Two Plains soloists head to state competition
Two Plains soloists sang their way to qualify for the state competition this coming Friday and Saturday in Helena.
Two Plains soloists sang their way to qualify for the state competition this coming Friday and Saturday in Helena.
Catherine Powell and Andy Ibarra, Plains High School students, both qualified at Music Festival in Missoula two weekends ago and are set to perform their musical pieces this weekend on the state level.
Music Festival is a required part of the music curriculum and both choir and band prepare two pieces to perform in front of two adjudicators who evaluate their performances.
The pieces are rated on a zero to five-scale in various areas and the choir and band are given an overall score ranging from “poor” to “superior.”
The 25-member high school band received an “excellent” rating, only falling one point short of scoring a “superior.”
The 12-member choir received a “superior” rating.
“I love music fest because it’s just really fun to go and play and get graded,” said Powell who added she is both nervous and excited to perform at the state level this weekend.
Plains music teacher Brittany Majerus said the nice thing about Music Festival is that the students do not compete against other schools, but are judged on an individual basis and given feedback on what areas they need to improve on.
“I think it’s a great opportunity, the kids not only get to hear their hard work pays off as they had some challenging pieces and they get the chance to hear other bands and choirs perform, which is always a great experience for them to see what other schools are doing,” said Majerus. “I really enjoy seeing the kids succeed and show that when you work really hard this is what you can get.”
The two soloists heading to state this weekend will be performing classical pieces of their choosing. The adjudicators will critique the soloists individually and work with them in specific areas of improvement.
“When they go to state they perform in hour blocks, but their rating is only based on their own effort and work and how they perform on an individual level. I’m proud of the kids and how hard they worked and it all paid off,” said Majerus.
Questions or comments on this story can be directed to Reporter Danielle Switalski by e-mail at Reporter@VP-MI.com or phone at 826-3402.