From Monday, October 26^th to Tuesday, October 27^th, the Cal State LA Wind Ensemble will go on tour to San Diego. They will visit Canyon Crest Academy, San Ysidro High School, Rancho Buena High School and perform at Fullerton College on their way back to campus.

The mission of this tour is to recruit prospective high school students and transfer students to apply for Cal State LA, as well as give our students the opportunity to learn how to keep their performance fresh when they have to perform the same thing multiple times in a roll. The director of Wind Ensemble, Dr. Emily A. Moss stated, “[This tour] gives people who are not from local areas a chance to hear the Cal State LA Wind Ensemble, get a better sense of who we are and what we do.” With the Department of Music, Theatre, & Dance and the College of Arts & Letters’ support, it’s a win-win tour for the ensemble and its audience.

At each high school, the concert will be a combination of clinic and performance. Each interested High school students will be able to sit next to a Wind Ensemble musician and play along with the band. They will learn much more about Cal State LA and experience the magic of performing on stage with fellow musicians. The Cal State LA Wind Ensemble’s repertoire includes Courtly Airs & Dances by Ron Nelson, Don Ricardo by Gabriel Musella, Variations on a Korean Folk Song by John Barnes Chance, La Peri Fanfare by Paul Dukas, and Passacaglia by J.S. Bach.

Cal State LA is known for its Music Education program, which is now led by Dr. Emily A. Moss. The number of students majoring in Music Education is growing with a well-balanced gender ratio. However, the percentage of female band directors is significantly low nationwide. A recent study conducted by MENC, the National Association of Music Education, shows that male high school band directors outnumber women in that field by a ratio of 3:1. Not to even mention the gender ratio of band directors at university level. Although Dr. Moss is a member of this specific minority, she has never doubted her career choice. “I always knew I wanted to teach music since I was 16 years old,” she said with radiant confidence, “showing these kids a little something to do differently and seeing them succeed are absolutely amazing.”

However, many women have trouble choosing their careers in this field because they want to have a family in the future and it’s difficult to be successful in both simultaneously. Working as a band director at higher educational level is especially time-consuming and challenging. When asked about the secret of keeping work and life balanced, Dr. Moss replied, “For me, it was never a question. This is what I’m doing, I’m gonna do it and I’m gonna make it work. And guess what, men have been having a job and a family at the same time since forever. You just have to find a life partner who will be okay with it.” Things are changing and even with doubts often in mind, women do have the power to achieve our dreams nowadays. A lot of times the most troubling obstacles are our own self-doubting thoughts.

To young women who are not certain if they can succeed on their career paths and have a wonderful family at the same time, Dr. Moss has the perfect advice. “[I believe that] young men are having a better sense that their traditional roles no longer exist and [in fact] they want to get more involved. It’s not the old model any more,” she said, “[so] pursue your dream, and pursue the things you want to do. Just know that your personal life can work with it, go out and seek a partner that will work with YOU.”

At last, Dr. Moss has 3 tips for all Music Education majors:

• Be absolutely the best musician you can be on your own instrument, don’t think your own performance is not important.
• All of the core classes (Music Theory, Musicianship, etc.) will be everything to a conductor even if they seemed hideous at the time you were taking it.
• Make sure you spend a lot of time observing many different teachers and learn from them.