Yorkton Regional High School's music department left a Chicago music festival on May 25th with top awards in their musical fingers. The jazz band, concert band and marching band all placed for performance and took a bonus Esprit De Corps award for displaying a great attitude.
"This time we were quite lucky to receive all these awards," said Mark Zawerucha, band instructor at YRHS. The bands take a major trip every two years and enter a competition during their travels."It gives the opportunity for students to play their music in front of judges and get advice on how to make their music better."
The bands began practicing in September. Their hard work paid off, and the jazz band received second place, concert band stood first place in their class and marching band also stood first in their class. There were over 30 bands competing from Canada and the United States.
The trip to Chicago also gave students a chance to see the Chicago symphony perform.
"Most of our students have never seen a symphony. The Chicago symphony is one of the world's best," said Zawerucha. Students also saw the blue man group, the Sears tower and tried Chicago's famous pizza.
"The big thing I'm proud of is their Esprit De Corps award, which is for top performance and attitude," said Zawerucha. "I want my students to play well, but I'm more concerned about them having a good attitude."
A total of 57 students attended the Music in the Parks Festival in Chicago. Congratulations go to Lauren Dobko for receiving the top high school soloist award.
