Not that Wellesley’s Linden Square courtyard benches and seats aren’t quite comfortable, but these brilliant wheelbarrow chairs just might be the next great advance in comfort for weary workers and shoppers.
Wellesley POPS Senior Profile: Andrew Song swings between the stage & medley of pursuits
Special to The Swellesley Report courtesy of the Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one in a series of POPS Senior Profiles we’ll be publishing.
For many, picking up a new instrument, starting to learn a new language, or perfecting a restaurant-quality dish might fall on their aspirational bucket list, but Wellesley High School senior Andrew Song has achieved these goals, all while juggling the academic and social expectations of high school.
Song’s first substantial foray into music began in seventh grade with the alto saxophone.
“Initially, I hated it, because I always sounded terrible and was discouraged by my awful sound and lack of musicianship,” said Song.
Despite this initial challenge, Song’s band instructor, Dave Adams, encouraged him to switch to the tenor saxophone, a slightly larger instrument. The tenor saxophone catalyzed Song’s interest in jazz, and in eighth grade, he joined the Monday Jazz Band at the middle school. There, he was introduced to the baritone saxophone, an even larger instrument. Song loved the sound of the baritone sax, but he chose to stick with the tenor until he branched out even further in high school.
Song plays in the high school Wind Ensemble and the 2:00 Jazz Band as an intensive student. Outside of school, he plays the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone along with the clarinet for the Beantown Swing Orchestra.
“There, we highlight the good old classic songs from the 1940s and play vintage horns in live gigs around Boston, which has been a ton of fun. In some songs, we literally whistle while we work,” Song said.
For someone who had focused solely on the saxophone for so long, the addition of the jazz clarinet was both an adjustment and an expectation for his position in the Beantown Swing Orchestra.
“All the saxophones play clarinet, which is typical of traditional swing jazz music,” Song said.
Swing jazz is a genre that came from Black American roots and roared to popularity in the United States during the late 1920s. Swing jazz features a larger band and more dance-friendly rhythms, which Song’s various instruments contribute to.
Song’s decision to add the clarinet to his repertoire required persistence and a lot of patience. Kenneth Reid, Song’s private teacher and mentor, now instructs Song in both the saxophone and the clarinet.
“[My teacher] was a little bit skeptical at first, but at the same time, he said we could give it a go. He calls the clarinet the ‘agony stick,’” said Song.
For many saxophone players and clarinetists, playing the other instrument is not an extreme adjustment. Both the clarinet and the saxophone have a single reed and a similar fingering system, but the method of breath support and mouth position is different.
“The notes aren’t exactly the same, but there are a lot of similarities,” Song said.
Song’s ability to learn new disciplines by drawing on their similarities extends beyond music. While learning Mandarin Chinese in school, Song is learning Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish in the free time he finds between his many obligations.
“For learning languages, just like learning new instruments, you just have to listen to a lot of it,” said Song.
Some of Song’s language learning occurs at the fine-dining restaurant Mistral, where he works as a professional chef.
“[Song] has the skills. His page on Instagram is filled with his delicious creations. I can’t wait to try one of them,” said Ben Harris ’25, a friend of Song’s and fellow musician.
While Song spends his time in a multitude of ways, music consumes most of his waking hours.
“Whenever I’m not hitting the books, swimming, eating, or sleeping, I’m almost always doing something music-related, whether it’s finding new songs to solo over or scrolling through YouTube to look for transcriptions of jazz standards,” said Song.
Teachers like Steve Scott, the conductor of the high school’s band ensembles, have noticed this passion. “[His] genuine inquisitiveness about jazz improvisation and jazz style has helped him grow as a player throughout his time in the WHS Band Program. [He] is always willing to dive in and take a solo in our rehearsals and performances,” Scott said.
While Song’s solos occur onstage with the spotlight on him, the environment offstage supports Song in his endeavors.
“My fellow players in the jazz band have always inspired me in terms of soloing, tone, and musicianship, and have always helped me out whenever I feel like I’m falling behind,” said Song.
Song started his music career later than many of his peers did, but through practice and finding motivation in his teachers, Song has been able to reach a high level. He was selected for the Eastern Senior Districts and played in the accompanying festival.
“The challenges I went through starting really late as a player have all paid off with the fun I’ve had playing in the jam sessions at Eastern Senior Districts,” Song said.
As for Song’s plans for after high school, he is committed to swim at Vassar College, and is planning to keep music as a major component of his life.
“Lots of my friends are very music-oriented, so when we all meet up after graduating for reunions, Friendsgivings, and whatnot, it would be great if we could all grab our horns and just relive the fun times,” said Song.
Article written by WHS Bradford News Editor Elizabeth Hoerter ’25 & Staff Writer Ayesha Kapoor ’26
Learn from the gardeners of Wellesley Community Gardens
Learn to grow food from gardeners at Wellesley’s Community Gardens on Sunday, April 21 from 1-3pm at the Community Gardens on Weston Road. The program—co-sponsored by Sustainable Wellesley, Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, and Wellesley’s Natural Resources Commission—will cover site selection, crop suggestions, growing tips, and more.
Longtime gardener John Spencer will launch the event with tips on how to start a garden. Michael Tobin—a-15 year Weston Road Community Gardener whose specialty is growing enough garlic to last his family and friends through the entire year, plus use the seed for the next year’s crop—will talk about techniques for minimizing maintenance. Then, Lisa Moore—Environmental Education, Outreach and Compliance Coordinator for the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission— will offer an opportunity for the community to dip their toes into gardening. Side conversations may include pruning and growing flowers.
This in-person event is open to anyone interested in starting a garden, including those who already have plots. All attendees will be gifted strawberry starter plants.
Registration for the event has opened.
Rain date is April 28.
While you’re at it, help Swellesley grow by supporting our independent news venture
What we saw after borrowing a trail camera from Wellesley Free Library
We live near woods and water, and have threatened to install a trail camera for years. We see plenty of critters during the day, but have wondered what skulks around our Wellesley home at night (not that animals haven’t left a few clues, from scat to footprints to shredded small animals).
So we borrowed a basic camo-covered trail camera from Wellesley Free Library’s Library of Things. It looks to be a $150 model that shoots photos up to 48mp for photos and 4K videos. The first night I put it up, a burly raccoon—that at first glance looked like a bear—ambled around the backyard. The video failed to work for some reason—I actually did use the instruction manual to set up the camera.
The next night, after reformatting the camera, the video worked, too. A bunny starred in the black-and-white nightvision pictures and film, along with a few stealthier creatures we couldn’t quite identify. At night, they all have spooky glowing eyes with this camera.
When sunrise arrived, squirrels showed they weren’t camera-shy as the images switched over to color.
Despite setting the camera at its highest photo and video quality (or at least I think I did), the results weren’t exactly crystal clear, but it was still fun. It did seem to rain most days as well, so we can’t really blame the animals for hunkering down. Maybe we’ll give it another shot over the summer.
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Wellesley town government meetings for the week of April 8, 2024
A sampling of Wellesley, Mass., meetings and agenda items for the week of April 8, 2024:
Board of Public Works (April 8, 5pm, online)
Proposed FY25 rates for water, stormwater management; Contract award for Washington Street sidewalk extension
Youth Commission (April 8, 7pm, 107 Barton Rd.)
Summer update; budget review
Select Board (April 9, 6:30pm, online)
Discuss and Vote Class I Auto Dealer License; Discuss and Vote Common Victualler License Pho Station; Discuss and Vote Temporary Crosswalk Modification; Discuss Police and Fire Chief Hiring Processes
Design Review Board (April 11, 6:30pm, online)
Signs for Pho Station; The Bristol; Peaceful Pooch; Bank of America Wrought Iron Discussion
Permanent Building Committee (April 11, 7:30pm, online)
To come
See info on all upcoming town government meetings.
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Wellesley public school students getting in on Boston Marathon action
The Boston Marathon is about a lot more than the big race on Monday these days. An exciting event held in Copley Square in Boston on April 13, the Saturday before the Marathon, is the B.A.A. Invitational Mile features races for students who live in towns along the marathon route as well as events for professional runners. More kids get involved via the B.A.A. Relay Challenge.
Here’s the list of Wellesley students slated to compete in the B.A.A. Scholastic Mile and B.A.A. Middle School 1K:
B.A.A. Scholastic Mile (High School)
Boys
- Eli Merritt
- Max Hoffman
Girls
- Bridget Reidy
- Reilly Gareau
B.A.A. Middle School 1K
Boys
- William Carroll
- Cameron Barry
Girls
- Maddie Tuxbury
- Casey Besnahan
More on the 2024 Boston Marathon, including Wellesley’s official entrants and charity runner mini-profiles.
Feel free to share your Boston Marathon-related photos and stories with us: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
Swellesley team seeks temporary housing this summer
Call it a writers’ residency if you will, but Mr. & Mrs. Swellesley are on the hunt for a place to live this summer while our home gets an overdue makeover.
We’re open to various options, though the basics are that we’re seeking accommodations June-September (or at least June-August) for 2 people in or somewhat close to Wellesley. We need to stay within 90 minutes of the area.
If September isn’t an option, we shall become nomadic during that month. June/July /August is our essential timeframe.
Please email us if you have a lead.