Mikah Feldman-Stein Makes Music
Mikah Feldman-Stein's music career has come far since he picked up a clarinet as a third grader. Two years later, he began playing a saxophone and today the Huntington High School senior is an All-State jazz musician.
"Since I started playing music, jazz has always played a prevalent role," the teenager said. "Over the years, I have played jazz and worked to improve through both the school system and outside of school. My primary jazz teacher has been my dad, who emphasized jazz's importance to me when I first picked up an instrument." Mr. Feldman-Stein has also studied with several private instructors and has grown in every way.
The senior is headed to Wesleyan University next fall. He is planning to be a pre-med major with a minor in jazz performance. "I feel as though the emphasis on music at Wesleyan will help me to further my studies of jazz," Mr. Feldman-Stein said.
The teenager recently formed a jazz combo with a group of his peers. "We are just starting to rehearse and look for gigs now, but we will surely be around town in the near future," he said.
The senior has been a member of the high school's jazz ensemble for the past four years. "Mr. [Jason] Giachetti has been an unbelievable director, teacher and supporter over the past four years," Mr. Feldman-Stein said. "He has always been there to help and has been a wonderful source of wisdom and for that I cannot thank him enough."
The teenager has played alto saxophone in the Nassau-Suffolk jazz program for the past three years where he's worked under the direction of Joe Schaefer and Bill Katz. "I have learned so much from these seasoned jazz musicians," Mr. Feldman-Stein said. "Their guidance has been crucial to my development as a jazz musician."
Performs Periodically at CAC
The Cinema Arts Centre has also provided Mr. Feldman-Stein, who is awaiting news on his application to the All-National jazz ensemble, with an opportunity to perform every few weeks with world music/jazz/fusion musician Premik Russell Tubbs and his band. "Recently I had the honor of playing with one of Premik's guest musicians, Steve Gorn, a world-renowned flutist," the senior said. "This has really shed light on the performance and gig side of being a musician, which has motivated and helped me to become a better player."
Mr. Feldman-Stein was one of only two jazz alto saxophonists selected for the All-State jazz ensemble, directed by Gary Smulyan. The four day festival brought together an elite group of young musicians.
"My experience at the festival in Rochester was unbelievable, to say the least," Mr. Feldman-Stein said. "There was always something to be inspired by. Whether it was by the skill of my peers, or everyone's dedication to music, I found the whole festival to be a moving and motivating experience. Mr. Smulyan was an amazing, cool, and inspiring guy, who made the band gel and blend effortlessly, which showed on the day of the concert. One particularly cool thing that he did was that he gave every single person in the band a chance to take an improvised solo, featuring a different section of the ensemble on each song."
General Impression of HHS
Mr. Feldman-Stein's "general impression" of Huntington High School is that "it is a very giving place and that it can provide everything you need if you seek it out."
Some of the senior's favorite courses include AP Economics and AP Physics. "If you are a math/science type, these courses are perfect for any senior," he said. "They are challenging, really interesting and are applicable to life. Mr. [James] Graber, who teaches my AP Eco class, and Mr. [Thomas] Masone, who teaches my AP Physics class, are two of my favorite teachers. The teachers in the music department are some of my favorite teachers, as well."
Mr. Feldman-Stein has established strong relationships with Mr Giachetti and music teacher Brian Stellatto. The teenager has played clarinet in the high school wind ensemble under Mr. Stellato's direction for the past four years. He called the pair of faculty members "unbelievable people and teachers," adding that they "always put great performances on stage."
Mr. Feldman-Stein called Victoria Mainville, the high school choral director "amazing" and said it "has been awesome to work under [her] as a member of the A Capella Choir."
Advice to Freshmen
The teenager's advice to incoming freshman is to "make sure art/ music is
part of your high school life. It will open you up to so many new and great people and these classes provide you with a skill you can use to express yourself throughout the rest of your life."
Ms. Mainville, who escorted Mr. Feldman-Stein (along with Huntington's Anna Harris) to Rochester for the All-State conference and performance called him a "fantastic senior." Ms. Mainville noted that "Huntington has never had someone accepted in the All-State instrumental jazz ensemble. He gigs regularly with professional musicians, which demonstrates his devotion to the craft."
"All in all, music, especially jazz, has been a hugely important part
of my life and I intend for it to stay that way," Mr. Feldman-Stein said. "It has provided me with a venue for self-expression that I have not found elsewhere. The whole
experience of music is addicting, exhilarating and really inexplicably satisfying."