Crowsnest Pass Music Festival Showcase 2014

 

 

The Crowsnest Pass Music Festival wrapped up Sunday with a talented group of young people performing for an appreciative crowd.

Students take away far more than medals and scholarships for their efforts, they have an opportunity to learn and hone many skills.

Pieces come together only with dedicated practice and self-discipline. It takes a little something extra nowadays to pull away from the electronics and other activities, to put in the time required to excel. Every entrant in the festival deserves a solid pat on the back for doing this.

Festival isn’t just about mastering a piece (or many pieces) of music. Through these performances, young people also learn to manage stress. When your palms are sweating and nerves are on edge, it’s easy to forget to take a moment to breathe before bursting into song. Learning to take a deep breath and a moment of preparation before starting can be applied to life in general.

Some performances become personal bests while others, unfortunately, come up short. Accepting whatever the day brings and whatever mark the adjudicator assigns helps youngsters build sportsmanship.

There are matters of etiquette to pay attention to as well. When the adrenaline is pumping, it’s easy to forget to take a bow and think only of escaping the spotlight as quickly as possible. 

This simple gesture is a broad thank you to the adjudicator and the audience. It’s even better when the bow is accompanied by a smile.

Great thanks are due to all involved with festival — as with all events, when you take a peek behind the scenes it’s a much bigger job than most know.

Festival planning begins months before the actual event, as teachers consider which pieces are best suited to each student, within the guidelines of the provincial syllabus and locally created classes. This is a significant task, especially considering the student and his or her family will be hearing these pieces for months to come.

Once the music has been chosen, the teacher will guide the student in attending to all the little details. Dynamics, tempo and mood are all important factors, and within this, students work to find a way to make the piece one’s own.

Teachers share stories of experience and ensure students know there won’t be an ogre presiding over the adjudications. Coaching includes everything from manners to what to wear. Ask one of the teachers from Pincher Creek or Crowsnest Pass how many hours they spent on and at festival this year — you may be surprised!

On the home front, parents may grow weary of hearing the same songs over and over again. It’s their job to reassure their kids and to encourage them to keep at it through the monotony that comes with practising. They schedule extra lessons and take time off from work to be a support system for their kids at performances, all while addressing worries and frustrations.

Sunday afternoon I watched many parents’ faces beam with pride during the performances and light up as brightly as their children’s when award announcements were made.

But it goes further than this. Out of the spotlight are the skilled accompanists who support vocalists and instrumentalists. It was great to see one student accompany another — it doesn’t take long to learn how important this role is and how different it is from solo playing.

Without the dedicated members of the festival committee, the whole thing wouldn’t come together. Whether it’s scheduling classes, designing programs, publicizing the event, accepting donations at the door, acting as secretary to the adjudicator, organizing the awards, MCing the program, acting as stagehands or dealing with a myriad of small details and emergencies, the volunteers of the festival are kept busy.

I enjoyed the concert, and tip my hat to the performers, their teachers, parents and accompanists, the adjudicators and the volunteers who worked so hard in a pursuit of excellence.

To those who ensure this opportunity exists for students in our region, thank you!

 

 

A list of award winners follows the photos.

 

"She'll be Coming Round the Mountain"
The Groves Family
Shelly, Sophia, Eli, Nels and Tynan

 

"This Old Man"
Horace Allen School Grades 1A and 1C rhythm band

 

"Kindred Spirits"
Morgan and Shayla Duff

 

"Prowlin'' Pussy Cat"
Connor Pitt

 

"Lightly Row"
Ruby Spranza

 

"Mist"
Ronen Hemphill

 

"7 Army Nation"
Silas Mertz

 

"Twilight"
Mina Wood

 

"Noise & More Noise"
Horace Allen School Grade 3B Reader's Theatre

 

"Merry Go Round"
Morgan Fillipuzzi

 

"Go Tell Aunt Rhody"
Turtle Mountain Suzuki Strings

 

"If I Only Had a Brain"
Coral Pichurski and Anika Driedger

 

"If I Only Had a Brain"
Lane Ogden and Ayla Rose

 

"Rain Song"
Benjamin Cooley

 

"No Quiero Casarme"
Kiera Wheelock

 

"Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"
Annika Driedger

 

"Donkey Doodle"
Mollie Paton

 

"Andantino"
Calvin Cooley, Mollie Paton, Ryann Groat

 

"Stepsister's Lament"
Aislyn and Kiera Wheelock

 

"Toccata Brillante"
Esther Draxlier

 

"Much More"
Rachel Park

 

"Danse de Meunier"
Ryann Groat

 

 

Photos by Shannon Robin

 

 

MEDALLION AWARDS

PIANO
Junior – Gold - Ronen Hemphill; Silver - Maya Veldman
Intermediate – Gold - Esther Draxlir; Silver - Mina Wood
Senior – Gold - Ryann Groat; Silver - Matthew Kenney

VOCAL SOLO
Junior – Gold - Morgan Duff; Silver - Coral Pichurski
Intermediate – Gold - Anika Driedger; Silver - Kiera Wheelock
Senior – Gold - Stephanie Duarte-Pedrosa; Gold - Aislyn Wheelock; Silver - Rachel Park

MUSICAL THEATRE
Junior – Gold - Shayla Duff; Gold - Morgan Duff; Silver - Coral Pichurski
Intermediate – Gold - Anika Driedger; Silver - Kiera Wheelock
Senior – Gold - Rachel Park; Silver - Stephanie Duarte-Pedrosa

BOWED STRINGS
Junior – Gold - Sophia Groves; Silver - Ruby Spranza
Intermediate – Gold - Kristen Pundyk; Silver - Martyna Lively
Senior – Gold - Mollie Paton; Silver - Isaak Bustard

FRETTED STRINGS
Junior – Gold - Silas Mertz
Intermediate – Gold - Benjamin Cooley; Silver - Sante Canderan
Senior – Gold - Zechariah Nightingale; Silver - James Noble

 

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

BOWED STRINGS
Promising Junior Performer - Ruby Spranza
Junior Trophy & Scholarship - Sophia Groves and Ruby Spranza
Promising Intermediate Performer - Martyna Lively
Intermediate Trophy & Scholarship - Kristen Pundyk
and Martyna Lively
Promising Senior Performer - Mollie Paton
Senior Trophy & Scholarship - Mollie Paton
Most Improved Player - Caden Pichurski

PIANO
Musically Promising Junior Pianist - Ronen Hemphill
Junior Trophy & Scholarship - Ronen Hemphill
Musically Promising Intermediate Pianist - Noah Schuh
Intermediate Trophy & Scholarship - Esther Draxlir
Musically Promising Senior Pianist - Matthew Kenney
Senior Trophy & Scholarship - Ryann Groat

VOICE
Musical Theatre Production - Lane Ogden, Anika Driedger,
Ayla Rose & Coral Pichurski
Family Music - Groves Family
Junior Musical Theatre - Coral Pichurski & Ayla Rose (duet)
Junior Voice - Coral Pichurski
Junior Trophy & Scholarship - Morgan Duff
Junior Musical Theatre Trophy & Scholarship - Shayla Duff
High Achievement With Less Than One Year of Study - Meghan Tarcon and Jolisa Havens
Intermediate Trophy & Scholarship - Kiera Wheelock
Intermediate Musical Theatre Trophy & Scholarship - Anika Driedger
Senior Trophy & Scholarship - Stephanie Duarte-Pedrosa
Senior Musical Theatre Trophy & Scholarship - Rachel Park

SCHOOLS
Crowsnest Pass Music Festival Scholarships 
Horace Allen School, Isabelle Sellon School, CCHS
and St. Michael's School
Crowsnest Pass Readers Scholarship - Isabelle Sellon School Band
The Notebooks Scholarship - CCHS Grade 7 - 9 Band

OUTSTANDING STUDENT IN MORE THAN ONE DISCIPLINE
Ryann Groat - Piano, cello, banjo and percussion

 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROVINCIAL FESTIVAL

VOCAL SOLO
Junior - Kiera Wheelock
Senior - Stephanie Duarte-Pedroso

MUSICAL THEATRE
Junior Up-Tempo - Anika Driedger
Senior Ballad - Aislyn Wheelock
Senior Up-Tempo - Rachel Park

SCHOOL CHOIR
CCHS Grade 7 - 9 Choir

 

 

"Down by the Bay"
Horace Allen K2 students

 

"Penguin Polka"
Horace Allen K3 students

Photos by Brad Quarin

 

 

 

GUITAR WORKSHOP WITH ADJUDICATOR JAY SCRABA

Graysen Morency

 

James Noble

 

Keely Anderson

 

Photos by Brad Quarin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the March 19/14 print edition of Shootin’ the Breeze.
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