Roosevelt student heads to the Oscars

For Ismerai Calcaneo, playing the saxophone has become a family affair. 

Her dad became her personal driver, taking her to different performances and competitions. During the week, she and her mom made the trek to downtown’s Colburn School for additional training with Calcaneo’s saxophone. 

“My mom would get me out of school [early]. She would carry my backpack and my saxophone, and we would run to the bus stop in order to go to Colburn,” said Calcaneo. “It was an everyday hassle to go. There was a lot of commitment.”

Her work and dedication, along with other music students, are now highlighted in a documentary short film that has been nominated for an Oscar. 

“The Last Repair Shop” highlights Los Angeles as one of the last American cities to provide freely repaired musical instruments to its public schoolchildren, a continuous service since 1959.

Directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers and produced by Breakwater Studios, the film profiles four craftspeople who work on the nearly 80,000 instruments and some of the students who have benefited from the service. 

Calcaneo is one of those students. Currently a junior at Roosevelt MSTMA, a big part of her high school career has been centered around the making of this film. During her freshman year of high school, she applied to be in the film after being encouraged by her teachers.

“I was able to get critiques from other musicians. It felt really nice because all that experience and all the hard work that the marching band of Roosevelt. I was able to play those beats and rhythms that Mr. Quintailla always talks about.”

Erick Quintanilla is the RHS band director. He has seen Calcaneo rise from middle school to high school. “I’m absolutely proud of her. Brings me to tears when I see her. I know the journey she has been through,” said Quintanilla. 

During the filming, Calcaneo grew close to another voice in the film, Paty Moreno. Moreno is one of the technicians who cleans and repairs the brass instruments for the school district. Calcaneo will attend the Award show tonight and said she’s happy to go with Moreno. 

“I get to be with Paty and talk to her in Spanish. For me, going to the Oscars is, first of all, to be with Paty,” said Calcaneo. “We’re both Mexican, and I know how hard it is when a lot of people speak English, and you feel your accent embarrasses you.”

Calcaneo said she wouldn’t have been able to attend without support from her community. An RHS MSTMA teacher, Jo Anna Mixpe Ley, created a social media post asking for help with her makeup and dress.

“I’ve gotten a lot of support. There are a lot of people who want to do my makeup and do my hair. A lot of people wanted to help donate dresses. I’m even getting a facial,” said Calcaneo. “Shout out to Ms. Ley and for everybody who is supporting me.”

Calcaneo is also thankful for everyone who has supported her passion, including her friends Kimberly, Zoe, and Guadalupe. However, she wants to remind people that it has taken a long commitment to be recognized in this way.  

“People should know that even though a lot of us have opportunities and it looks like a big thing, it’s not always going to be easy,” said Calcaneo.

The 40-minute film is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney +. It is also available for viewing on Youtube.

Editor’s Note: “The Last Repair Shop” won an Oscar in the documentary short category on Sunday, March 10.