Music students perform at Winspear Centre

Band and choir students from Redwater and Ochre Park Schools took over the Winspear Centre on Monday, April 24. The students joined band and choir members from schools across the Sturgeon Public School Board to perform in the 43rd annual Sturgeon Night of Music and Fine Arts.

The event featured collaborative performances by bands and choirs and displayed select pieces of art created by students in the lobby for all to enjoy. The event was hosted by Sturgeon Public Schools Superintendent Shawna Warren, and she was quick to share the joy felt by all in attendance at being able to hold the event after a hiatus due to Covid.

“What you have seen with the art show in the lobby and what you are about to see on the stage is a culmination of a great deal of work by students and teachers,” Warren shared in her opening address to the audience.

The evening consisted of 16 performances, of which students from Redwater School and Ochre Park School performed nine.

“What is great about the Sturgeon Night of Music (SNOM) is that students get to perform with other students in the division, so they hear other voices and instruments that are not just from their classes or school and perform with bigger groups as well. The greatest part of SNOM is getting to perform on the Winspear stage, which has amazing acoustics, so our songs sound very different than just performing in our school gym. The ability to combine our instruments and voices with more than just our school is something unique,” shared Redwater School Music Director Terra Beth Dowhaluk.

“Students benefit from practicing and performing with students from other schools so much,” added Jason Booker, Music Director at Ochre Park School. “It gives them a chance to hear other voices and learn together. It’s also really great for kids to work with other music teachers and choir directors. We all benefit from each other’s knowledge and draw from each other’s energy and passion for music.”

Redwater School is privileged to have an exceptional music program, and students performed at the event at the junior high, high school and honor band levels. This was the first year that the high school band was able to collaborate with the Sturgeon Composite High School band class, and together the ensemble performed three arrangements to close out the night of music.

“Many rural schools do not have band programs as they are expensive to run and keep going, but band is more than just students playing instruments in a group,” explained Dowhaluk.

Students in the junior high band are also able to attend a music camp in March, where they are able to work with master musicians, play as a mass band, and enjoy the fun of camp.

A 50/50 raffle was held during the event to help raise money for music programs at schools across the Sturgeon Public School Board, and it was announced that the raffle sold out before the end of the event.