Bluesy choirs, jazzy horns and soft melodies reverberated throughout St. John as students from eight schools gathered for the St. John Music Festival, Friday.
St. John, Macksville, Sterling, Claflin, Ellinwood-St. Joseph, Chase Raymond, Sacred Heart and Ness City brought out their best and brightest of sixth, seventh and eighth graders to amaze and entertain as well as receive ratings – or scores. The performances encompassed bands and choirs, vocal ensembles, soloists and individual musicians. Performances were held in various areas of the St. John school as well as the Ida Long Goodman Memorial Library.
This festival was a first for Christy Taylor, St. John Band Director and Music Teacher.
“Everything has been running very smoothly”, she said. “even though we have a lot of students going from warm-up rooms, to the auditorium, to the gym or the vocal rooms.”
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the groups flowed in and out endlessly. There was a lighthearted rhythmic “Catch a Falling Star” performed by the boys choir of Ness City followed by a vibrant “Joshua”, rife with syncopation and rhythms performed by the choir of Ellinwood-St. Joseph.
The 19-member Macksville choir made you want to dance and eat tacos with their lively performance of “De Colores”. Macksville also performed a second number titled, “Joy”, that was all that and then some with their soulful tones of blues and gospel.
In the band room, Britani Grabast, a St. John seventh grader, masterfully performed a snare drum solo, rolling the sticks and drumming out a beat that many were tapping their feet to.
Claflin student, Bethany Oeser, performed solo on flute with an intricate Bach piece for judge Bob Bitter, Skyline High School Music Director in Pratt, and longtime participant in the festival.
Speaking to the room at large, in his critique Bitter stated, “She [Oeser] memorized the composition and by not having to read sheet music while playing, it allowed her more creativity; more artistic leeway. It is always a pleasure to hear a student’s own interpretation”.
High school staff, faculty and students help keep the event moving along.
“We have a lot of staff and volunteers that have helped us to keep things flowing smoothly,” Taylor said. “We have a wide variety of performances and everyone is doing an excellent job. It looks to be a successful event.”
