On Wednesday, February 14th, Tottenham Band once again participated in the Ontario Band Association's Provincial Band Festival. Over 160 bands performed in the five-day festival at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto this year. This festival was a wonderful experience from the moment our students walked in the door. The centre was buzzing with excitement as our Tottenham Band members joined hundreds of musicians in a day of performing and listening to band education at its best.

Performing at these competitive festivals is a huge commitment for our young musicians. Tottenham Band rehearses twice a week during co-curricular time. This year, the ensemble represents over 40% of our Junior School population in Grades 6, 7 and 8. Once again, our Tottenham Band has risen to the challenge and performed beautifully at the festival. They opened with Ancient Moon by Elliot Del Borgo, where the adjudicators commended the band for their mature sound. Next, the band played Last Voyage of the Queen Anne's Revenge by Canadian composer Ryan Meeboer. This is a challenging piece for a young band, in 6/8 time, where the band's detailed work on articulation, timing and balance was exceptional. 

I couldn't be more proud of the individual and team efforts of each member of the Tottenham Band. They have practised hard and rehearsed beautifully for a fantastic result. Tottenham Band received a Gold award for their performance and an invitation to perform at MusicFest Canada's National competition. Stay tuned for their performance on Wednesday, May 15th, at Nationals!

- By Emma Crawford, music teacher