Redondo High band director Vizcarra champions careers of young musicians

Redondo Union High band director Ray Vizcarra led the Sea Hawks to a State Championships. Photo by Sam Leksunthon

Redondo Union High School band director Ray Vizcarra had an idea of what he wanted to be from as early on as an elementary school.

“You were required to write these essays at the end of fifth grade, eighth grade, and looking through some old papers, my dream was always to become a teacher, a musician, or an actor,” Vizcarra said. “I guess it ended up as ‘music teacher.’”

He knew he had made the right decision when the Redondo Union High School Marching Band was the 2015 California State Championships.

“The judges were calling out the bands’ places and once they announced twelfth place, we were relieved because we knew we did better than we had in 2014,” Vizcarra said. “They kept calling bands and we hadn’t been called and they were at the top two spots and… we hadn’t only made championships, we held the top spot,” Vizcarra said.

Vizcarra’s music career began his freshman year at Fremont High School in Los Angeles when he joined the marching band on trombone. By the end of the year, he was a section leader

“By the time I was a junior we had 18 students playing trombone who had never played before. So it was my duty as section leader to help. I thought, ‘I like this, I like being able to help others learn instruments.’”

In college. Vizcarra learned a new instrument every semester while studying to become a band director. He’s still learning.

This summer he traveled to Michigan State for a music education program.

“It opens your mind to new ways of teaching music,” Vizcarra said. “Techniques like students giving feedback and input. There are a lot of issues we talk about, not just about teaching music but about ourselves and growing as a person.”

“I always want the students to feel welcome. I let them know I’m there for them no matter what,” Vizcarra said.

When he arrived at Redondo Union in 2014, his plans for rebuilding the program met with resistance from some students and parents.  

“I did as much as possible to keep it the same way, for the sake of not having so much pushback, but you have to make the program your own. If old ideas and traditions aren’t working for you, you can’t keep upholding them,” Vizcarra said.

“What I love is just the product, the end product. At the beginning, it sounds close to awful in some cases. There are times when it’s a major challenge. But by the time they’re performing at the championship, it’s just breathtaking. The jazz and concert bands went to Carnegie Hall. The emotional feeling from working so hard to get to that level, playing challenging music was incredible.”

“The best part is teaching music. If it was only about teaching music, and I didn’t have to deal with grades, roll, emails, planning this, planning that, if it was just teaching music, that would be the best,” Vizcarra said.

Vizcarra encourages all students to play an instrument.

“You don’t have to have natural talent. As long as there is a will to learn, any student can achieve success in a musical setting. I’ve seen that throughout the years,” Vizcarra said. “It gives me joy to know that I’m a part of that.”

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