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Schools

Whiz Kid: Madelyn Lane, Smart Musical Ice Skater

This well-rounded honor roll student enjoys everything from competitive figure skating to playing the French horn.

Whiz Kid: Madelyn Lane

Parents: Mitch and Amy Lane

School/Grade: Las Flores Middle School, seventh grade

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City of Residence: Coto de Caza

Whiz Kid Achievement:  An honor roll student, competitive figure skater and member of the Lion’s Heart Community Service Organization, Madelyn is also an avid saxophone and French horn player.

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Key to Awesomeness:  Madelyn Lane was in the fourth grade when she was introduced to music. She sang in the Wagon Wheel Elementary School Choir and played the recorder. In the fifth and sixth grades, she took up the clarinet. The summer before seventh grade, she began private lessons with local music teacher Cheryl Suwardi and picked up the French horn and the alto saxophone. She quickly learned both instruments and went on to study music theory, write her own music, improvise, and study the history of the saxophone as well as world music. During her study of world music, Madelyn picked up the Native American flute and Andean panpipes and enjoyed playing those instruments as well.

According to Suwardi, Madelyn is “an enthusiastic learner and knowledgeable student who can analyze her music. She is attentive to details and likes to learn about the history of the composers and pieces she is learning so she can perform with a greater understanding of the music.”

Madelyn regularly performs in concerts at school and in the community with the Las Flores Middle School Band; one of the highlights was playing at Disneyland in the sixth grade. This past year, she performed in the All Southern California School Band and Orchestra Music Festival. Her school’s band, directed by Andy Magana, performed “An English Celebration” and “Portrait of a Clown.” They received a unanimous superior rating; out of 22 bands and orchestras, her school was the only middle school to receive this high rating.

Said Madelyn, “My favorite part of learning to play an instrument is how many different styles of music you can play with the saxophone (Jazz, pop, blues, etc.) My favorite part of the lesson is playing my music and getting better each time.” When asked what she has found most interesting as she has studied music theory and world music, Madelyn replied, “They are all very interesting because they are each different, so you are always learning new things and experiencing different types of music. I liked learning about different instruments that other countries have during World Music Studies because these were instruments I never would have learned or heard about otherwise.”

An honor roll student at Las Flores, Madelyn also started playing lacrosse for the first time this year. She is a competitive figure skater and practices in the mornings before school starts. She also enjoys horseback riding and loves all animals. She is a member of the Lions Heart Community Service Organization as well.

For her passion for music, as well as her outstanding dedication to her studies, sports and the community, Madelyn Lane makes a wonderful candidate for this week’s Whiz Kid.

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