From February 11th to 13th, 8 musical groups from Collingwood went to Capilano University to compete at the Vancouver Kiwanis Jazz Festival–an annual event where high schools from around the lower mainland are judged based on a national standard.
The groups choose three pieces–one swing chart, one ballad, and one piece of choice–to be adjudicated by accomplished musicians who assign a grade of gold, silver, bronze, or participation (better known as a “thank you for coming” in the Collingwood music department.) An adjudicator then works with the group in a short clinic.
Just as previous years, the amount of talent on the stage was exceptional, and the level of performance was very high. The instrumental groups from Collingwood, directed by Michael Perkins, had stellar performances with the Senior Jazz Band, Intermediate Jazz Band, and Grade 9 Jazz Combo bringing home golds and the Grade 10, 11, and 12 combos bringing home silver. The choirs, directed by David Buchan, also did well as the Senior Vocal Jazz was awarded gold and the Intermediate Vocal Jazz was awarded bronze. The festival was a great learning experience for all the groups as they all came away with fresh knowledge about the songs they performed and how they could improve them. Highlights of the festival included that the Senior Vocal Jazz received an invitation to the national festival, one of the highest honours an adjudicator can award, and Leon Li was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music for his exceptional harmonica playing. All in all, the festival was a successful event for Collingwood where the high standards of performance in our music department were recognized and applauded.
By: Emily Bugeja
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