Local musicians prepare for Honor Band, Choir performances

Music is known as the universal language because regardless of a musician’s background, it is understood by all. Music unites people, including students across the Bi-County.

Each year, junior high and high school musicians from local schools combine to perform in Honor Band and Choir.

This year, Bi-County Honor Band and Choir performances will be Monday, March 14, at the INB Performing Arts Center in Spokane.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. All community members are invited to attend, with admission free of charge.

The collaboration of Honor Band and Choir as opposed to the competition of athletics allows musicians from Davenport, Reardan, Odessa, Harrington, Sprague, Wilbur, Creston and Lind-Ritzville to get to know one another.

Megan Buriak, first year Honor Choir member, appreciates this aspect the most about the program: “My favorite part is coming together and collaborating with other schools and meeting new people [who] also share my same interest.”

Jennifer York, band director for LRSD, explained, “One of the biggest benefits of being in Honor Band is camaraderie.

“We are not competing with each other; we are coming together to create art.”

Honor Band and Choir challenges musicians by presenting them with music of greater difficulty than they would see in their normal bands.

At the junior high level, musicians from each school are selected randomly, whereas at the high school level, musicians submit an audition. Over 70 percent of LRHS students who auditioned were accepted into the program.

One of the primary goals of Honor Band and Choir is to improve students’ abilities in their craft. To do so, guest conductors with experience in music are brought in to guide students towards a great performance.

Raymond Dietz, Department Chairperson and Instructor at Eastmont High in East Wenatchee, is the conductor of this year’s high school Honor Band.

“I love working with band and high school students, and this sounded like a great opportunity,” Dietz said of his decision to be a guest conductor.

“My goal for the Honor Band is to get them to play as well as they possibly can for the big concert in a couple of weeks!” Dietz added. “They are already playing fairly well, but I want to see if they can get to an even higher level.”

Between the larger ensemble of instruments than students from smaller schools are used to and the advanced skills of the participants, Honor Band and Choir provides a heightened musical experience for audience members.

Third year Honor Band participant Jack Anderson said, “I really enjoy the quality of sound that comes from a large group of skilled musicians.”

One of the largest challenges of Honor Band and Choir is the time restraint.

York explained, “Students in class are given weeks to months of time to work on concert pieces. In Honor Band <and Choir>, they have two rehearsals that last four hours each, one 45 minute rehearsal on stage, and then the concert.”

“My biggest challenge,” third year Honor Band participant Sharon Anderson said, “is only getting to hear what the band sounds like together for three rehearsals because it makes it really hard to correct all of my mistakes.”

All of the hard work that musicians put in to their pieces pays off on the day of the concert.

Sharon Anderson continued, “My favorite part is getting the experience of playing on a professional stage in a huge performing arts center. I believe it makes the band members more confident in their performance if they are in an area made specifically for music.”

Of course, there are some benefits of Honor Band and Choir that can’t be heard.

York said, “I feel that memories are made at Bi-County Honor Band and Choir making new friends, strengthening old friendships, and coming together with like-minded people to make beautiful music.”

She concluded, “Who could forget that?”