Semiahmoo Secondary Jazz Bands Rock Online – Peace Arch News

The Semiahmoo Secondary jazz band’s schedule may have been dampened somewhat by the pandemic – but it’s alive and well and ready to roll out to home screens, according to program director Dagan Lowe.

The proof, he said, will be the program Christmas and winter 2020 concert, broadcast online December 17 at 7:30 p.m. at semiahmoomusic.ca

The broadcast will be organized in such a way that home viewers can donate through PayPal, he said.

Profits will be shared, with 50 percent earmarked for the program and payment of production costs. The remaining 50 percent will go to Sources White Rock / South Surrey Food Bank and Covenant House, Lowe said.

“We are trying to do everything possible to bring our music to the community,” he said, noting that the concert was made possible by South Surrey-based content creators / producers / distributors, Hubcast Media .

“We’re always trying to reach out and play for people. “

Hubcast, he said, is “a business owned by one of our Grade 12 parents, so we would like to thank them and the Semiahmoo Music Society, which is our parent group, for helping to organize. that. “

Featured are five of the school’s jazz bands, including two grade 9 bands under the direction of Wayne Ablitt, a grade 10 band and a larger-than-usual grade 12 group that Lowe divided into two jazz groups.

The only reason Grade 11 isn’t represented is because as part of the quarterly school year division system at Semiahmoo, the concert only features musicians playing actively in that quarter, Lowe said.

The enthusiasm of the young musicians who prepared this concert is impressive, he added.

“They’ve only been playing together for a few weeks; they just put the horns back in their faces.

Nonetheless, each ensemble performed two tracks, which Lowe described as “mostly holiday or Christmas songs in a jazz style”.

“Grade 12 students do Gordon Goodwin’s big band charts, including a ‘lift’ of Glenn Miller’s swing version of Tinkle Bells, which is more or less at the pro level, ”Lowe said.

“It’s pretty amazing that they adopted this level of music. “

The concert will also feature an ensemble of professional musicians who served as inspiration – and online workshop mentors – for the program, including renowned Semiahmoo alumnus Jodi Proznick on bass, her husband Tilden Webb at keys, Jesse Cahill on drums and singer Dawn Pemberton (“She’s a wonderful singer I went to college with,” Lowe noted).

“One of our goals this year is that, if we can’t bring the students to outside events, we’ll bring in professional musicians, to tell them that’s what we’re trying to emulate,” he said. Lowe said.

“This year there were very few concerts for professional musicians, so we are trying to put them in the spotlight as well.”

Lowe said that while teaching a group program under pandemic conditions presented its fair share of challenges, Semiahmoo was able to follow the guidelines of the BC Music Educators Association to ensure this is done. safely. The music rooms are well ventilated, with doors open to both the hallway and inner school yard, and fans to create a constant flow of air to clean the rooms.

Most wind players wear masks with closable flaps that allow them to blow through the mouthpieces, while the “bells” of the instruments are also covered.

In general, musicians in each group can be successfully distanced or perform in sections of their own “cohort,” he added.

“Overall the kids have been very responsive,” he said.

To access the concert and for all the information, visit semiahmoomusic.ca

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