For the last 17 years Kevin Dyck, teacher at Gordon F. Kells, has enjoyed teaching youth in grades five through 12 the skills involved with playing in a wind and percussion concert band.
The annual concert was held on the first Monday of June as always, making this year's excitement land on June, 2.
Dyck explained that there are 22 students between grades seven and 12 who are enrolled in the band program, while grades five and six consisted of 29 musicians.
"Some stick with it all the way through... some take a break and come back... and some join later," Dyck explained.
The program he runs starts in grade five with St. John's Music stopping by the Carlyle Elementary School each spring with a variety of instruments for those going into grade five in the fall to see.
"We offer the standard band instruments, which are wind and percussion..." Dyck said. "We demonstrate the instruments to them and then they get to try two instruments from each family, the woodwind family and the brass family, then we introduce the percussion instruments to them as well."
"That way they get to choose an instrument that they perform well on even for that 10 seconds that they got to play it because no one wants to spin their wheels on something really difficult. I do firmly believe anyone can play any instrument they want if they're willing to put the time in."
This also helps students get a jump on playing instruments instead of spinning their wheels trying out instruments during their first year.
Dyck said that the band forms around the instruments the students choose and they do not limit sections.
"Some programs in some of the larger centres they'll limit the number of students they have on each instrument, so once they've got five saxophones [the students] can't choose that anymore, but we don't do that," Dyck explained. "So, if we have 10 saxophones in our band then we do..."
The band takes part in various non-competitive festivals, competitive festivals have fallen to the wayside. The non-competitive festivals they attend are usually located close to home, while once and awhile they will do a larger trip.
This past year they attended a festival in Winnipeg, a close trip, while next year Dyck is looking into a festival in the States to attend.
The annual band concert though is something looked forward to every year, which allows friends and family see the hard work that the students have put into their instruments.
The grade five and sixes were the first to play in the high school gymnasium performing "Penguin Promenade," "Fire Caves of Golgathon," and "Heroes and Glory."
This was followed by a performance by Jory Dyck on the saxophone who was performing as a way to ready himself for the Provincial Music Festival held in Saskatoon on Saturday, June 7. Here Jory was able to achieve placing in the top three of the brass 16 and under competition.
He then joined with the high school band to perform "Chinese Folk Fantasy," Shepherds Hey," "Linden Lea," "The Pink Panther," "Mission Impossible," and "Super Hit Mega Mix." The latter of which had people clapping along, singing "Whomp there it is," and doing the actions to the song, "YMCA."
"We had a really good year end concert this year, not that every year isn't good, but this year was really good," Dyck stated.
Dyck went on to explain that although he's sad to be losing six of his grade 12 students, he was quite impressed by the students in the younger grades and hopes to challenge them a lot next year.
