Over 200 middle school students from Canyons District are gearing up to showcase their musical talents at the Canyons District Middle School Honors Music Festival. These young musicians, ranging from sixth through eighth grade, have been selected through auditions or high classroom participation to participate in this esteemed event, according to information obtained by Canyons District.
These diligent students are preparing to harmonize in a way that, perhaps, they haven't had the opportunity to do so before fully. Emery Derrick, a seventh-grader from Mount Jordan Middle School, told Canyons District, “This is the best of the best in the District — and we all get to come together to play some of the more complicated songs to perform for everyone and show off what we got.” Selected students have been rehearsing with the music provided to them weeks ahead of the festival, juggling practice sessions alongside their regular school commitments.
The festival, which will include an all-District honors choir, band, and orchestra, enables students to engage with a higher-level repertoire than what they are accustomed to within their individual schools. "They get to play a higher-level repertoire and learn even more music than they normally do,” Chloe Wright, the band, choir, and orchestra director at Eastmont Middle, said in an interview with Canyons District. The students' collective practice has led up to their performance, scheduled for Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m., which will be streamed live on CSDtv.
This event is more than just a one-off concert for the students. J. P. Kentros, Arts Specialist for Canyons District, emphasized the lasting impact these experiences have: “These events often become the moments that keep students excited about not only music for years to come but keep them excited for education and being a life-long learner.”
These young performers can anticipate an audience both present in the concert space and watching online, eager to support their artistic achievements. Angel Alvarez, a seventh-grade trumpet player from Mount Jordan, expressed his excitement to Canyons District about the upcoming performance: “I’m excited to feel and hear what it sounds like with all of the other instruments,” and to see the reaction from "our parents and people at the schools think of our performance."
