High school musicians flock to the Flathead
Nine Northwest Montana schools will participate in the annual District One Music Festival at Flathead High School in Kalispell April 20-22.
High school musicians from Eureka, Troy, Libby, Whitefish, Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Bigfork and Polson come together for three days of intensive music making, performing in 18 choirs, 14 bands, and 3 orchestras, and hundreds of vocal and instrumental solos and ensembles.
The solos and ensembles are an extra-curricular activity for the students, while the performances of the bands; choirs and orchestras show the results of their daily work in class. An ensemble is a group of two to 20 musicians performing together. Students choose their partners and pieces in midyear and then practice intensely in the month or two leading up to festival.
Fourteen expert music teachers and professors have been invited from across Montana and neighboring states to serve as judges for the festival. The judges listen and write comments during the performances and then give each soloist or performing group a live clinic. Each entry then receives a rating as follows: Superior (1), Excellent (2), Good (3), Fair (4), Poor (5).
Solos and ensembles receiving a superior rating are then eligible to proceed to the Western State Solo and Ensemble Festival, which will be in Helena this year on May 5-6.
The festival philosophy is one of education and collaboration rather than competition. Ratings are not posted publicly and students and parents are encouraged not to compare the rating of one performance with that of another. Area directors teach their students to place a higher value on personal accomplishment and improvement rather than on the rating that is given.
Kevin Allen-Schmid, Flathead High School choir director, is co-host of this year's festival.
Regular classes will not be in session at Flathead High School on Friday, April 21 in order to accommodate the music performances that will be going on throughout the building. Band, choir and orchestra performances begin Thursday evening and continue throughout the day on Friday in the Flathead High School choir room and auditorium, as listed below. Solos and ensembles begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and change every 15 minutes through 5 p.m. Saturday.
All performances are free and open to the public.
High School Bands and Orchestras
FHS Auditorium
Thursday, April 20
7 p.m. Flathead Symphonic Band
7:30 p.m. Bigfork Concert Band
8 p.m. Columbia Falls Wind Ensemble
8:30 p.m. Whitefish Varsity Band
Friday, April 21
9 a.m. Flathead Concert Band
9:30 a.m. Polson Concert Band
10 a.m. Columbia Falls Symphonic Band
10:30 a.m. Kalispell Junior High Concert Band 1
11 a.m. Polson High Symphonic Band
11:30 a.m. Troy Concert Band
1 p.m. Kalispell Junior High Concert Band 2
1:30 p.m. Libby Symphonic Band
2 p.m. Kalispell Junior High Orchestra
2:30 p.m. Eureka Concert Band
p.m. Whitefish Chamber Orchestra
3:30 p.m. Columbia Falls Concert Band
4 p.m. Flathead Orchestra
High School Choirs
FHS Choir Room (PA 20)
Thursday, April 20
6:30 p.m. Columbia Falls Chorale
7 p.m. Whitefish High School Choir
7:30 p.m. Polson Concert Choir
8 p.m. Kalispell Junior High Choir
8:30 p.m. Flathead Concert Choir
Friday, April 21
8:30 a.m. Columbia Falls Concert Choir
9 a.m. Eureka Chorus
9:30 a.m. Libby Concert Choir
10 a.m. Flathead Varsity Men's Choir
10:30 a.m. Columbia Falls Treble Choir & Blue and Whites
11 a.m. Bigfork Choir
11:30 a.m. Eureka Select Chorus
1 p.m. Polson Select Women's Choir
1:30 p.m. Flathead Dorian Choir
2 p.m. Whitefish Concert Choir
2:30 p.m. Polson Mixed Choir
p.m. Flathead Varsity Women's Choir
3:30 p.m. Columbia FallsTres Belles
4 p.m. Flathead Choral-Aires