers Day, and he made it look like he’s been doing it for years,” Mr. Sweeney said.
Safia said, “You can really tell he’s passionate about what he teaches.”
Of course, this is not the first time that students have performed for a school-wide audience this school year. In April, Advanced students also performed during all lunch bands in the cafeteria, an event meant to expose them to a wider audience.
Junior Sophia Madrazo, who is in the Advanced program, said that through these performances, “I’ve learned to have a strong stage presence and to just have a good time. The better you feel, the better you sound. You just have to have fun.”
Throughout the course of the year, the performances held in the Modern Band classroom have served to drive this point home as well. Alisha said, “I think Mr. LaRocca asking us to perform in front of these small groups of people have helped us get more comfortable with our stage presence and helped us learn how we will present ourselves to a group of people while performing music.”
For Valentine’s Day in February, the Advanced program held a fundraiser where students chose songs to be performed to peers of their choice. Senior Agnieszka Nalepa, who is in the Advanced program, said, “It was great because we have never done it before. It was a nice change of pace from what we usually do. I really enjoyed going around to all of the classrooms and performing for my friends.”
On June 10, the Advanced and Intro classes performed a small courtyard concert to an audience of family members and peers. This was the first time this year that both classes performed to an outside-of-school audience, and it was a learning experience for both. Agnieszka said, “Outside shows are notoriously harder to perform because it is harder to hear, so I felt like we learned that during the process.”
By Keepers Day, a little less than a week later, the performers seemed to have learned a lot about outdoor performances and provided a two hour sequence of music to accompany the end-of-year carnival.
