Strutting their stuff for fellow musicians, high school marching bands, color guard, jazz bands, drill teams and choir members reveled in a day all their own.
The Kingsley Fine Arts Day 2007 drew more than 250 students to the high school for a day to celebrate and share artistic pursuits. Polishing their half time shows, performance programs and dance moves, the students spend the day immersed in the arts: either performing or watching their peers do so.
Participating schools included Kingsley, Glen Lake, Mesick, Kalkaska and Suttons Bay. The students took over the Kingsley gym, where choir risers were set up on one side and chairs and music stands on the other. Each group has 20 minutes in the spotlight and, if not warming up, other attendees provided an appreciative audience.
"We get to see how other schools perform,” said Kayleigh Schneider, a sophomore band and choir member at Suttons Bay High School.
"You usually see only what your school is doing,” added senior Ariane Marchand, a member of the Suttons Bay choir.
Fine Arts Day began in the 1990s, estimated Tom Clair, the Kingsley High School band director who has organized and hosted the event for the past five or six years.
The concept began with the Suttons Bay principal at the time, who envisioned an annual gathering of marching band students from the school's athletic association. The event was intended to promote camaraderie and showcase the students' hard work and dedication.
"It's getting the kids together that are more musically inclined,” said Clair, who sustained the athletic association formula and also invites St. Francis, Forest Area, Benzie Central and Manton every year.
When Clair assumed leadership, he decided to expand the mission beyond marching bands. Past Fine Arts Days have also included drama and spoken pieces, although this year music ruled the day.
"I opened it up to all the performing arts, still in our athletic association,” Clair added. "We've got a little bit of everything coming. Some years Glen Lake brings a drama or speech club, but they're not doing that this year.”
Fine Arts Day is a wonderful experience for his students, noted John Kumjian, band director of Glen Lake High School. He chooses not to participate in the annual Thirlby Marching Band Exhibition held every October in Traverse City, so this event provides an appropriately sized and timed alternative.
"A lot of our arts kids are really into the arts,” said Kumjian, noting the school this year brought 21 band members and 19-20 choir students. "They're excited about this.”
In addition to playing, the 20 members of the Kingsley High School Jazz Prism band volunteer throughout the day as Fine Arts Day hosts, moving equipment and helping with sound and video to record performances.
One of the day's missions is to present each visiting school — before they leave — with a CD and DVD of their performance. Students from the school's new Music Tech class led the high-pressure endeavor this year, scrambling to record and duplicate on a tight schedule.
"It's kind of hectic,” said Billy Preston, a senior in the Music Tech class who is also a member of the school's Jazz Prism band.