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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

Focused on his music, senior Noah Wright plays his trumpet alongside the rest of trumpet section during his second hour class. Wright has been playing in the Jazz Band since his sophomore year, but this is his first year playing with a full instrumentation.“With there being more people, we’ve really been able to push ourselves,” Wright said. “We really have depth in the parts.”

Jazz Band gets a full instrumentation

Peyton Gaskill, STAFF WRITER November 2, 2018

For the first time since 2001, the Jazz Band has a full instrumentation. This means that the band has players for each instrument required for musical pieces written for large bands, including saxophones,...

Practicing during school, senior Gwyn Allendorph works on music for an outside ensemble. One of her most impactful moments in music was listening to melodies in the strings during a performance of the Peer Gynt Suite at Powell Hall. “One of my favorite pieces of all time to play is Donzón no. 2 by Arturo Márquez, that was the first piece we ever started rehearsing in the YPCO in my first year,” Allendorph said.

Senior oboist Gwyn Allendorph works to make her passion a career

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR October 16, 2018

If you want to find senior Gwyn Allendorph, check a practice room, a stage in Webster Groves or perhaps Powell Hall. An accomplished oboist, Allendorph is currently in four symphonic orchestras and has...

Senior Meghan Stanfield, junior Theresa Monteleone and senior Chloe Hershenow perform enthusiastically in Jazz Choir at the First Annual Music Department Showcase Concert. This is Stanfield’s second year in the ensemble. “Singing is my passion, and it’s so nice to come to class to just sing with all my friends,” Stanfield said. “It really helps me forget about all the chaos of the world.”

Showcase concert sets music department off on a strong start

Maria Newton, FEATURES EDITOR October 8, 2018

As parents, friends and students poured into the gymnasium, they were met with the rhythmic pounding of the Marching Band. The strong metronome, meant to keep the marchers in synchronization, was captivating. This...

Taking a break from recording, junior Andrew Jolly and senior Ali Yumuk laugh while working on their debut album “Up To No Good Volume 1.” The album is made up of eight original rap songs available on SoundCloud and Spotify. “Being together in a studio and recording together is a lot better than recording on your own in your own studio and then sending it to them,” Jolly said. “It gives you a much greater connection because you’re both part of the atmosphere of the album, and you’re a part of all the songs, even if you don’t have a part in them. Being in the studio with people is a such a tight knit feeling.”

Junior Andrew Jolly and senior Ali Yumuk release debut rap album

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor October 8, 2018

Sparked by a shared interest in music and their favorite rapper Logic, senior Ali Yumuk and junior Andrew Jolly, wrote, recorded and produced their own rap album. After meeting for the first time,...

“Bloom” Album Review

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor October 4, 2018

With early beginnings as a YouTube personality, Australian singer and songwriter Troye Sivan officially graduated from making videos to composing and recording his own music in 2014. Sivan released...

Freshman Caleb Upchurch plays the french horn in concert band. “I think band has been fun so far, and the level of music is about average,” Upchurch said. Currently in the process of selecting what to play in their October concert, the students are playing a wide variety of pieces from Robert Sheldon to Caesar Giovannini.

Musicians flourish with auditioned bands

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR September 7, 2018

Walk down the music hallway at any given time of day and there is probably a band student working in a practice room. Come back during third, fifth or sixth hour and find a full band rehearsing their pieces,...

“Pray For The Wicked” review

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR June 28, 2018

Panic! At The Disco’s latest album “Pray For The Wicked” needs some prayers itself. The album was lackluster, choppy and while the messages that the band was trying to convey about their journey...

With a violin cradled in his arms, junior Jason Wan performs at a fall orchestra concert. Wan, who practices violin for roughly an hour a day, was selected to participate in the All-State orchestra at the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) conference. “Every year you go to Mizzou and there’s a lot of people that audition so you have to stay there for a couple hours,” Wan said. “[At the conference] you rehearse for six to eight hours a day and then you perform on the last day. Some people practice their music before they get there.”

Three students attend prestigious All-State music conference

Tyler Kinzy, Managing Editor-in-Chief March 5, 2018

From the morning of Jan. 24 through the evening of Jan. 27, music permeated the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Lake of the Ozarks. At the 80th annual Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) conference, juniors...

Valentine's Day Playlist

Valentine’s Day Playlist

Dani Fischer, MANAGING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF February 14, 2018

That time of year has rolled around again: time for chocolates, flowers and single people pretending that they are not sad. It’s Valentine’s Day. Most of the time, I dread Valentine’s Day. It...

BØRNS concert review

Maria Newton, FEATURES EDITOR February 6, 2018

Alternative rock band BØRNS took the stage in St. Louis on Jan. 30 for a concert at the Pageant. The small venue provided fans with a close-up view of the main singer/songwriter Garrett Clark Borns while...