Some sat in the shade, others relished the exposure to the sunshine following a few rainy days, and all enjoyed the musical offerings of the Estevan Comprehensive School Band’s year-end concert on Sunday afternoon.
The Grade 9 band started things off followed by the school’s jazz band and finally the senior band, all under the guidance of ECS musical director Kyle Whitehead.
The school’s fight song started the musical festivities and Whitehead informed the audience of over 100 who had gathered in and around the school’s forecourt and front steps, the band had fared well in their travels to the Edmonton Cantando Festival, earlier in the school year, with about half of the Grade 9 band melding with about half of the senior band members who were able to make the trip, to put on some powerful performances and scoring well with the adjudicators.
The junior band gave some well-rehearsed versions of a lullaby as well as a percussion-driven rendition of the Game of Thrones theme as part of their concert segment.
Saxophonist Parker McKelkie then gave the audience a solo performance, playing the selection he will be required to perform at the upcoming Saskatchewan Music Festival finalists adjudication. Parker was selected as one of the musicians to advance to the provincial level during this year’s Estevan District Music Festival.
The ECS Jazz Band and senior band took their turns in front of the appreciative audience with the jazz team livening things up with the Basin Street Blues and then swinging into the slower tempo with the jazz classic Summertime.
Amy Marum-Quinn, who came to ECS via Ireland three years ago, was another featured soloist as she gave the audience a lively jig-styled number on her Celtic whistle before joining the senior band as one of their three flutists.
Whitehead then announced the winners of the various annual musical awards given to promising students, with some of them advancing to take on further musical training at the post-secondary levels.
The Woody Herman Award for outstanding musical achievement and dedication to the jazz program went to McKelkie while the Director’s Award for the top band student went to Aurora Whitehead. The band director stated, “believe me, I marked her harder than the others, just because she is my daughter, but she did excel and earned the top marks.”
The Patrick S Gilmore Award for outstanding high school band student and band commitment went to saxophonist Tucker Monroe.
The Special Achievement Award for students who have successfully completed all four years of the band program or choral went to Zach Anderson, Shana Dosch, Kristen Duffus, Haley Dukart, Jacob Miller and Garrett Wempe.
The Special Recognition Award went to the ECS saxophone quartet for their dedication to the extra musical group opportunities and continued improvements over the last four years.
Later Whitehead told the Mercury, “I had between 90 and 100 students this year, it was a very good year, they made a lot of progress. Next year the band will be taking a major trip to Halifax.” Since this will involve a lot of additional planning and perseverance from the students, Whitehead said he expected the music students will be engaged and committed to the program as they move into the new academic year. In the meantime, many of the ECS music students have been involved in pep band activities surrounding the Western Canada Cup and will be participating as musical contributors during the Saskatchewan Summer Games at various venues and staged events.
