Young musicians ready for stage at the San Mateo County Fair

“It is great for them because you don’t get these kinds of opportunities at this age,” Bryant said. “This group is special because of their energy when they let loose.”

Bryant has taught out of Vibo in San Bruno for nearly a decade and his goal is to share his love of music with his students. The band plays mostly rock covers for now, but he hopes one day, with his guidance, his students will be in a position to write their own original music.

The band was formed through the music center. At 15, its oldest musician is lead singer Zenna Ira who is excited to share the stage with her friends.

“It is nerve-racking because there will be a lot of people there, but I am excited because I get to perform with my friends,” Ira said.

Ira has sang since she was 6 years old. She performs national anthems at sporting events and has been interviewed and performed for a Filipino Television channel.

The group has played together for nearly a year and the fair will be its biggest gig yet. However, for keyboardist Dylan Garcia, 13, the day will be memorable because it will also be his birthday. Garcia has played piano for nine years and he enjoys being in the band because playing with a group is a way to improve his keyboarding skills.

Guitarist Laila Policarpio, 13, comes from a family with a musical background and wanted to join when she saw her family playing jam sessions during gatherings. She said she is nervous to play but excited that her family and grandmother from Canada are coming to support the band.

“I hope that everyone will like the music because we worked pretty hard on it,” Policarpio said.

When the band is operating on all cylinders and in a groove, she said the feeling is elating.

“When you are in the zone and feel the energy, there’s no more worries, you are just in the moment,” Policarpio said.

At 11, Jan Gworek is the youngest member, and has thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He started taking guitar lessons through Bryant but was asked to tackle bass when the band was formed. Even though he likes playing guitar, he said he is happy to help the band anyway he can.

“I love the experience of playing with other people and sometimes it is hard when you forget to practice, but it drives me a lot more to keep up with the other musicians,” Gworek said. “I am happy and satisfied with myself and the band that we have to be able to accomplish what we set out to do.”

This will be the band’s fifth performance together. He felt like he was about to have a nervous meltdown during the first one. Once he started to play his bass, he said his nerves let go and he was able to have fun. Gworek started playing guitar in the first grade. He was inspired by his grandmother who would play folk and country music for him when he was little. Now more experienced, Gworek said he is lucky to play along with his grandmother when he visits her. He also said his mom would play him songs, noting she called them her power songs.

He is excited to share the stage with his band mates and then enjoy the fair with his family, he said.

“My mom is really happy and my dad is playing it cool like it was always going to happen,” Gworek said.

The band, including drummer Chase Wall-Cyb, will be performing in the Expo Hall on the Fine Arts Department stage along with other high school and Vibo bands from 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 9. Its set list is four songs long and it will be covering “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, “Manic Monday” by Prince, “Heart of Glass” by Blondie and “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and The Shondells.

The other bands playing in that time slot are Violin Ensemble, School of WiFi and Paul Friedman.

Milla Khano, San Mateo County Event Center marketing director, said the County Fair is about providing space for the community to showcase their talents and be who they aspire to be.

“Our purpose is to have everyone understand that they are welcome and we support them,” Khano said.

Visit sanmateocountyfair.com/fine-arts for more information and for other performers scheduled times.