Lloydminster Catholic School Division band students put in the practice time last week as they prepare to take part in this year’s Lloydminster Kiwanis Music Festival, held next week at Grace United Church. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
It’s noisy but controlled chaos at Holy Rosary High School (HRHS) with a handful of the 587 band students amid final preparations for the Lloydminster Kiwanis Music Festival, which takes place next week at Grace United Church.
“We have the Kiwanis Lloydminster Music Festival and the Grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and senior band will be performing throughout the day as part of that,” said Aaron Sikora, one of the Lloydminster Catholic School Division’s three band teachers.
“There will be adjudicators listening to them and giving them scores, comments, remarks and feedback. We’re also excited to perform out in the community.”
Sikora explained the festival acts as the buildup of a student’s music career, which adds to the excitement.
“The older students have been practising their whole lives for this, since Grade 5 up, so they’re excited to perform,” he said. “The younger guys aren’t as experienced but they’re just as excited, maybe more excited to make their sounds together and play music in their ensemble.”
For Grade 12 student Owen McFarlane, who plays the flute and concert trombone in jazz and plans on pursuing a career as a band teacher, it doesn’t get much better.
“My grandma started teaching me piano when I was three or four years old and then started playing the piano in Grade 3 or 4, and things picked up once I got involved in band,” he said, noting learning to play music at a young age has its advantages.
“There’ll be times I’m frustrated and I’ll go play something, it might not sound good, but it’s something, and it’s nice to just get it out there,” he said.
“It builds skills like learning you need to work to get better at something. I wouldn’t be where I am without practising, and it teaches work ethic at the same time as music.”
McFarlane is looking forward to next week’s festival and will be playing in a trio with friends from HRHS as well as a solo with an accompanist.
McFarlane explained band at LCSD schools is something everyone should try.
“It feels more like a family than a classroom at this point, especially with the trips, they allow us to bond a lot.”
McFarlane has been accepted into Brandon University’s School of Music and even earned himself a performance scholarship through the audition process.
“The scholarship was $3,000 per year for the first four years if I maintain a 3.0 GPA,” he said, noting the end goal is teaching music.
Speaking of trips, 50 HRHS band students are counting the days until they depart on a four-night trip to New York City on May 16. The trip will be packed full of performances and, of course, some sightseeing.
“There’s some community performances at a museum, there’s a workshop with NYU, so we get to study with some of the faculty with New York University,” said Sikora, noting this isn’t the school’s first band trip.
“We’ve done other major trips but this will be the first to New York. We’ve gone to San Francisco, Seattle and New Orleans, and every few years we try to have a big outreach in the larger music communities.”
Sikora noted fundraising for the trip has been going well with jazz nights, a bottle drive and the sale of chocolates and mixing spoons already on the books.
“There’s been a big initiative to help students with funding.”
