We had 28 entries in District Festival this year and 14 advanced to State!
Earning SUPERIOR ratings and going to State:
Earning EXCELLENT ratings:
I want to address our percussion students and their entries.
Guys, you are very good sports, and you know your situation was unfair and unfortunate. Festival judges are supposed to be selected for their expertise as musicians and educators. I do not doubt your judge's musical expertise, however, he was clearly unprepared for his role as an educator at a high school music festival, and he admitted as much. I wish so much that Steve Versaeval could have heard you perform. He would have been as proud of you as I am.
You made a great deal of progress on your quartet selection and brought it to a point where you played cohesively and very musically. Certainly there was room for improvment. There were a couple spots where your more difficult rhythms were a little unstable, but it was very clear that you knew the rhythms and were counting them accurately yet were simply unable to groove them in to the point of a stable performance. Andrew and Bryce, snare drum and cymbal rolls are HARD. As non-percussionists, you are to be strongly commended for your excellent progress on your percussion technique. I would be willing to guess that Steve Versaeval would have given a high II or a low I for your performance. He certainly would have worked with you to ascertain whether or not you had a chance of improving your performance in a short amount of time.
Tristen and Emmett, I regret that I did not get to your block in time to hear your solo performances. Tristen, you have worked so very hard, and you have developed your musical and technical skills to a very respectable level of accomplishment. Based on your concert performance and based on Brandy Loomis's comments on your festival performance, I suspect Steve would have felt comfortable giving you a chance to take your timpani solo to State. Emmett, you have taken your marimba solos to State both as a freshman and a sophomore. Your four-mallet technique is remarkable, especially for a self-taught percussionist! I have no doubt that Steve would have sent you on to State with Marimba Flamenco.
I am terribly sorry that this was such a poor festival experience. And I am very proud of you for meeting this adversity with such grace and maturity. You are fine, young men.
Earning SUPERIOR ratings and going to State:
- Vocal Jazz Ensemble with Steam Heat
- Jill Carter's solo, The Green Dog
- Sophomore Quartet with He's Gone Away
- Jenna Heine's solo, If No One Ever Marries Me
- Olivia Gospodarek's solo, Danny Boy
- Jill and Olivia's duet, The Sisters
- Jenna and Olivia's duet, The Night the Pinata's Came Back
- Kelsey Young's saxophone solo, Rachmaninoff's Vocalise
- Kyla Binfet's piccolo solo, Les Fifres
- Andrew Watt's French horn solo, Scherzo
- Jill's trumpet solo, Allegro and Siciliano
- Shreena Barstad and Kelsey's saxophone duet, Fugato
- Woodwind Ensemble with Mozart's Andante and Contredanse
- Jazz Band with Catchin' the Trane by Nick Fernandez
Earning EXCELLENT ratings:
- Chamber Choir with Come Ye Now
- Bridgit Prichard's flute solo, Air a l'Italien
- Amber Dorich's clarinet solo, Nocturne
- Amber and Bridgit's flute and clarinet duet, Passapied
- Alexis Mitic and Bridgit's vocal duet, Simple Gifts
- Emily Everest and Kestly Jessop's vocal duet, A'Rovin'
- Kyla's flute solo, Two Aria's in Rondeau
- Vocal trio with Pie Jesu
I want to address our percussion students and their entries.
Guys, you are very good sports, and you know your situation was unfair and unfortunate. Festival judges are supposed to be selected for their expertise as musicians and educators. I do not doubt your judge's musical expertise, however, he was clearly unprepared for his role as an educator at a high school music festival, and he admitted as much. I wish so much that Steve Versaeval could have heard you perform. He would have been as proud of you as I am.
You made a great deal of progress on your quartet selection and brought it to a point where you played cohesively and very musically. Certainly there was room for improvment. There were a couple spots where your more difficult rhythms were a little unstable, but it was very clear that you knew the rhythms and were counting them accurately yet were simply unable to groove them in to the point of a stable performance. Andrew and Bryce, snare drum and cymbal rolls are HARD. As non-percussionists, you are to be strongly commended for your excellent progress on your percussion technique. I would be willing to guess that Steve Versaeval would have given a high II or a low I for your performance. He certainly would have worked with you to ascertain whether or not you had a chance of improving your performance in a short amount of time.
Tristen and Emmett, I regret that I did not get to your block in time to hear your solo performances. Tristen, you have worked so very hard, and you have developed your musical and technical skills to a very respectable level of accomplishment. Based on your concert performance and based on Brandy Loomis's comments on your festival performance, I suspect Steve would have felt comfortable giving you a chance to take your timpani solo to State. Emmett, you have taken your marimba solos to State both as a freshman and a sophomore. Your four-mallet technique is remarkable, especially for a self-taught percussionist! I have no doubt that Steve would have sent you on to State with Marimba Flamenco.
I am terribly sorry that this was such a poor festival experience. And I am very proud of you for meeting this adversity with such grace and maturity. You are fine, young men.