By AL STOVER
Staff Reporter 

MLHS students to perform for All-State music festival

 

Last updated 1/28/2016 at 8:22am

Al Stover

Thirteen Medical Lake High School music students will perform in the WMEA Band and Choral Festival. Back row from left to right: Gabe Mangione, Brandon Scheer, Nick Isherwood and Jeremy Ryan. From row from left to right: Megan Goertz, Justyce Cogswell, Sofia Novochekhova, Emilie Browning and Emma Ransom. Not pictured: Shay McIntyre, Skyler Watchel, Romana Hyde and Luke Evenson

Thirteen students from Medical Lake High School's music program - nine in the band and four in choir - are preparing for the 43rd annual Washington Music Educators Association's (WMEA) All-State Instrumental and Choral Festival, Feb. 12-14, in Yakima.

"This is the most students from Medical Lake we've had perform in the festival in a long time," band director Craig Johnson said. "Last year we had six kids who went. To have this many going this year is amazing."

To perform in the festival, musicians must submit applications in the fall, download the audition materials from the WMEA website, which include specific songs they'll perform in the festival. Musicians also have to submit a video of themselves performing the music to the WMEA.

"The kids worked super hard for this, they prepared for hours," Johnson said.

From the choir, Shay McIntyre and Skyler Watchel will perform in the festival for the second time. McIntyre went to his first festival in 2015 while Watchel went in 2014.

"It's exciting to be going back this year," Watchel said. "When I went the first time, I got to meet and perform with many new people. This year I want to meet just as many new people as I did the first time."

The other two MLHS choir students who are performing in the festival are Romana Hyde and Luke Evenson. Evenson, a sophomore who also performs in band, decided to audition at the recommendation of his peers. As for Hyde, a senior, she's auditioned every year since she's been in high school.

"I'm happy to finally get to go to this (perform in the festival) for the first time in my high school career," Hyde said.

On the band side, freshman flute player Megan Goertz is performing in her first All-State festival, after having previously auditioned for the junior all-band festival in seventh and eighth grade.

"I practiced for a long time," Goertz said. "I was working on things like my scales with a metronome and my vibrato on the lower notes. It's nice to finally make it in my first year of high school."

Joining Goertz is Gabriel Mangione who made it to the top level of the percussion groups, drum major Nick Isherwood and musicians Brandon Scheer, Emily Browning, Justyce Cogswell, Emma Ransom, Sofia Novochekhova and Jeremy Ryan.

Isherwood said one of the challenges of performing at the All-State festival is meeting new musicians, practicing with them and performing in a concert, all in the span of a weekend.

"It's pretty hard music to play and you're playing with a group of people you don't know," Isherwood said. "But in the end the concert is really good and you make new friends. I still keep in touch with people I've met at the festival."

Isherwood echoed Johnson's words about the dedication from the students in the band, especially the underclassmen who made it to the festival. He said it reassures him and the rest of the upperclassmen that the program is in good hands when they graduate.

"We have a very dedicated group of students, they know how to get things done," Isherwood said.

Johnson said the band had a good start to the school year, performing at the Nov. 28, Washington State University vs. Texas Southern basketball game and will perform during the Harlem Globetrotters Feb. 16 game at the Spokane Arena. Before the WMEA All-State festival, band and choir students will perform at the annual solo/ensemble festival Feb. 6 at Rogers High School in Spokane.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Our Family of Publications Includes:

Cheney Free Press
Ritzville Adams County Journal
Whitman County Gazette
Odessa Record
Franklin Connection
Davenport Times
Spokane Valley News Herald
Colfax Daily Bulletin

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/24/2024 23:40