What a year for Strathmore music students!
Karly Zinken
Junior High & Senior High Band Teacher
SHS and CMJHS music students are finishing up a year filled with great musical experiences.
September started with the new Grade 7 band students receiving their instruments for the first time.
They participated in a band clinic where professional musicians taught the students about the intricacies of their instrument. The clinic day finished with the Grade 7’s able to play five notes! The Grade 7’s were faced with the challenges of having 38 students in their class, but they were focused and dedicated and improved by leaps and bounds throughout the year.
For a week in October, we hosted Professor Wendy Grasdahl as our artist in residence. Professor Grasdahl worked with each band – Grade 7 Band, Grade 8 Band, Grade 9 Band, CMJHS Jazz Band, SHS Concert Band, and SHS Jazz Band. We learned about the importance of good breathing, how to warm up effectively, how to play with expression, how to work together as a group, and how to be accurate players.
Throughout the semester the SHS choir had the opportunity to collaborate with Burton Harker, a local voice teacher and music educator. Burton presented the choir with a workshop on the basics of singing technique, and gave the choir a solid foundation to build on. Burton continued to work with the choir as an accompanist and musical consultant. The choir performed a haunting rendition of “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables and Sarah McLaughlin’s “I Will Remember You” at the SHS Remembrance Day Ceremony.
In November, I attended the Alberta Music Conference. This is a unique opportunity for Alberta Music Educators to gather together to listen to internationally renowned speakers and outstanding musical performances which inspire and energize us to take the information home to our students. During this conference Taryll Wiebe, a member of the SHS Concert Band, played with the Alberta Honor Band.
Along with hundreds of other band students from around Alberta, Taryll prepared an audition for the band. She was one of the 80 students who were chosen to represent top Alberta band students. WOW!
December was the month of Winter Concerts. This first concert of the year allowed students to share the culmination of months of practice. The theme of these concerts was “Classical Classics” and introduced students and their parents to famous classical music. The CMJHS Winter Concert showcased the amazing accomplishments of the Grade 7 Band and showed the progression of learning throughout Grade 8 and 9. Bugs Bunny would have been proud to hear so many classics featured on Loony Toons!
The SHS Winter Concert featured the choir and the concert band. The SHS Winter Concert has a history of being so enjoyable that our vice principal’s young daughter decided to postpone putting up the Christmas tree to attend! This concert exceeded expectations. The choir’s energetic and expressive singing was followed by the concert band’s lively playing. The concert featured folk classics such as “Loch Lomond,” music from Hairspary, the “Can Can,” and concluded with a combined choir and band presentation of “Ode to Joy.”
December concluded with a Talent Show at SHS and featured performances by the SHS Jazz Band and a number of soloists from the SHS Choir! We have a talented bunch here in Strathmore.
February marked the beginning of the Electronic Music class at SHS. Through the Strathmore Public School Music Parents Association, we applied for a Community Initiatives Program Grant through the Alberta government. The SPSMPA was able to supply the music program with 15 MacBook computers! These computers have become an integral part of the Electronic Music class where students experiment with creating, recording and producing their own music. The course included a trip to The Beach Advanced Audio Recording Studio, where students experienced the inner workings of a professional music studio.
The SHS Jazz Band performed at the Alberta International Band Festival on Feb. 23. What a time for the band to peak! They pulled together for their best performance of the year thus far. Abby Kaunhoffen joined the band for the performance of Cole Porter’s “Under My Skin” and wowed the judges.
As well in February Cyrus Fiori, a Grade 9 Band student, participated in the Southern Alberta Honor Band. The Honor Band provides an advanced performance experience for Alberta’s top Junior High band students. The students have the opportunity to work with top music educators for three days of intensive rehearsals and then perform a concert. Congratulations Cyrus!
March was a busy month for band students. The annual Spring Concert and Silent Auction was a fantastic success. Students performed the pieces they were preparing to play at festival. The Silent Auction brought in over $2,500 which goes directly back into the band program! Thank you so much to all of the generous donations from the community.
A few days after the Spring Concert, the SHS Concert Band departed for a Banff Band Retreat. In the midst of the beautiful mountain scenery, the band had the opportunity to work with top-notch musicians. The group split up into sections to work with professional music instructors. The instructors were impressed by the high level of maturity and musicianship in our students. After a night out in Banff, the next day was spent with Mr. Brian Uzick from Strathcona Tweedsmuir. Again, Mr. Uzick was extremely impressed by the level of responsiveness in our students. What a great group of kids!
April was the month of recruitment. The SHS Band toured to Westmount, Wheatland, Brentwood and Carseland elementary schools demonstrating to the students how awesome band is. This fun program included band requests such as “The Simpsons” and “Hawaii 5.0.” These concerts generated a lot of excitement and interest in music and were a great success.
The Grade 7 Band also worked hard recruiting students for next year. Each elementary school brought their Grade 6 classes to Crowther for a concert and presentation by the Grade 7 students.
The SHS Jazz Band and the CMJHS Jazz Band showed off their stuff at Jazz Night on April 12. This rockin’ concert featured Latin songs, rock tunes, swing and a little Mowtown. This concert marked the culmination of months of after school rehearsals for the SHS and CMJHS jazz bands.
In May, the Grade 8/9 Band and the SHS Concert Band attended the Alberta Band Association Provincial Festival of Bands. Each band is required to play a march, a piece from the festival list, and a lyrical piece. In addition, there is a sight-reading component where students are given a piece of music for the first time. We have five minutes to talk through the piece and then we perform! This year, the adjudicators were very excited to hear our bands play because of the high level of performance. What really amazed the adjudicators was the sight reading; our students are amazing readers! The overall rating for the Grade 8/9 Band was 2 – Excellent. This is a major achievement. The overall rating for our SHS Band was 1 – Superior. We received a “Superior Band Award” which is an immense honor.
Concert season wrapped up on June 3 with the Concert in the Park. Even though the weather did not cooperate, we had a delicious BBQ and a fun concert. The concert featured student requests such as Van Halen’s “Jump”, “Star Wars”, “Edelweiss”, and “The Pink Panther Meets the Flintstones.”
The concert concluded with a guest performance from the Rocky Mountain Concert Band – an adult concert band based out of Calgary. I have been playing with the band for a few years, and the students really enjoyed hearing their teacher perform!
It has been a great year – jam packed with awesome musical experiences. I have enjoyed watching my students grow and develop both individually and as members of the team. I am so lucky to be able to share my love of music with students, and then experience the results. We are looking forward to an exciting time next year and are keyed up for our California trip!
I would like to thank the Music Parent’s Association and the parent volunteers for all of their help this year. It is amazing to have this support and means that our students have access to the best experiences available. Thanks for a great year!