desire to channel her personality creatively . “ It gives me a way to express myself and it ’ s a way for other people to understand me . It pushes me to be the best I can be ,” Thalay said .
She plays both the violin and viola but prefers the deeper , richer sounds of the viola . She has her own viola , a hand-me-down instrument from an older cousin .
“ She has been an incredible asset to our orchestra , sometimes playing up to three different parts to help the orchestra sound well rounded ,” Sandler said . “ She can read multiple clefs of music and can play her viola far beyond what most middle schoolers can achieve . She is very independent and self-sufficient .”
Thalay is an excellence student in all of her classes but enjoys history and English the most , especially writing stories and poems . She is also Scandinavian ’ s student body president and part of the Lao cultural dance club .
Thalay has ambitious dreams , and she ’ s working hard to achieve them .
“ I need to believe in myself and have confidence . If you believe in yourself , anything is possible ,” Thalay said .
Sandler said she has a special gift . He recalls Thalay at the beginning of school last year playing the violin part along with other students by ear .
“ This is a skill some professional musicians even struggle with . I was completely shocked . How lucky we have been to have a student like Thalay in our program ,” Sandler said . “ Students like Thalay come around once in a blue moon . She has a love for music and she understands that all it takes is a little bit of practice to gain so many skills on this instrument . She is a rare gem , who helps our program grow and achieve higher goals .”
Fresno Unified has a flourishing music program , with middle and high schools offering band , orchestra and choir . High schools also offer piano as well as History of Rock n Roll . Bullard High School also has recording classes and mariachi is offered at Roosevelt , McLane and Bullard high schools and at Bullard TALENT and Tehipite middle schools .
At elementary schools , grades 1-4 offer classroom music . In grades 5 and 6 , students can choose band , strings or choir at most schools . Some elementary campuses also offer mariachi .
The district has 55 elementary music teachers , 19 middle school music teachers , and 17 high school music teachers .
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