Permanent Spot

PERMANENT SPOT

Removing an asterisk next to their names made all the difference for two McPherson College musicians.

After years of practicing, taking lessons, rehearsing, and substituting for others, Kento Aizawa and Lillian Oeding are now permanent members of the Salina Symphony and are no longer identified as “student” musicians by the small symbol behind their names in the symphony’s program.

The students both auditioned for the Salina Symphony earlier this year and were selected by a panel of judges in blind auditions. Kento, who is a junior from McPherson majoring in math and hopes to be an actuary, plays the clarinet, and Lillian, a junior from Wichita majoring in graphic design, plays the flute and piccolo.

“Kento and Lillian won their spots in the symphony against adult musicians with music degrees,” Kyle Hopkins, associate professor of music and director of bands at McPherson College, said. “If they want to, they can continue to

They both started, as many play with the symphony after they graduate. people do, in middle school walking into a big room filled

The positions are with lots of instruments to try. theirs as long as they want. That distinguishes them from the other students who play with the symphony.”

For Kento and Lillian, playing with a symphony orchestra was a goal and a level of musicianship they both hoped to reach. They are grateful to have the opportunity as students.

“It had been a goal of mine, but I didn’t expect it to happen in college,” Lillian said. “It’s so competitive but also very liberating to play in a group where everybody cares so much about the music.”

Ken Hakoda, music director and conductor of the Salina Symphony, welcomes musicians of all ages to perform and especially enjoys what younger musicians can bring to the group.

“We are thankful to have student musicians of Kento and Lillian’s caliber playing with the symphony,” he said. “Younger players bring a unique energy to the ensemble. As an educator, it is exciting to me that our orchestra is able to feature musicians of the younger generation.”

Both had quite a bit of experience prior to auditioning for the Salina Symphony. They both played in the Wichita Youth Symphony in high school, had been selected for collegiate honor bands, and have been substituting in the Salina Symphony for a few years. So when their band director and symphony member, Hopkins, suggested they try out for permanent spots in the orchestra they decided to give it a try.

“It was definitely the hardest excerpt I’ve ever had to prepare,” Kento said. “My teacher and I had been working on the piece for months before the audition. I wasn’t too nervous because I felt prepared. I was more excited about the opportunity.”

Kento and his instructor, Chris Johnson, both ended up auditioning for the two clarinet openings in the symphony and fortunately they were both selected.

“Being able to play with my teacher is great,” Kento said. “Playing alongside somebody of that caliber is a blast.”

The Salina Symphony performs four regular season concerts in the Stiefel Theatre as well as special encore performances each year, including its annual Symphony at Sunset on the grounds of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene.

Neither Lillian nor Kento started out thinking that playing an instrument would be such a large part of their lives. They both started, as many people do, in middle school walking into a big room filled with lots of instruments to try. Lillian tried the flute because she had one at home that had been handed down from a cousin, and Kento thought the clarinet looked like a recorder, which he remembered playing in elementary school.

For Kento, music and playing an instrument became a safe haven for him. He moved to the United States from Japan at age 10 and didn’t know English well. Music class became his favorite class, the one he looked forward to each day. When he started playing the clarinet, he was not the best player but was pushed by good teachers and realized with practice he could get better.

“It was hard. I really had to work at it,” he said. “In seventh grade, I wanted a professional instrument, which was very expensive and I talked my family into buying it. That’s when I decided that I had to practice and that’s when I started taking lessons.”

Lillian also started taking private lessons in seventh grade and continued through high school and college. According to

“One of my biggest challenges with Kento and Lillian and other really good students is keeping them challenged with the music,” he said. “It would be so easy for them to plateau. They both work to improve and continue taking lessons and they don’t have to.”

Continuing to improve and be challenged through music is what has shaped her life, according to Lillian. She has learned lessons beyond notes and rhythms from studying music.

“It’s really a discipline that has shaped me as a person,” she said. “I’m thankful for what music has taught me. The art of practicing and sticking with something has benefitted my personal drive and made me more dedicated to all the things that I do.”

Their love of music and its benefits is something they have each tried to pass on to younger musicians. Both Kento and Lillian have volunteered at the McPherson Middle School teaching band students.

“You learn even more when you teach something,” Lillian said. “If you have a talent, you should help others who are trying to learn.”

Kento also likes the idea of making band fun for students just getting started. He has been offering private lessons to younger students since his freshman year at McPherson College.

“I like helping them get better by learning notes and fingering and understanding what they are playing. It makes it more enjoyable for them,” he said. “I pursued this because as a child I didn’t have a lot of money to pay for lessons. This is my way of giving back - paying it forward.”

Helping others see that music can bring you joy no Hopkins, it is what sets them apart. matter what your age is a mission shared by Kento and Lillian’s current band director. Hopkins likes to compare the satisfaction he gets from music to sports, of which he is also a big fan. He points out that his days of participating in sports are now just memories, but he continues to participate and improve his musical abilities.

“I think that is the profoundness of music,” he said. “Music is a life-long activity that can bring you joy and meaning for all the days of your life. That’s something that not every subject can do. And it’s not just music majors that participate. It’s the everyday person who makes music part of their lives that drives the profoundness. My mission as an educator is to keep people playing music.”