|
|
| MAP
GRADUATION |
|||||
|
 William Wang, graduating senior |
We all have memories
we associate with graduations—endless speeches, long lists of awards,
graduates' names somberly intoned. Pomp and Circumstances. They simply
do not apply to the annual graduation program of BSM's Music Access Project.
Our MAP graduation is an occasion to celebrate the people who completed the three-year program. Even though the MAP program is over 15 years old, this is just our 5th formal graduation program and it was the idea of MAP alumnus and program director Brandon Vazquez. So, on June 21, current MAP students, some MAP alumni, faculty, and parents gathered in David Greer Recial Hall. This year we celebrated William Wang, remembering his history with the program, his growth as a musician, and the hopes we all hold for him as he goes off to Georgetown University in the fall. William played a Beethoven piano sonata for us. William's piano teacher of the last six years Marc Peloquin spoke briefly, as did Brandon and I, and William himself. The Music Access Project is a bit of a pressure cooker—an intense program with lots of high expectations, and pressures. At the end of the year, there is a justifiable sense of exhaustion. After 15 years of the MAP program, I certainly did not expect to be moved so deeply as I was by this simple, dignified ceremony. But I was and now what I will remember about this year is the extraordinary young men and women who work so hard to achieve and the dedicated faculty and counsellors who help them realize their dreams. Good luck William! Lawrence Davis From left: award winners Vinicio Haro and Aaron Morales, and MAP director Brandon Vazquez |
|||
|
|||||
|
|||||