Friday was quite the musical day, with the Band members going up to Sutherland Secondary School in the morning, and our own celebrations in our classroom in the afternoon. In the morning, the Band members played with the Sutherland Jr. Band which included several Brooksbank grads.
The afternoon started with Naomi's mother and father bringing in, and assembling their 5-octave marimba! Peggy, Naomi's mum, told us about the instrument, and dazzled us with her playing.
Everyone got a chance to come up, one at a time, and noodle around on this beautiful percussion instrument. Even holding the mallets the proper way was a challenge. They're so long! You couldn't reach from one end of the marimba to the other without stretching your arms out and taking a step or two!
Then we were treated to several performances. Alaina played the marimba while Naomi accompanied her on the piano, then they switched places and played a second song, this time with Naomi on the marimba and Alaina playing piano.
Lucas M. played his trumpet, and later performed a duet with Raya (on tuba) when they played Good King Wenceslas. Brook-Lynn played a beautiful piece on the piano, and we eventually convinced a trio of band members (Alaina, Laleh, and Sian) to play a couple of pieces on their clarinets (Alaina and Laleh) and flute (Sian).
Mr. Kelly's class was invited in so some of the performers had a chance to reprise their playing, so they also had a chance to share.
Laleh, who has had 6 years of piano lessons, wowed the crowd with a beautiful rendition of Bergmuller's Arabesque.
Mia closed the afternoon's performances by playing two pieces, including Jazz Blast, the only piece from that genre.
We were grateful to Peggy and Jeffery Tseng for bringing in their beautiful marimba. This is not exactly a portable instrument! We don't often get a chance to see and hear this lovely instrument, so that was a great opportunity for us all.
Lastly, a word of appreciation and respect to those who had the courage to prepare and then perform for us all. We were impressed, encouraged, and delighted with the performances. I hope we get a chance to repeat our Musical Celebrations again in the future, for there are many talented students in our class, and we don't often get a chance to see their skill and dedication.
