Elise Scarchilli constantly emits laughter in orchestra class, whether it sparkles in her mirthful eyes or bubbles out of her mouth. She jokes good-humoredly with the other members of the class as she assembles her flute, and is frequently seized by fits of irrepressible giggles. Beneath her affable exterior, however, is a deep love of music that is visible when she raises her flute to her lips.
Scarchilli, a freshman, is immersed in music. She has been playing flute since the sixth grade and piano since the second grade.
“I love both and don’t plan on stopping any time soon,” said Scarchilli.
She channels this love into orchestra class at Mercy, where she has become an integral part of the tight-knit group of Mercy’s musicians. Sam Schubert, another flutist, enjoys Scarchilli’s company during class.
“She’s very fun to be around in orchestra because she’s very funny,” Schubert said. “We always make faces at each other during Beethoven’s 6th, because our part is all Cs and Ds. She makes the class much more entertaining.”
Ms. Marianne Corrigan, Mercy’s orchestra teacher, appreciates Scarchilli’s musical passion.
‘”Elise Scarchilli loves music.” said Corrigan. “She loves the flute, she loves the piano, and she loves the orchestra. She just likes it all. It gives her that big, beautiful smile on her face.”
Many of Mercy’s orchestra students participate in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association Solo and Ensemble Festival, a music competition for instrumentalists. This year, Scarchilli entered the festival with a trio of two flutes and a clarinet. The piece they played, “Allegro” by Antonio Lotti, was awarded a rating of one (the highest score available) at the District Solo and Ensemble Festival, and earned a rating of two at the State Solo and Ensemble Festival. Scarchilli believes that the hard work she put into preparing for the festivals this year has paid off.
“I had a lot of fun at Solo and Ensemble,” Scarchilli said. “We had to practice a lot, but we ended up with good ratings.”
Scarchilli’s musical enthusiasm also extends outside of Mercy. She is a member of the Royal Oak High School marching band, and feels that the experience has been valuable socially as well as musically.
“I really like marching band,” said Scarchilli. “It’s a lot of fun. We play at football games, and we play in parades in Royal Oak and Birmingham. The people in marching band are really nice and fun loving people.”
Marching band is an activity that Scarchilli hopes to continue after high school.
“l would like to go to a college with a marching band because I love it so much,” Scarchilli said.
Scarchilli’s other ambitions for college include pursuing a career in engineering. To get a head start, she hopes to take hands-on architectural engineering classes at the Oakland Technical Center while still in high school.
“I toured the school, and I really liked all the equipment they have for engineering,” said Scarchilli. “I am an artistic person, and I like the design part of engineering.”
Despite Scarchilli’s detailed plans, college is still a few years away. For now, she is busy bestowing her cheerful grin on the world of music.
“I have made many, many friends through band at my old school, marching band, and orchestra at Mercy,” Scarchilli said. “I like how friendly everyone is and how much fun we have, even when people mess up. I have also experienced things like the DSO. I absolutely love it.”
Sound byte of Elise Scarchilli playing “The Lost Lady Found” by Percy Grainger on flute:
http://soundcloud.com/schubertk/elise-flute/s-nqaNc