麻豆传媒AV

The NBCHS music department is in the process of wrapping up a successful year.聽

The extracurricular Concert Band and Jazz Band, under the direction of Amy Francais and Jackie Kroczynski, have just returned from the Heritage Music Festival in Vancouver where both bands received a ranking of silver for their performances. The bands will finish the year with a concert on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the NBCHS Cafetorium.

Many students come to NBCHS with musical experience from the band programs in the elementary schools. At NBCHS, all Grade 8 students currently take band as part of the arts education rotation to gain experience as an instrumentalist. Band is also available to students in Grades 9 through 12.

The extracurricular band programs at NBCHS run all year. The Concert Band meets from 8 to 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Jazz Band at the same time Wednesdays and Fridays. Many students play in both bands. With the addition of the Grade 7 to NBCHS in the fall, there will also be an extracurricular band for students in Grades 7 and 8 that will run at noon.

During the 2014-15 year, the bands performed several times in school. As well, the Jazz Band travelled to The Bassment in Saskatoon twice and recently played at the Celebrate the Arts event at the Dekker Centre. Both bands played at the Battlefords Music Festival along with the curricular bands and several soloists and small groups. The NBCHS Concert Band was awarded Great Distinction with a mark of 90 and received the Rotary Club Shield and the Bonaventure Lions Club Award.

During their time in Vancouver, students rehearsed for their big performance and had some fun with a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium at Stanley Park, and with a performance of a Tony-award-winning musical In the Heights. They listened to other performers at the festival, rode up Grouse Mountain and crossed the Capilano Suspension Bridge. For many students, this was the farthest that they had travelled away from home, and it was an excellent opportunity to strengthen friendships and see a part of the country that is very different from the prairies. The time in Vancouver ended with an award ceremony at PNE Playland where it was amusement park madness. It was a busy but fulfilling six-day adventure.聽

Everyone is invited to attend the final concert of the year at NBCHS on Thursday in the Caf. 聽