Strathmore choirs receive adjudication

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

The Strathmore Children Choir’s passionate choristers embarked upon a challenge and notable learning experience last weekend, when they received instruction and direction from an esteemed clinician during the annual workshop.
Stettler-based Rhonda Newton-Sylvester put three choirs through their paces at the Strathmore United Church on Feb. 27 in an amusing yet educational environment, by working on some of the shortcomings existing in the choirs’ performances.
Music director of the Strathmore Children’s Choir Loralee Laycock met Newton-Sylvester five years ago at a music festival in Drumheller, and since then caught up at music conferences and provincial festivals. Newton- Sylvester, who is the director of the Gracenotes Choir, holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Alberta and has adjudicated in Europe.
When she’s not busy working with her three choirs, Newton-Sylvester participates in many workshops – an experience accompanied with numerous rewards.
“I like that the kids are ready to share themselves with another teacher because sometimes, these poor teachers, they work and work and we adjudicators and clinicians come along and tell [the choristers] the same things and they change it instantly,” said Newton-Sylvester. “Loralee is doing really good strong work already here, especially with the older girls. They were just so responsive and ready and they understand the music, they just need the next step. There are always next steps in music… but they’re on the right track with everything.”
Saturday’s workshop was split among the three choirs – Bravo, Encore, and Finale – which range from ages Kindergarten to Grade 6 and up. While the choirs usually travel to Drumheller to participate in the music festival and receive a similar experience, this was the second year the choristers remained in Strathmore to work with an adjudicator – extending one-on-one time with each choir and the clinician, as well as eliminating travel and providing the convenience of staying in Strathmore.
Having run the Strathmore Children’s Choir for eight years, Laycock is aware of the importance and value of inviting other experts in the field to work with her choristers.
“They really respond positively to having someone else work with them, and usually we would take back what we’ve learned in the workshops and implement those skills not only to the songs that they’ve learned but also to other songs that they do in the future as well,” said Laycock. “I think that they all do love music or they wouldn’t be here. But I hope that they use music as a catalyst to do lots of other wonderful things. Whether it’s being an engineer, a doctor, or a musician, I hope that they always have music as a love in their lives and something that makes them feel connected.”
Ardent about music, Grade-11-student Veronica Slemp was picked up on Laycock’s radar five years ago when the then-Grade 6 student took part in a talent show at the Wheatland Elementary School. After Laycock approached Slemp’s mother encouraging her daughter to join the choir, Slemp’s life began to centre around music – private voice lessons, concert and jazz band, and Glee club – that influenced her day-to-day life and paved the way to her future aspirations of building a music career.
“When I sing I really like to communicate my emotion in it, and I also like competing as well because I feel that I’m pretty good at it so I just doing what I love … I’m just very passionate about music,” said Slemp. “Every time we have an adjudication or a workshop it gives us an outside perspective on what we have to work on, and maybe we can see some new angles that we never thought of working on before. It’s just really helpful and it helps us get better and develop our choir as a whole.”
The Strathmore Children’s Choir prepared pieces two months in advance of the workshop, which they performed and then worked on with Newton-Sylvester. With some parents in attendance, the workshop proved beneficial for the young artists, being one of only three performances some of them are involved in during the year.