Regions II Music Festival helps sharpen skills

HOUSTON — Hundreds of boys and girls inhale simultaneously, and then exhale with the sounds of the most miraculous choir. This is how Alaska’s Regions II Music Festival sounded during a mass concert. From April 18 to 22, Houston High School’s choir and band classes traveled to Cordova for the festival, learning new things and seeing beautiful sights along the way.

On the first day, each school presented a miniature performance of one song as a form of introduction to the choir and its sound. Shane Artz, Houston’s music teacher, said students would then practice up to six hours every day with their sections, which could consist of up to 200 students.

“I think doing music that long every day, they learned something for themselves,” Artz said. “There’s a lot of opportunity to learn, I hope they were immersed in music.”

Students performed together April 20, showcasing their hard work in a three-hour concert. Altogether, a mass band, mass choir, honor band, honor choir and the highest-ranked soloists performed during the concert.

“The concert was really good. Kids at Regions II present a lot of talent,” Artz said.

Houston High School band and choir classes were adjudicated the following day after the concert before returning home. Professional singers and musicians reviewed all three performances and gave students feedback on how they could improve.

Out of adjudication, some HHS students were chosen to go on to Alaska’s State Solo and Ensemble Music Festival in May. Members of Houston’s treble choir will also be going to state for ensemble; Mariko Antolin, Jordan Herndon, Austin Hull, Alex McCall, Sam Tampke and Megan Wilbur.

Two other HHS senior girls also will attend state for shinning in solo auditions. Kylie Gordon will head to state for her soprano solo along with Laurena Crosslin for her clarinet solo.

“I performed ‘Fur Elise’ by Beethoven,” Crosslin said. “I was so happy I made state, I was in tears! This is the first time I’ve made state.”

Alexandra McCall, HHS senior, won First Chair Award for singing Alto 1, along with fellow senior Allyssa Miller, who won for Soprano 2. Both girls were considered the best of their sections.

Being surrounded by music for so long every day gave students the ability to learn a few new tips and tricks, even if they had been doing music for years.

“I learned about different choral styles and how to blend my voice with others around me,” said Samantha Tampke, HHS senior and Alto 2.

Michael Gagnon, a Houston senior who sang in the choir and also performed in the band, learned from the long rehearsals. “Rehearsals were really fun; we spent a lot of time talking about what we could do better. It was very interactive.”

Out of all the shinning performances and hard work, students also were able to have some fun during the trip.

“The trip was amazing! I got to meet other young musicians from around the state and sing with them,” Tampke said. “I loved getting to meet new people and see new places.”

“It was excellent,” Artz said. “I had a lot of kids who hadn’t traveled before for music and I think they really enjoyed it.”

“It was interesting,” Gagnon stated. “The town is very small and it was nice to take in all the sights. We got to see whales and dolphins on the boat ride as well.”

For Artz, he hopes that this trip caused students to find their place in music. “I had one girl come up to me after rehearsals and tell me, ‘Oh my God, this is what I really want to do, I could do this my whole life.’ I hope all my students had an epiphany like that and realized what they want to do in music.”

To watch the entire choir and band performance from April 20, visit ASLN.net. Members of the public are also welcome to watch the best of the state’s singers and musicians at the State Solo and Ensemble Music Festival performance at 5:30 p.m., May 7 in the East High School auditorium in Anchorage. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Holly Brett is a three-year journalism student and this is her second year writing for the Frontiersman’s School’s Page.