Medical Lake bands and choirs prepare for festival season

At 7 a.m., in a hallway next to the Medical Lake High School auditorium, the thumping echo of drums can be heard from the band room.

This is the percussion ensemble, one of several groups from the Medical Lake High School band that are getting ready to perform in the annual high school solo/ensemble festival Feb. 7 at Rogers High School. Performers who finish first place in their categories advance to the state competition in April at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

At last year's festival, Ivie Fleur Rabon, Emma Ransom, Stephanie Burris and Alexis Rolan - collectively known as the Clarinet Quartet - took first in the small woodwind ensemble category while Nick Isherwood took first in the solo guitar category. Burris, who finished third in the solo clarinet division, went on to finish third in the all-state competition.

While the quartet is making their second appearance at the festival, the percussion is entering it for the first time, according to Medical Lake Band director Craig Johnson.

Students will often practice for 1-2 periods in the morning before heading off to classes.

"Everyone is frantically getting ready for solo/ensemble," Isherwood said. "It's getting down to the wire and everybody is working hard to do well."

Johnson knows a lot of the hard work the students put in, not only in band but also in the classroom.

"It makes my job fun to work with kids like this every day," Johnson said.

The solo/ensemble festival isn't the only upcoming event Burris is preparing for. After auditioning against hundreds of students in the Northwest, she was chosen to play in the Washington Music Educators Association's (WMEA) All-State Instrumental Concert Feb. 15, at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox in Spokane. She will be performing in the concert for the third year in a row.

"It's exciting to go three years in a row and to do it in my senior year is really cool," Burris said.

Before Burris takes the stage, freshmen Sofia Novochekhova and Emilie Browning, will perform in the National Association for Music Education's All-Northwest wind symphony, which is comprised of students from six western states.

Browning was intimidated before the audition but the support of her band mates gave her courage.

"We're kind of like a big family and they kind of boosted you up and it makes it easier to have the confidence to audition," Browning said.

Medical Lake High School Windborne Choir members Rayann McIntyre, Shay McIntyre and Chris Keister were selected to perform in the Feb. 15 Idaho Music Educator Association/WMEA All-State choral concert.

Rayann McIntyre said she had been auditioning for the all-state choir since seventh grade. Keister and Shay McIntyre thought their auditions did not go well, however director Heidi Peterson assured them they would be selected.

"When I learned I was going to be in all-state, I was jumping for joy," Shay McIntyre said.

Both Johnson and Peterson are proud to have several students represent Medical Lake High School's music program at these events.

In addition to the state events, Burris and Isherwood, along with Medical Lake's Red Clay Combo jazz band will perform in-studio on KEWU 89.5 FM Jan. 30, from 11a.m. - 1p.m. According to Johnson, one of the pieces the combo is performing, "Glide," was composed by Isherwood and his brother Kris. They are also performing "Ridley's Riff," written by Johnson, which he said was inspired by Jeff Ridley, his junior high school band teacher.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].