For a school known for their sports accomplishments, two weeks ago members of the Traverse City St. Francis High School band, women's choir and color guard were in the spotlight.
The groups participated in a music festival in Schaumburg, Ill., and earned the acclaim of college judges there. Competing at Harper College with other high school students from as far away as California, Florida and Virginia, as well as from schools in the Midwest, the women's choir took first place in the choirs overall. The 20-member ensemble, which includes students in grades 9-12, also earned a superior rating and first place in the women's choirs category.
"It was a shock to us, we were very surprised," said Maureen Mawby, director of the choir, which began five years ago. "When they said first in overall choirs that was very exciting, the top for us."
The color guard, directed by Mya Sagan, earned first place and superior rating while the band earned second place with a superior rating. Four students also received individual recognition, including Ivor Berry, who received a gold medal for student accompanist.
Band members, under the direction of Bob Sagan, were pleased with their showing after an unexpectedly dismal performance in recent district competition in Traverse City.
"Our expectations for Chicago were we were going to do all right but we didn't expect to take second place overall and get the highest rating: superior," said Nicholas Bott, a senior with the band who plays trumpet. "It was a great feeling and the seniors went up on stage to receive the award."
Members of the band, color guard and choir made sure to watch their friends compete in the other categories and cheer them on. They also took time to watch their counterparts from other schools when they could.
"We get a lot of ideas from the other bands and we watch and listen to them," said Katie Wheelock, a junior who plays the clarinet and was drum major this year. "Band is different, not like sports, not as competitive. Everyone wants to win, but you go see them all and clap for everyone."
Typical of a small school, many of the choir, band and color guard members are also involved in other activities, especially sports. They juggle busy schedules all year long as seasons and sports shift around, somehow working it all in. Their hard work over months of rehearsals paid off at the festival.
"I do tennis and there are a lot of student athletes in the band," said Gavin Anderson, a junior who plays tenor saxophone in the band.
Mawby noted that in addition to busy schedules, the members of the women's choir are very committed to singing. They rehearse Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7 a.m. and 12 members also take private lessons. Some of the girls are members of the smaller more advanced ensemble, the Choralettes, which rehearses Monday mornings at 7 a.m.
The choir began five years ago as a mixed choir. But Mawby found that male singers had more athletic commitments that conflicted with rehearsals, so she shifted to a women's choir.
Mawby, a member of the Trillium Women's Choir, has tapped area choral experts for coaching, including Mark Puchala of Northwestern Michigan College, and Candice Wallace, director of the Trillium choir.
"We work so hard in the fall and winter, spend most of our time working on the music and the payoff is really in the spring when you can attend all these music festivals and also have the opportunity to sing at more events," said Mawby. "We just have such a wonderful cultural area here and all of the kids go to all the other events and listen to their friends from other schools sing and that feeds on itself."