MusicFest 2019

Hey Bruins! On February 20th at Hillcrest High School, our Senior, Intermediate, and Junior bands participated in MusicFest 2019 - and triumphed! The Intermediate band is directed by Melanie Hartshorn and both the Senior and Junior band’s are directed by Mr.Campbell. The Intermediate and Junior bands both received a silver award and the Senior band achieved a gold and was invited to nationals! MusicFest is a place where different schools can showcase their pieces as a way to build upon existing skills with the help of the feedback from the judges. Each piece was practiced by the bands multiple times and preparations for MusicFest began as early as January. Many schools participated in it but only a few get medals, which is why it is so exciting that all three of our Bell bands received medals! The Senior band played three pieces: “Symbiopholie”, “Vertigo”, and “All the Glory Told”. The Junior band played “Ashford Celebration”, “Filum Vitae” and “Black Jack March”. The Intermediate band played “The Tempest”, “The Washington Post March”, and “Where the Mountains Touch the Sky”. As a member of the Intermediate band, I can say it is a thrill to be a part of such an incredibly rich learning opportunity. I especially enjoyed the clinic after the performance which allowed one of the judges to express what they found we could improve on and work with the band as a whole. One recommendation that the judge gave to us was to learn when you are needed and when you are not, which is directed to our bands dynamics. Interviewing a member of the senior band, Linda Duong, she gave a great insight on the amazing experience. “I loved my experience at MusicFest. From rehearsals all the way to performances. Yes, there are moments of insecurity and stress but while looking at the bigger picture, I realize how much I love my ensemble and band in of itself. I don’t think there is anything I would change about the process. Competing and winning that gold was one the best things I had felt in awhile! Absolutely nothing tops the feeling of every single person in your ensemble being focused on one single goal and actually attaining it after months of feeling so insecure. It feels so good to see all your hard work and everyone else's too pay off. My favourite thing was how proud we were of each other - and of Mr. Campbell too. It was something our ensemble lacked for a long time.” Overall, MusicFest encourages band directors to challenge their band as a whole. Sometimes it may cause stress but it really pays off in terms of improvement! It gives the players in band a chance to listen and learn from other talented young people who are just as passionate as they are. Though it was a huge task that required a lot of effort and nerves, many people felt accomplished after finishing their performance and incredibly proud after they won an award. Congratulations to all the bands at Bell for their tremendous effort and accomplishment at MusicFest 2019. You represented Bell well and we are all so proud!