Feb 26, 2004

Child Prodigy
Almaden's Lauren Gripenstraw has melodic goals—to become the best in the world

By Kymberli W. Brady

Unlike most girls her age, 13-year-old Lauren Gripenstraw doesn't spend her leisure time shopping at the mall for the latest teen fashions or listening to popular pop-rock divas. Instead, the four-time award-winning flutist practices and performs, performs and practices—it's all part of her dream to become “the best flutist in the world.”

Drawn to the breathy sounds of the popular wind instrument, the second-generation Almaden resident and eighth grader at Dartmouth Middle School admits she fell in love with the flute at the ripe old age of seven.

“When I was in first grade, I heard the older kids play and thought the flute sounded really pretty,” she says. “So I wanted to play it.”

Her parents, Judith and Scott couldn't be happier. “It was mostly her wanting to play so much,” he admits. “I think she's done really well. It's hard, especially as a kid to stay focused on any one thing for any length of time. We're very proud of her and happy that she likes this. She works hard at it and does her best whenever she plays. That's important to us.”

In 1998, she then began taking lessons under the musical wing of Elena Yarritu, who admits Gripenstraw has what it takes.

“She's a very natural flute player and it's nice to work with someone who took to it like it was part of her body,” Yarritu explains. “This is something that is quite rare. I've been teaching for more than 10 years and have had over 100 students since I met her. She's definitely one who is outstanding and has the natural ability.”

In 2001, Gripenstraw received her first Superior Command Performance award at age 10—the highest award given to young musicians each year, handed out by the Bay Section California Music Educators Association (CMEA) during a performance at San Jose State University.

“I didn't expect to get anything good,” Gripenstraw remembers. “I just went there to play and got a Grand Performance. I was really happy.”

This year, Gripenstraw became the only student at Guadalupe Elementary School to receive such an honor. “My band teacher at school is letting me perform my own special solo at the spring concert,” she explains. “She said that of anyone who got a Command Performance. Of course, she wasn't expecting one of the little sixth graders to get one.”

In 2002, Gripenstraw received two Superior Command Performance awards in both the solo and duet classifications. Last year, she went on to receive the same honors and became the only seventh grader to be selected by the All-State California Band Directors Association (CBDA) to play with the Junior High Honor Band.

In January, Gripenstraw received yet another Superior Command Performance award and returned home Sunday after performing at the 47 th annual All-State Honor Band Concert at the Saroyan Theater in Fresno. Her title of “first chair” meant she had been chosen as the best in the flute section, based on her performance of The Valse Graceuse [The Gracious Waltz].

“I was worried this year,” she admits. “Last year, they sent a bigger envelope with information in it. This year, they only sent a little envelope, so I was afraid I got rejected. But they were just trying to save paper.”

Gripenstraw is now a member of the Bay Section CMEA Honor Band, the All-State CBDA Junior High Honor Band, Dartmouth Middle School Concert Band, the California Youth Symphony, and the San Jose Youth Symphony. These are without doubt big shoes for a 13-year-old to fill, but they are overflowing with the determination of a girl on a mission.

“Lauren's an outstanding student,” boasts Dartmouth Middle School music teacher Lee Weber. “She's extremely dedicated and I think her quality as a flute player is incredible. She has nerves of steel—the larger the audience, the better she plays. That's the opposite of most people.”

Gripenstraw is now focusing on her next goal—perfecting Mozart's Concerto Number 1 for the High School Honor Band audition. “I feel like I have to practice harder and be better than anybody else to get in,” she enthuses. “Not many freshmen get into that.”

“Everyone has to work hard and that's the catch,” adds Yarritu. “She's shown that she's on track and that's unusual for someone her age. She's quite focused and is very enthusiastic. There's not much more a teacher could ask of her student.”

Outside of an occasional game of golf, Gripenstraw contends that her only real “hobby” is her music. “I kind of like to cook too,” she says.

Given her rehearsal and performance schedules, along with volunteering as a teacher's aid for other music students, there really isn't much time to squeeze in anything else. She practices for at least an hour each day. “Sometimes I practice more if I don't want to do my homework,” she jokes.

For a teenager who prefers Mozart to Madonna, Gripenstraw is devoted to her calling. She plans to attend Leigh High School and become one of the few freshmen to make it into the wind ensemble. Later, she hopes to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, with visions of a pinnacle performance at Carnegie Hall someday.

“If she gets accepted, it's a full scholarship,” her father adds. “Curtis is the best place to go for pure music.”

“I've been all over the world and played with some of the best flutists,” exclaims Yarritu. “There are some things that a music teacher can't teach. She has it all—good sound and natural musical ability. That's what I think is so special about her.”