Quiet Songbird: Ibarra named to county honor band

By BRYAN JIMENEZ
The Tower

Manteca High senior Veronica Ibarra is an introverted student but once she enters the band room, she speaks loudly in her own language: music.

Ibarra has a passion for music and plans to be among the best by practicing the flute daily. Her ultimate goal is to become a professional flute player, which she views as motivation. She follows along with instrumentals to perfect her music.

Manteca High senior Veronica Ibarra is a flautist for the Manteca High and San Joaquin County Honor bands. (Moises Ramos/The Tower)

In 2024, she joined the San Joaquin County Office of Education honor band, which consists of 256 students, of which 97 are band members. Band members were selected from 22 schools, spanning 10 districts in the San Joaquin County. The honor band auditions are annual and performs the second Saturday in January at Delta College.

From a young age, her passion for music has always been strong, prompting her to pursue it. She was initially drawn to the percussion, but at the last moment she found herself picking the flute.

She has stuck with it ever since.

“I have always liked music since I was a child, but when I joined band. I experienced how music is, and I enjoyed it much more,” Ibarra. “Yes, originally I was going to do percussion but last minute I decided to play the flute.”

She typically refines her flute playing skills by listening to recordings of the flute and playing along to gain a better idea of how to play it. Witnessing others play the flute strengthened her passion for music, and it drew her closer to the instrument. She would observe their skill and talent; wishing to become one of them. Since becoming a band member at MHS, she has made significant progress in terms of her instrumental progression and looks forward to further improvement in the future.

When asked about her improvement in her flute playing skills, Ibarra stated, “In the beginning, I wasn’t able to hit the high notes, but now I’m pretty sure I’m able to do that.”

(Jesus Sarmiento/The Tower)

Ibarra was able to navigate the difficulties of playing in a higher octave. This takes an enormous amount of skill and dedication to complete this.

The current band teacher at MHS, Cody Marchetti, has also seen her talents and commitment to music. Marchetti began instructing band at an elementary school, previously to his role at Manteca High. He served at Joshua Cowell. Marchetti serves an inspiration, being motivational: While still having a fun atmosphere.

“I have had Veronica for four years in total, making this her senior year. She has always been a very quiet student but a tremendous musician,” Marchetti said. “This year she has taken the lead to do the County Honor Band or District Honor Band, but she was able to make it into both and has been successful in both.”

Snowden Synder, another member from the District Honor Band and a junior at MHS, commented on Veronica’s progression and commitment towards music.

“I believe what stands out most about Veronica is how quiet she is especially outside of band,” Snyder said, “but when she stands in that room, she’s a completely different person.”

Ibarra has proven to be an excellent musician in the band, always giving it 100 percent in practices, attending every single event. She serves as a source of inspiration for the upcoming musicians. Ibarra has always had a strong passion for music and hopes one day to be among the best.