Band students entertain crowd at the Mission Valley Band Festival

By KATHLEEN WOODFORD

Mineral Independent

Over 200 people packed the auditorium last Tuesday for the Mission Valley Band Festival in Ronan. 170 students from seven schools attended including Superior and St. Regis. For over six years students from smaller area schools have had the opportunity to perform together at the event.

It was held at the Performing Arts Center in Ronan on November 14 where students from Ronan, Charlo, Arlee, St. Ignatius, Superior, St. Regis, Thompson Falls and Plains entertained the crowd.

“This is our largest festival so far,” Alicia Lipscomb, Ronan band director, shared Monday.

She explained that she wanted students from smaller schools to be able to perform in a large group rather than in a smaller gymnasium or cafeteria.

The entire seventh through twelve St. Regis band attended, “they always have a lot of fun playing with the other kids,” said the St. Regis band director, Derek Larson.

Each school played a song for each other during the day and then the whole group put on a concert of five songs that evening and the percussion ensemble performed two selections. The students rehearsed for five or six hours during the day starting at 9 a.m. with the concert at 7 p.m.

As the percussion section grew, it was decided that the percussion ensemble would be added to the festival five years ago. A percussion specialist chooses several selections for percussion students to work on and Lipscomb noted that most of the student who attended would normally not have the opportunity otherwise at their schools. St. Regis student, Madison Kelly had a piccolo solo in one of the pieces which she also performed at the St. Regis School concert on November 14.

Each year a different guest conductor is invited to choose music for students to work on in their own band program.

“The idea is for them to have the notes down well enough that when they all get together the guest conductor can work on musical nuances,” Lipscomb added.

This year Dr. Thomas Cook, who is retired from the University of Montana Symphonic Winds Ensemble, is the festival band director. Cook is also a program host for Montana Public Radio. The Percussion ensemble director was Cody Hollow, who is the band director at Townsend.