The news came as music to the ears of four instrumentally gifted Flin Flon students.
Mikylo Odut, Allysa Richard, Jemedie Morris and Eve Cooper have been chosen to perform with the Manitoba Band Association’s honour bands later this spring.
“It will be a pretty big opportunity and experience for them, and very challenging music and repertoire because they’re [playing with] the best in the province,” says Hapnot Collegiate band teacher Kim Jones.
Odut, a Grade 9 Hapnot student who plays the flute, looks forward to an “exciting” experience.
“And it’s good for the [band] program, too,” he adds. “It shows that we have dedicated students.”
Odut is among about 70 Manitoba students who has or will be named to the Intermediate Honour Band for grades 9 and 10.
The Junior Honour Band, for students up to Grade 8, will also have about 70 members, including Grade 8 students Jemedie, Eve and Allysa.
“I was really shocked. I didn’t think I would get in originally,” says Allysa, an École McIsaac School student who plays the trumpet.
“It was awesome to find out.”
Jemedie, who plays the bass clarinet, and Eve, a percussionist, received the good news from their band teacher, Anna Jardine.
“We were both like smiling so much and just like happy for the rest of the day,” says Jemedie, who along with Eve attends Ruth Betts Community School.
With a smile of his own, Mikylo recalls phoning his mom from school to share the news with her.
“She was screaming and I was screaming on the phone,” says Mikylo. “Everyone was looking at me in the hallway like, ‘What are you doing?’”
The reaction was warranted, as earning a spot on honour band is no simple – or easy – task.
Applicants rehearse an assigned piece, submit an audio recording and wait for a panel of judges to assess them.
“It takes a lot of individual work on their part and just that we have quality students that are willing to put in that time is really exciting,” says Jones.
Winnipeg students typically dominate the honour bands. And while there has been northern Manitoba representation, it has been at least 10 years, as far as Jones can tell, since Flin Flon sent a student.
“It was really exciting for us to know that our students are provincially competitive,” says Jones.
The Junior Honour Band and Intermediate Honour Band will perform at a concert at Winnipeg’s spacious North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church on May 2.
