Northport Senior Band recorded two submissions for the 2019 Niagara Provincials, an invitation-only OMFA festival.
Hub Staff
Already in the midst of preparations for MusicFest Canada, a national competition in Ottawa May 15 to 17, the Northport Elementary School Senior Band has once again been honoured with a prestigious invitation, this time to the annual 2019 Niagara Provincials June 3 to 8, organized by the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA).
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The festival is by adjudicator invitation only and was on account of their performance at OMFA's Midwestern Ontario Rotary Music Festival in Walkerton in April. After the adjudicator witnessed the Northport Senior Band play, the decision was made to extend an invitation to the band to submit a two recordings for provincials.
The recording took place on Wednesday morning, May 8 in the Northport gymnasium and as the students packed up to head to their classes for the day, a few lingered behind, not wanting practice to come to an end. With the school year winding down, every victorious note they play carries with it a reminder that they will soon have to say goodbye to their conductor who has become both a mentor and a friend.
Andrea Rideout, former music teacher at Northport Elementary School, recently accepted a new posting within the school board but made the decision to finish out the school year in her role as conductor to the Senior Band.
With the Grade 7 and 8 students moving to SDSS next year, this will also be the last year for the senior band at Northport, at least for the time being, explained Rideout. With all their success and this most recent opportunity at Provincials they've made their grand finale a memorable one, she said.
"I've been with these kids since they were in Grade 2," said Rideout with a mixture of pride and nostalgia. Rideout expressed her gratitude to both the administration at Northport as well as all the parents whose encouragement and persistence made these accomplishments possible.
