2012 may have just begun but the registration deadline for this year's Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival is upon us.
The deadline for entries this year is barely a week away, Saturday, Jan. 14. Entries may be delivered in person at the North Battleford City Kinsmen Band Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. on that date or mailed to P.O. Box 1301, North Battleford, S9A 3L8.
We will be accepting late entries until Jan. 20, with a $25 late entry fee per participant. Registration forms are available at Sobeys and the current syllabus can be found online. Fees for solos, duets and trios have increased by $1 making the new fee per entry $13. Other entry categories will remain the same and we continue to encourage multiple entries by offering the family rate of a 50 per cent discount after 10 solo entries by individual participants.
Remember the Battlefords Festival entry fees are still lower than those suggested in the provincial syllabus. It is our goal to encourage participation by keeping fees affordable.
The Music Festival Committee is always looking for more parents, grandparents, and community-minded people to step forward and say, "How can I help?" There are tasks ranging from small to large to everywhere in between. If you have any interest in any size of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact a committee member or indicate your interest on your child's registration form. If your time is not available but you or your business would like to support the festival monetarily, consider sponsoring an award to be presented at the final gala event, or sponsoring a session for a music discipline of your choice, or being recognized as a patron or friend of the festival. Don't be shy; we have numerous options if you are a supporter of local music education.
I encourage school teachers to not overlook speech arts opportunities. Schools have the option to travel to a festival venue for adjudication or, with a minimum of five group entries, request that the adjudicator come to their school to view performances. When an adjudicator comes into your school, parents, family members, colleagues, and other students can easily view the presentations along with hearing professional feedback.
Choral speaking lends itself easily to language arts and arts education curriculum learning objectives. Speech arts are a fun way to creatively explore written text using dynamics, tempo, rhythm, and dramatic expression. It is not difficult to find material that is both educationally valid and of interest to students.
If you know a child or youth who is 18 years old or under who likes to draw, encourage them to create a musical themed image for considered use in this year's music festival program.
Children and youth, from the Battlefords area, are invited to submit original ideas for considered use as the 2012 Festival Program cover. Artwork should reflect musical themes and be presented on letter size paper. The deadline is Jan. 23. Entries may be submitted at the band hall on festival registration day or given to Kelly Waters at St. Vital School or Agi McQuaid at EMBM.
Selected pieces of artwork that were not chosen for the cover may also be featured within the pages of the program. We are confident creative entries will add unique musical flavour resulting in another special keepsake for performers and family members.
The music festival is like a sports tournament, but for music and language arts!
