Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

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Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

The madness behind the music

Strings+senior+Celine+Castronuovo+%28L-R%29%2C+strings+junior+Nozomi+Yasuda%2C+strings+seniors+Kevonna+Shuford%2C+Bailey+Warren%2C+Aaron+Shulman%2C+Tomas+Bruderer%2C+strings+junior+Sarah+King%2C+strings+senior+Juliet+Schreiber%2C+and+strings+junior+Dana+Esposito+stand+at+the+walkway+outside+of+the+Tampa+Convention+Center+on+Jan.+15.+Dreyfoos+music+students+attended+the+All-State+Florida+Music+Educators+Association+Conference+at+the+convention+center+from+Jan.+13-16.+
Photo courtesy of Celine Castronuovo
Strings senior Celine Castronuovo (L-R), strings junior Nozomi Yasuda, strings seniors Kevonna Shuford, Bailey Warren, Aaron Shulman, Tomas Bruderer, strings junior Sarah King, strings senior Juliet Schreiber, and strings junior Dana Esposito stand at the walkway outside of the Tampa Convention Center on Jan. 15. Dreyfoos music students attended the All-State Florida Music Educators’ Association Conference at the convention center from Jan. 13-16.

Eat. Sleep. Play.

This is what the schedule consists of each year at the All-State Florida Music Educators’ Association Conference in Tampa. After attending All-State my sophomore year, I was aware of the strict devotion to music that this trip would require, as the honor of being selected through a rigorous audition process comes with a few expectations. However, within the brief slips of time between the hours upon hours of going deeper into Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” and trying to acquire at least six hours of sleep, the unexpected moments which come to define each All-State trip occurred.

Strings seniors Celine Castronuovo (L-R), Juliet Schreiber, Tomas Bruderer, Aaron Shulman, Bailey Warren, and Kevonna Shuford pose for a picture in between rehearsals at the All-State Florida Music Educators’ Association Conference. Music students were selected across the state to play at this conference at the Tampa Convention Center from Jan. 13-16.
Photo courtesy of Celine Castronuovo
Strings seniors Celine Castronuovo (L-R), Juliet Schreiber, Tomas Bruderer, Aaron Shulman, Bailey Warren, and Kevonna Shuford pose for a picture in between rehearsals at the All-State Florida Music Educators’ Association Conference. Music students were selected across the state to play at this conference at the Tampa Convention Center from Jan. 13-16.

The room fiasco

After arriving in Tampa with 19 other strings majors on the evening of Jan. 13, I made the journey up to the top floor of the 27-story hotel with my roommates, strings juniors Sofia Perez and Nozomi Yasuda. After what seemed like a 10-minute long elevator ride, due to the magnitude of people present for this conference, we finally arrived at our room. With our suitcases, backpacks, and instruments in hand, we found comfort in the possibility of having a few moments to settle in before we were expected to attend a concert that evening. We walked into our room, however, to find only one bed. Our little time for “settling in” was instead occupied by having to drag our things back down the elevator to hold in a chaperone’s room before our new room was ready.

Impromptu dance party

After the exhaustion that is two days full of seating auditions and rehearsals, the other strings majors and I looked forward to the All-State tradition of going out to eat at the Thai Thani restaurant on Friday night. Following the many laughs that ensued over dinner, we gathered outside to enjoy the live music being played by some type of 80s rock duo. One of the greatest sights one can ever behold is seeing a group of strings majors attempting to dance. Although I am sure the other people who came to enjoy the music would have much rather preferred not listening to a bunch of high schoolers belt out the words to Bon Jovi’s “Livin on a Prayer” and watching them dance interpretively. I can honestly say that that was one moment that will stay with me throughout the entire All-State trip was dancing in a conga line up and down a flight of stairs.

We lost our roommate

After making our way back to the hotel from the dance party, Perez and I gathered up to our room to discover that Yasuda was not with us. We waited about 10 minutes for her to respond to our text messages or come back to the room to settle in for the night. We decided that it would probably not be a good thing to tell one of the chaperones that our roommate was nowhere to be found. Perez and I decided to embark on a journey to find our friend. After traveling down the elevator and walking through the lobby, we finally found Yasuda on the outside patio of the hotel playing cards with other students on the trip.

While I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to learn from educators and make music with serious musicians from all across the state, the moments that will stay with me are those brief ones in between the big ones.

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About the Contributor
Celine Castronuovo, Op/Ed Staffer
Celine Castronuovo is a first-year staffer on The Muse working on the Op/Ed section and is a strings senior at Dreyfoos. While the violin has been a part of her life since second grade, her passion for journalism started with her participation on the newspaper staff at Bak Middle School of the Arts. Castronuovo attended the National Student Leadership Conference for Journalism, Film, and Media Arts at American University before starting her junior year and hopes to pursue a major in journalism in college with a focus on international relations. This is her third year as a violinist in the Dreyfoos Philharmonic Orchestra and she currently serves as Co-President of Tri-M Music Honor Society, Secretary of National History Honor Society, and Social Media Committee Chair of Key Club. Her recent participation in a mission trip to Haiti inspired her to become more aware of the world around her, an interest she hopes to bring to The Muse this year, as well as in her future career as a journalist.
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