By Khalida Sarwari
Some people get their kicks from a workout at the gym or hiking on steep terrain. Cheryl Chang just has to pick up her instrument.
“Much like the endorphins that kick in after exercising, I get the same kind of feeling when I play the flute,” said the Lynbrook High School senior.
Chang was selected last month as the featured soloist for the Santa Clara County Honor Band concert at Saratoga High School on Jan. 12. Chang’s reaction, upon learning of her selection, involved a lot of jumping up and down on her bed.
She was “excited and jubilant,” the Fremont Union High School District said in a statement.
Chang is expected to play the Chaminade Concertino backed by an orchestra of 50 musicians.
Chang plays with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the San Jose Youth Orchestra and Symphony, and the Lynbrook High School Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. She also participates in the LHS Music for the Community Club and swims for the LHS varsity swim team.
Chang was only 7 when she took up the flute. When her parents took her to a local music store and gave her the freedom to choose any musical instrument, she was immediately drawn to the shininess of the flute. It was love at first sight, and Chang has been playing ever since.
“When you walk into a practice room, you leave everything behind and fully immerse yourself in the music,” she said.
Chang said she intends to continue playing in college and beyond; she plans to pursue a career in medicine with a possible minor in music.
According to the district, more than one-third of the 103 members of the honor band are FUHSD students.
