Coast Mountain News Thursday, May 24, 2012
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$1.00 + HST Vol. 28 | No. 11 Thursday, May 24, 2012
Serving the Bella Coola Valley llleyy lley and the Chilcotin
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Brian Roe photo
The SAMS band: (back row) Kasey Karran, Ashley Moore, Felicia Harris, and Melissa Brooks (front row): Brody Tuck, Shari-Lyn Harris, Instructor Steve Dishkin, and Francois Jacques
Discovery Coast Music Festival unveils 2012 poster!
SAMS Band given a Silver rating at Nanaimo Jazzfest STEVE DISHKIN The Sir Alexander Mackenzie School’s senior band (gr. 9-12) has returned from a fabulous trip to Nanaimo, BC where they participated in the West Coast Jazz Festival held at Vancouver Island University. The educational festival is held over three days with sixty plus schools attending. Our group was recognized as the band that had traveled the farthest to attend, but more importantly as being the group that took in the most at the festival. Students were treated to a festival concert which included the Nanaimo Community Big Band, a grade 12 all-star combo led by festival site chair Steve Jones, and highlighted by the adjudicators Jazz Combo performing jazz standards with stunning improvised solos on trumpet, bass, piano, trombone and
tenor sax. We also listened to many hours of high school bands during the two days we attended. This marks our school’s music program’s first foray into the jazz combo genre and the opportunity to attend this festival to hear the many other students and professionals was inspiring. As our band took the main stage for performance, I found myself feeling the same nervous energy that parents describe, as I was not on stage with the students as has been the norm for so many years. This truly is a dedicated group of young musicians (Kasey Karran, Francois Jacques, Melissa Brooks, Felicia Harris, Shari-Lyn Harris, Brody Tuck, and Ashley Moore) with enormous leadership potential, and they proved it here with great performances on all three tunes: Song for My Father, All Blues, and C-Jam Blues. They were
recognized with a silver rating from the adjudicators in the grade 12 Jazz Combo category. Individual recognition awards went to Melissa and Brody. Francois received a $50 gift certificate with his Solo award for his bass playing. Bravo! The group also visited Victoria and attended the Victoria Operatic Society’s production of Brigadoon at the McPherson Playhouse. The bringing together of music, dance, and drama was a real treat for all of us to see. Students were amazingly responsible, considerate and engaged throughout. Thank-you so much driver/ chaperones Roger Harris and Lorri Tuck. Financial assistance was received from the Bella Coola Awards Foundation, Williams Lake and District Credit Union, SAMS Parent Advisory Council, and School District 49. Thank-you!
CHRISTINA BOUCHER Congratulations to Niki Watts, who won the Discovery Coast Music Festival poster contest. There were eight entries in total, and judges were blind to artist’s names during selection. All entries were impressive artistically, but Niki's best lent itself to the poster format required by the Festival Directors.
Niki has won $200 and two weekend passes to the music festival. Her poster will be featured on DCMF advertisements and the DCMF schedule. Thanks to all the students who participated, as well as Dan Watts, James Mack Sr., and Elaine Ignas who all helped the students to get their submissions ready. Students received school bonus marks for the effort.