The Las Lomas Page

Written by NATALIE COUGHLIN

Graphic by NATALIE COUGHLIN

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//Now that spring has sprung, the anticipation for baseball season begins. Baseball, with its thrilling gameplay and atmosphere, is a sport that brings families and friends together during this time of year. But, an often overlooked part of the beloved game that has the same affect, is the performance of the national anthem. It’s a special part of the game where the whole stadium comes together for those few minutes. On April 28th at Oracle Park in San Francisco, the San Francisco Giants are playing a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, what you may not know is senior, Jaden Maspaitella along with his singing group, 4 O’clock will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as family and friends watch in the audience.

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  Jaden Maspaitella has always been musically inclined but his love for singing grew in 2017 when his group got together. Maspaitella said, “We first got together as a group in August of 2017.” Peter Pan Foundation, often referred to as PPF, is a non-profit organization that inspires children through music and theater productions. PPF was founded by Leslie Noel Hansen, who also founded Leslie Noel Studios, a separate organization for singing groups. Maspaitella said, “She put us together because she thought we would sound good together and we created our group, ‘4 o’clock.’ ” From there on out, they started singing and practicing arrangements. Now, the rest is history and Jaden and his group have grown immensely together as singers. 

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  The group has a weekly lesson where they practice a new song for the month. At the Sunday at the end of each month, 4 O’clock and other members of the organizations sing in a cabaret night. “All of the groups she coached will sing the song they’ve been working on for the month,” Jaden Maspaitella said. During Covid, the group continued to perform through zoom and created music videos in their free time. Maspaitella and 4 o’clock have also done two benefit nights where proceeds go to children’s hospitals. 

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Now, as a senior in high school with graduation approaching, Jaden Maspaitella and his singing group have been given the opportunity to sing at the Giant’s game. During their weekly lesson, they had the idea to record and submit an audition to sing for the upcoming game. “We heard back and got accepted,” Maspaitella said. They are currently working on selling 500 tickets for $12 each in order to secure their spot. To start their lessons, 4 o’clock touches up on the Star Spangled Banner. Maspaitella said, “We go over anything we need to do better on, work on our facial expressions, {and} work on our harmonies and energy.” However, this won’t be their first time performing the National Anthem because in December of 2022, 4 o’clock sang for Wreaths Across America, a holiday event to honor the veterans of the United States of America. 

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On April 28th, consider supporting Jaden Maspaitella and 4 o’clock at the San Francisco Giants game. You can view tickets by scanning the QR code. While at the game, feel free to take pictures and tag @laslomaspage!