High note: Balingit recognized as one of region’s top young musicians
As an accomplished artist, Manteca High senior Renato Balingit can play a wide range of instruments. He’s also been the saxophone section leader since his sophomore year. (Alan Verdin)
By RONNIE FUENTES
The Tower
For some, being a part of band might seem like an easy task. In reality, though, it involves more than just playing the instrument you’re assigned to play.
It’s about becoming a team, no different than those the band plays for on Friday evenings in the fall and throughout the winter.
Manteca High senior Renato Balingit has the gift of versatility and talent. Balingit is very involved on campus as he is a major piece in Asian Pacific Islanders (API) Club as the treasurer, Robotics Club social media manager, and he is a tutor and site coordinator with Give Every Child a Chance.
However, band has allowed Balingit to spread his passion and harmonization to the ears of the community.
“For me, band has always been about the community. Of course, it’s also about passion and creativity, but I have always appreciated the team aspect of the class. Most academic classes stress individual success. While you can work with your classmates, every student is accountable for themselves and their own performance,” said Balingit. “I like how band breaks away from the traditional model of education by emphasizing group harmony and collaboration.
“Being in band is special because it surrounds you with passionate people all sharing the same goal. I think there’s a lot of power and inspiration by the community that band creates.”
Manteca High senior Renato Balingit (left) is a member of the Manteca Unified School District and San Joaquin County honor bands, and a recent recipient of the Nelson Zane Award and four-year award from the district. (Photo contributed)
Cody Marchetti, Manteca High’s band director, has played a great role in Balingit’s band career. Marchetti has imparted many valuable life skills, such as leadership, which helps students become better leaders in and out of their community. Marchetti recognizes Balingit as a student who takes his position in band seriously.
“He is truly an exemplary student. Extremely intelligent, a highly skilled musician, and a strong and caring leader,” Marchetti wrote in an email to The Tower.
“He is extremely kind and welcoming of everyone in the band and at school in general. He is very dependent-he does all band events and never misses even a rehearsal.”
Music has always taken centerstage in Balingit’s life. At a young age, Balingit decided band was the best thing to be involved in. It came to him like a second language … but it wasn’t the second language his parents intended for him.
“I’ve been in band since I was 11 years old. When we were choosing our electives in middle school, my dad told me to take Spanish and learn another language,” he said. “I was a horrible kid though, so I changed my choice to band without telling me.”
Balingit has also been recognized as a member of both the Manteca Unified School District and San Joaquin County honor bands. To be in the county band, students must send an audition tape to the county band to be selected by Director Dr. David Vickerman and his committee. Being in the county honor band is a way for students to grow their experience as artists.
“Honor bands are meant to bring together the most talented musicians in a community for a few rehearsals leading up to a public concert. Students get into honor bands by sending in recorded auditions to their band directors, who then submit them to whichever committee chooses the members,” said Balingit. “The auditions include a set of scales and an excerpt that students spend months perfecting. After students get in, there is one more round of in-person auditions to determine the chair order and solos. After all the auditioning is done, you get to have a lot of fun learning new music and meeting new people.”
Being in either honor band is a rare feat. Only a select few are in the honor bands from each high school around the district.
“He was in both the Manteca Unified District honor band and the San Joaquin County honor band for all four years of his high school career,” Marchetti wrote. “This is a very rare feat and only about three to four kids from each band achieved that.”
As an accomplished artist, Balingit can play a wide range of instruments. While he is usually covering the alto saxophone, he can also play the soprano saxophone. Playing many instruments has led Balingit to be a section leader since his sophomore year.
Balingit recently received the Nelson Zane Award and a four-year award from the district.
“I also play the flute, piccolo and ukelele regularly. I have a trumpet, violin, and a piano at home that I plan on learning someday. Band has also let me try new instruments, such as the baritone saxophone and bassoon,” he said. “… I’ve been the saxophone section leader since I was a sophomore, and I’m so thankful for every experience I’ve had and relationships I’ve formed during the time in my position.”
Without Balingit in the school band, Marchetti said, “He has also been our top saxophone student and has performed many solos and features within our band music. We would not be as successful of a band without him being there.”