JWP’s band and choir sent a handful of representatives to the Gopher Conference Music Festival at Kenyon-Wanamingo over the weekend on Friday, Feb. 2, and Saturday, Feb. 3.
Each band and choir director from the 12 schools within the Gopher Conference chose a handful of students, most of them upperclassmen, to represent the school at the event.
The band and choir performed five pieces each. Although the students from both ensembles had a few weeks to practice their parts, they only had two days together to prepare for their performances.
Choir
Representing the JWP choir at the Gopher Conference were Ava McNair, Hunter Mudgett, Jaxon Miller, Kaylea Elliott, Steven Denn, Isaiah Berndt, and Derek Gustafson.
Choir Director Josh Sorenson felt like the students had a pretty solid time. “The feedback that’s come back from them has been positive,” he said. “They got the chance to make friends with other schools, and they enjoyed making music with a larger group than usual.”
He enjoyed seeing the students bond with others from different districts. “It was cool to see them forming relationships with other students that on the football field or basketball court would have been rivals. But in the rehearsal space, they focused on creating something together.”
Sorenson feels students greatly benefit from opportunities to show off their talents and having to learn to work with others they don’t usually get to see every day. “They were exposed to a wide amount of repertoire with the five pieces they prepared. The different genres and styles of music they did is something we’re trying to integrate more of here at JWP. This allowed them to experience music beyond Janesville.
“It also got them out of the classroom with their fellow peers,” he continued. “They got more exposure to things happening outside of our community.”
He felt like the students who went had an overwhelmingly positive experience. “They learned that doing this is fulfilling and enjoyable.”
They had such a positive experience that they asked Sorenson shortly after the festival if they would attend the Gopher Conference Music Festival next year. These experiences are getting students in choir more involved in participating and bringing new students into music.
“The kids are getting interested,” he said. “Last year, I only took a few to the festival in Maple River. This year, we had seven. It’s an opportunity for them to get into larger-scale music.”
But it wasn’t only the students that benefited from it. All the choir directors who created connections did as well. Sorenson shared that he and a few other directors discussed a potential crossover between various schools within the conference to collaborate together. “Having events like this more regularly would benefit students.”
Band
The JWP had six students who were part of the honor band: Miles Kruger, saxophone; Eric Daschner and Ariana Aguilar, clarinet; Lydia Sack and Lexie Dahlberg, flute; and Ellie Morsching, tuba.
In addition to talking to Band Director Adam Hille, the Journal talked to five out of the six students at the festival.
Like the choir members, the band members enjoyed the experience of working with other students. “I always enjoyed going to these events,” Morsching shared. “It gives you an opportunity to play with people at a higher skill level.”
“It’s a fun experience for sure,” Daschner agreed. “It’s great to play with musicians on the same skill level. We got to perform harder songs than we do here.”
“It was nice to work with another director and see how he likes to run things compared to how Mr. Hille does it,” Dahlberg added.
Aguilar was glad to be able to make it. “I’ve wanted to do it the past few years, but it never worked out in my schedule,” she said. “So, it was a good experience for me.”
Working with the usual conference rivals was fun, according to the students. “It’s very rare to see 12 schools all in one place working together rather than being rivals,” Daschner said. “Well…I guess there was still a rivalry. We’d joke, ‘Oh, you’re from WEM? Ew!’ But other than that, it was peaceful and lighthearted.”
Miles Kruger admits, “I don’t do any of the sports stuff, so the rivalry is not really there for me.” He’s happy to have fun no matter what the school rivalry.
Morsching saw it more as seeing familiar faces from other honor bands she’s performed with over the years. “It’s normally a lot of the same kids at the different honor bands all over the area,” she said. “But it’s still different working together with some of the same students we usually don’t work with.”
In one of the pieces they worked on, the composer — Daniel James Felton — was the guest conductor. One of the lessons he focused on was breathing techniques. “He taught us about breathing together, which helps me skills-wise,” Morsching shared. “I’m so used to being the only one in my section that I don’t usually think about that. It’s different working together. You don’t have to worry about coming in at the same time as everyone else.”
“Since the festival, I found myself thinking about that a lot,” Kruger added. “It was more sustained notes, keeping them along by using my core.”
Another lesson they took away from the weekend was playing with confidence. “In one of our pieces, we had designated improv solos,” Daschner explained. “I had the chance to do one of them. I didn’t have anything to go off of. I had to make sure to trust myself and what I played. It really boosted my confidence getting to do that.”
Morsching took a similar lesson away but with a twist. “We learned to own our mistakes. [Felton] taught us that if we’re going to make a mistake, do it with confidence. You’re going to make it anyway.”
A lesson that Aguilar took away was patience. “I learned to be patient with the peers around me and the director.”
Director Hille agreed that the experience was helpful for them. “Events like these allow them to play with other band kids from around the state,” he said. “It gives them a different perspective. It also allows them to play with other students at or above their level.”
It also allows them to blend with other instruments in a bigger ensemble. “One school had a bassoon player, which we don’t have here,” Hille said. “So, the students could work together with other musicians on different instruments than we’re used to.”
It was a great weekend of music-making and creating connections with other students in their conference for the 13 musicians at JWP. As the music program grows, the hope is that there will be more opportunities for the students and, from that, more interest in getting involved.
“I’m hoping to find more opportunities for the students and can’t wait to see what the future holds,” Sorenson concluded.
Hille has already seen the band grow because of the several opportunities the students have been given. “We have about 40 students in the 8-9 band and even more in the 10-12 band,” he said. “We also started a jazz band last year, and they’ll be at the Jazzfest in Winona Cotter in April. There are lots of opportunities to participate in music here at JWP.”
