Both band and choir participated in the Music in the Parks festival at Coeur d’Alene High School last weekend. Winning first place overall, the band and choir celebrated by spending the afternoon at Silverwood Theme Park.
The Travel Ensemble, as Mr. Morris called the band of students traveling to Silverwood, consisted of 79 students, all a mix from the different band programs held at Glacier Peak. The Choir traveling to Silverwood consisted of 36 students.
Friday, May 17, just as the bell rang at 12:12, students rushed to the band and choir rooms, eager to gather their baggage and board their bus for the long six-hour trip to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Although charter buses were expected to transport students, they were met with disappointment when three school buses showed up instead. But that didn’t stop students from enjoying the ride which had a couple rest stops including dinner at the Spokane Valley Mall.
The next day on Saturday were the band and choir’s performances at Coeur d’Alene High School. The choir performed in the morning around ten o’clock. They sang three different songs: La Vida, Ballade to the Moon, and Shalom. The Choir ended up receiving two trophies, one for Best Mixed Choir and the other for Best Overall. Julia Umayam, a freshman in the concert choir shared how it felt to win. “It felt really nice, especially since I’m a freshman, to know I’m part of such a wonderful choir who are all so friendly, talented, and welcoming, and are so skilled in their singing abilities. I’m so grateful for my next three years in choir, too.”
The band’s Travel Ensemble performed two songs: Locomotive and Pirates of the Caribbean. They ended up winning 1st place High School Band and Overall Best High School Band. “I honestly didn’t really expect to win both first place and overall. Although we played pretty well, I knew that there was much more we could have improved on, but a win is a win,” Braxton Hood, a sophomore in Travel Ensemble said.
After their performances, students spent the rest of the day at Silverwood Theme Park and then enjoyed a fun night and pizza dinner at Triple Play Family Fun Center. Sunday morning, May 19, the band and choir began their six-hour journey back home after a weekend of music and fun. “The whole trip was fun. I know my favorite part of the whole experience was being able to hang out with all of my friends around the park and go on all the rides together,” Hood said.