Director of bands and orchestra, David Betancourt, is conducting students to new heights.
Betancourt interest in music started in the 4th grade, where he was introduced to instruments.
“I like the trumpet, so my parents went out got a trumpet, thats when I started playing.”
It was not until college, where Becourt had his first experience being in a orchestra.
He explains what a orchestra is.
“What is you have the strings, like the violin, viola, cello, the base without those you really don’t have a orchestra.”
Symphony or orchestra are two common terms, used in classical music terms, used in classical music but, there is a difference.
“The symphony itself is a work, is kind of a composition that is put together usually very long, it has a lot sections and movements where the orchestra is the group that gets to play symphony.” said Becourt
Cerritos Orchestra consists of 55 musicians, who play a variety of instrument and sounds.
Cerritos Orchestra can play classical pieces like Mozart or Beethoven but, can play other styles of music.
“Sometimes if were able to we’ll do some romantic pieces, we’ll do a musical or even poppish sort of tune, depending on the concert, who the audience is that we are playing to.” said Betancourt.
There are many different types of orchestras, that play different types of instruments, for example,
“There is a traditional orchestra, electric orchestra, wind orchestras meaning they don’t have any strings at all, I think at a general level, it’s all in one category.” said Betancourt.
The job of a conductor, may look easy but, it takes a lot of work and patience to make sure every musician in the orchestra is focus on their task.
He commented “There is a lot responsibility on the conductor, first of all to know the score, is the book that has everybody’s part, the conductor needs to know how to communicate ll this information to the orchestra that is your conducting, and knowing how to rehearse a group.”
Orchestra usually played two to two and a half hours in a concert but, the Cerritos orchestra does exchange concerts where they invited groups to split the time.
This has a lot of benefits for the orchestra.He explains why,
“First of all, it all us to work with a lot different types of music, Secondly, it brings a bigger audience, thirdly, because you have different groups coming in you have a really appreciate audience.”
On Halloween, Cerritos orchestra and band are having a huge event.
“We are going to make a event out of the concert, we are differently going to have candy to entice the kids, it’s a family oriented concert, so we are going to do some spooky music, we are going to create some really nice decorations in the student center where is going to be held.” commented Betancourt.
You have to audition to be part of the Cerritos orchestra, there are levels ranging from beginners to advanced.
Gaberial Garcia a music education major and Joe Trecho a music & business major of the Cerritos orchestra.
For three semesters Garcia has been the orchestra and plays the trumpet.
Trecho is in his fourth semester in the orchestra and plays the flute.
This semester Trecho is taking five classes and discusses how he manages to be in the orchestra and have time for the other classes.
“Time management, I set aside some time for school work and then practicing and then I have extra time I devote that time to my social life.”
Garcia commented on how has improved under Betancourt’s guidance.
“Pretty much almost everything, we just had a conducting class, that’s the conducting aspect of understanding you know what Betancourt is doing to convey all the information to us.”
