Festival tests young musicians

The District 7 Music Festival is in full swing today and will continue to test students' musical skills until Saturday afternoon.

David Johnke, the band director at Havre High School, said this is a pretty big festival.

"It's really special, and it's something the kids look forward to every year," Johnke said.

Johnke said there are 13 districts in Montana for musicians and choirs in high school, and in District 7, there are 10 schools. High schools from Harlem, Big Sandy, Cut Bank, Chinook and others will be attending the festival in Havre for a chance to qualify for the state solo and ensemble competition.

Today, the largest groups like whole bands and choirs will be performing for adjudicators at the Havre Middle School.

"There will be three judges that listen to each performance and then rate them according to how they sound," Johnke said.

The bands and choirs will then be given a rating from one to three, one being "superior," two being "excellent" and then three being "good."

Anyone given a "superior" rating will be able to move on to the state competition in Helena. In Johnke's nine years teaching music in Havre, an average of 80 to 90 students from Havre qualify to go to state competition.

"We're one of the schools that have the most entries at state on a regular basis," Johnke said. "So we're quite proud of that."

The groups will do a performance and then a sight reading to test their deftness at reading sheet music.

"It's basically a test to see if the teachers are doing their jobs," Johnke said.

Saturday will be Solo and Ensemble Day at Havre High School. Both vocalists and instrumentalists will be performing in groups or solo for corresponding adjudicators who specialize in instruments or choral pieces.

Hannah Pepprock, a junior at Havre High School, was practicing the alto saxaphone Thursday at the school.

Pepprock said she and her fellow musicians have been practicing their pieces for the solo and ensemble since they got back from Christmas break in January.

She said she has been playing for seven years and this is her third year competing in the District 7 festival. Achieving a "superior" rating at the state solo and ensemble brings a certification and recognition to the musicians, especially the ones who achieve the top rating, Pepprock said.

There will be four judges from Great Falls to rate the instrumentals. They are all music educators with master's degrees. Johnke said that by having people that specialize in these areas to come and be adjudicators, it lets the kids know with more detail what it is they excel at or fall behind in their music.

Since there are more vocal entries, seven judges from all over the state have been hired.

"We try to find the best people for this event," Johnke said. "It's competitive, but it isn't really competitive. It's more about enhancing your skills."

Johnke said there are 114 entries from Havre alone, which makes up more than half of the total entries. He added that each student on average will enter three to four times to play different pieces or in different arrangements.

"It really is the biggest event of the year," Johnke said. "But it isn't the last."

The band and choir both have a concert in May

Johnke said they are still looking for volunteers to help with the music festival and the public is invited to come and watch the musicians throughout the day today until 5 p.m. and Saturday anywhere from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone who wants to help with the festival can contact Johnke at 390-4491.