On Wednesday, May 15th, members of Trinity College School's Tottenham Band travelled to the University of Toronto to compete at MusicFest Canada "The Nationals" 2024. Their gold award at the Ontario Band Association's Provincial Band Festival this past February earned an invitation to compete nationally. From May 13th to 18th, over 8,000 students from across the country participated in this prestigious competition. 

Tottenham Band chose two new pieces to play for nationals. Western Fair by Ryan Meeboer is a fun, energetic piece that combines two melodies in many different ways. It is complex in what it asks of young bands, with varied articulations, fast technique, syncopated rhythms and varied harmonic material. Our syllabus selection was entitled A Starlit Night by James Swearingen. This piece was our lyrical portion with its gentle and expressive melody in 3/4 time. For our final selection, the Tottenham Band continued to work on Last Voyage of Queen Anne's Revenge by Ryan Meeboer, which is part of our OBA repertoire. This piece is a very challenging work in 6/8 time where we immersed ourselves in the life of pirates! Our adjudicators commended the band for their mature performance of three very different pieces that left the audience thoroughly entertained and joyful. 

At the end of Tottenham Band's performance, Crystal Ding, flute, was presented with the Honour Award. Crystal's musical leadership with kindness and encouragement and her outstanding commitment to musical excellence at every rehearsal made her well deserving of this award. Congratulations to Crystal!

Next, the band participated in a clinic led by adjudicator Mark Caswell. Our students had a wonderful time working with Mr. Caswell, who helped Tottenham Band take their playing to the next level in a fun and engaging atmosphere. At the end of the clinic, Mr. Caswell presented Tottenham Band with an Award of Excellence for their musicianship and ensemble skills. This is the second year in a row the band has received this special recognition from the festival. 

Tottenham Band received a gold award for their performance at MusicFest Nationals 2024. They played from their hearts and demonstrated musical excellence in every part of their performance. They received an outstanding result for their hours and hours of practice and rehearsal this year, and I am bursting with pride for all our young musicians. 

Music makes a difference. I have seen tremendous growth in every member of the Tottenham Band this year. Here are some of the highlights of what these students have learned in band:

I have seen excellent development in their technical skills and problem-solving abilities. Their analysis skills have sharpened to the point where every student can analyze the band's performance, isolating problem areas and working out a plan to make our playing even better. 

Their discipline and responsibility have expanded as each member is a key part of our sound as a whole. Tottenham Band members have practiced diligently throughout the year for a common goal together – to play music to the best of their abilities. 

Their teamwork and collaboration skills have advanced through their experience of performing at festivals. Playing in an ensemble teaches students to constantly work together towards a collective musical expression, follow a conductor as they interpret the music in real time, and listen and respond to their peers as they create together. It is a wonderful thing to watch young musicians feel the power of musical performance. It is all around you at these festivals. It is inspiring and helps our students foster their sense of team and build positive relationships with each other. Students often tell me how much they love travelling together as a band. 

Their self-expression and creativity flourished as they learned to express emotions through their music. Tottenham Band has done this through their beautiful musical phrases, which signal to our adjudicators that they play "beyond their years." They have also shown this through the many solo performances within our music. Bravo to all our musicians who stepped into this leadership role to let their musical voices shine!

Their confidence has grown tenfold. Tottenham Band's professionalism shone at nationals. From their demeanour on stage to their engagement in their clinic, our Junior School musicians represented our school proudly. 

Bravo to the members of our Tottenham Band for their commitment and dedication to excellence. The benefits of band education go well beyond the music, and I have been honoured to see every musician grow and learn this year. One of our esteemed adjudicators, Colin Clarke, founder and artistic director of the acclaimed Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, ended his comments with an important message for all our Tottenham Band musicians: "You are at the very beginning of your musical careers…and you have a grand journey in front of you!...thank you for your musicianship and keep up the great work!" I couldn’t agree more! Congratulations to Tottenham Band!

- By Emma Crawford, Junior School music teacher