Sophomore Christine Le is involved in art as well as orchestra and hopes to pursue a career in either field.
Christine Le
Grade: 10th
Future College: Possibly UT, NYU, or Berkeley
Years drawing: About 4 years
Years in orchestra: About 4 years
Future Job: Conductor
Inspiration: Claire Oh
Wingspan: What made you choose art?
Le: “In 6th grade, I got into anime and all of my friends liked drawing so I think it was all of us coming together and being able to express ourselves in cartoons.”
Wingspan: How does art affect your everyday life?
Le: “It’s a lot of work. It takes a lot of time to do and it’s something I actually have to think about even though some people might think art and drawing are super easy. It’s something I have to go in and know what I want to do.”
Wingspan: Do you view art as a form of expressing yourself? How come?
Le: “For sure. It’s a visual way to show what you feel. I’m not really good at talking sometimes and me communicating something through visuals is sometimes easier.”
Wingspan: What was the process leading up to the VASE competition?
Le: “I didn’t really know what VASE was until this year and what helped the most was one of my friends doing it too because both of us could go through it together and we could figure what we wanted to do with our art together.”
Wingspan: How was your experience in the VASE competition?
Le: “It was really fun. Although the worst part of it was the waiting to stay in the gyms and wait to see if our art pieces would actually qualify or not.”
Wingspan: Are you considering art as a career? How do you plan on pursuing this?
Le: “I’m considering music as a career but the thoughts have crossed my mind about art school. I think it would be a cool life to live.”
Wingspan: What made you choose the viola?
Le: “It’s actually a funny story. There were tryouts where you could try-out different instruments in the orchestra. And no one rosined the violin bow so I couldn’t make a sound on it so that’s why I chose the viola because the bow was rosined over there and I could actually play it.”
Wingspan: Do you view music as a way to express yourself? If so, how?
Le: “Yeah, this is something I realized last week because some people think that you can go through music and mark what emotions you want to get from it. It’s really interesting to be able to communicate your emotions through sound.”
Wingspan: How do you balance orchestra and art?
Le: “Orchestra take up a lot of my time as well because we have to go to rehearsals in the morning and practice. I think it’s just me trying to keep track of what’s important.”
Wingspan: When you are not involved in art or orchestra, what do are you doing?
Le: “Practicing, doing my homework and sleeping, and taking photos.”
Ashleigh Rose
Sophomore Ashleigh Rose is involved in dance and Red Rhythm on campus.
Grade: 10th grade
Years dancing: 8 years
Inspiration: My mom
Wingspan: What got you interested in dance?
Rose: “I did gymnastics for the early years of my life but I was really drawn to dance because many of my friends danced and I loved how pretty it was.”
Wingspan: When and how did you discover your talent?
Rose: “I was about 6 and my gymnastics teacher told me I had a natural talent and I should do dance as well as gymnastics.”
Wingspan: How does Red Rhythm affect your everyday life?
Rose: “I feel like as a member of Red Rhythm I have to time manage and balance my schedule well.”
Wingspan: How are Red Rhythm competitions like?
Rose: “Red Rhythm competitions are super fun the energy is extremely high and the thrill of performing with your best friends is the great.”
Wingspan: How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
Rose: “As a team, it is guaranteed that someone will make a mistake but personally I make sure that if I do mess up I don’t let it affect the rest of the performance and just keep smiling.”
Wingspan: Do you view dance as a way to express yourself? How?
Rose: “I definitely think that dance is a way for me to express myself through my movement and it allows me to tell a story through my dancing.”
Wingspan: What’s been your favorite memory in Red Rhythm?
Rose: “My favorite memory of Red Rhythm was my freshman year when we were at hot camp and we had our section reveal! It was so much fun team bonding and being able to join such a great group of people.”
Wingspan: Are you considering this as a career? Why or why not?
Rose: “I don’t know if I will dance as a career but I am hoping to pursue dance in college and continue with it for as long as I can.”
Wingspan: How do you balance Red Rhythm practice and school?
Rose: “For me the most important thing to balance school and Red Rhythm is being able to plan out my week and time management of all the work I have to do. “