Pete Moye’
Arts Button

Students in the Music Applied Program at Cerritos had the chance to perform in this years, “Taste of the Region and Business Expo.”

The event was presented by the Cerritos Regional Chamber of Commerce and was held at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Sept. 15. 

Student performers were selected by David Betancourt, the chair of the Music Department. The students chosen needed to be a part of the Music Applied Program and were asked to volunteer for the Expo.

Along with student performers, special guest Fran Newman was also invited by Cerritos to play at the event. Fran Newman was the former Vice President of Student Affairs at Cerritos and is now retired.

According to Newman, her participation stemmed from having worked at the college and from the contacts she had. She performed in the lobby stage as the pianist.

“I used to play for a lot of activities for the college. So, they asked me to play here today,” Newman said.

“It’s wonderful to see students from the Music Applied Program also perform here, they’ve always had a strong Music Department at Cerritos.”

Guests at the Expo had the chance to enjoy exhibitions from many sponsors including big names like AT&T, T-Mobile, Wingstop, and, of course, Cerritos College.

Outside by the fountain area, Krissia Molina and Michael Herrera, both music education majors, were playing classical and jazz music, as part of the saxophone duo.

“We’re part of the concert band and the jazz band at Cerritos,” Molina said, who plays the alto saxophone. “So we also do concerts at school along with other events with the school. But by ourselves, this our first performance as a duo.”

Cerritos College students of past and present took time out of their day to attend the Expo and enjoy the music.

“These guys are great!” Anne Van Epps said, an Artesia High School teacher. “I attended Cerritos in 1974, and it’s good seeing students from Cerritos performing today. My granddaughter and I are really loving it!”

“I found out about this event through the city newspaper,” Marcia Arreola, psychology major said. “I did not know the students from Cerritos were going to be performing today, I love it. It really sets the mood for the event.” 

Bob Arthur, vice president of the Board of Trustees, was also in attendance showing his support for the Chamber of Commerce and Cerritos.

“That’s terrific that Cerritos College students are performing, it’s just phenomenal. I love this type of music that they’re playing, chamber music like this is terrific. They are very talented people.”

Inside the Sierra Room of the Center, an ensemble of four students performed for the guests at the Expo.

Joel Tercero said, “I was excited for the opportunity and said, ‘sure why not?'” flute player and music education major. “Today we played classical literature for about an hour. We play at events like these every now and then, I came here today for the food.”

Janet Cisneros, a music education major and the clarinet player of the ensemble, gave insight on how performing at events and being a part of the Music Applied Program helps her become a better musician. 

“The Music Applied Program is a great program for students to better learn how to play their instruments. Playing for events like these are very beneficial to our skills and we also get to add the performances that we take part in to our resumes.

“This is part of an experience and the more we get asked to do events like this, it’s only going to better the musicians. It’s an honor, you take all the opportunities you can to better yourself as a musician and gain more experience.”