May 12: Community concert features Lockerby, Lo-Ellen and MacLeod bands

This year’s recipients of new instruments from the Joan Mantle Music Trust will come together to perform a community concert on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. Featuring bands from Lockerby Composite School, Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School and MacLeod Public School, the concert will take place at 7 pm at the McKellar Auditorium at Lockerby Composite School, 1391 Ramsey View Court, Sudbury.

“Once again, we welcome this opportunity to thank the community for its generous contributions to the Joan Mantle Music Trust,” said Rainbow District School Board Arts Education Co-ordinator Ralph McIntosh. “We invite the community to come out and hear how the new instruments purchased with proceeds from the trust are benefiting students in Rainbow Schools.”

Admission to the concert is $5 for students/children, and $10 for adults/seniors. Tickets are available at the participating schools. Lockerby Composite School will host a bake sale in the school lobby the evening of the concert. Those who attend will also have an opportunity to make a donation to the Joan Mantle Music Trust.

Lo-Ellen Park Senior Concert Band under the direction of Sandra McMillan
Lo-Ellen Park Senior Jazz Band under the direction of Marc Taillefer

The Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School bands will be playing a variety of music from original Jazz Band charts such as White Heat, a programmatic work depicting a river’s journey across the landscape and the famous march Colonel Bogey. Both bands are made up of students in Grades 10, 11 and 12.

Lo-Ellen Park bands have competed with great success, earning Bronze, Silver and Gold awards at local festivals and beyond, including New York, Ottawa, and Montreal.  In April, students travelled to Chicago to compete at the Heritage Music Festival.  They earned two Silver and two Bronze awards.

MacLeod Public School Band

Under the direction of Jack Broumpton, this group is made up of 26 students in Grades 6 to 8. The band continues to garner accolades and carry on the proud MacLeod tradition of music making with Gold and Silver awards at last year’s Kiwanis, Northern Ontario Music Festival and Music Fest National competition. The music program includes the Mustang World Drum Ensemble, Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, and Jr. and Sr. Concert Bands. The band will perform three pieces including the exciting march “Centurion”.

The Lockerby Composite School Viking Five Combo,
Jazz Band and Senior Concert Band under the direction of Mike Jensen

The Viking Five Combo is a group that started up in July 2009 in preparation for their audition for the Sudbury Jazz Festival talent search.  The group was chosen to be in the final four and played to a large crowd on the grounds of Science North on a state of the art stage.  The group will play a song entitled "Cold Duck Time".

The Concert Band, who last year at the Cleveland Festival in the Parks received a rating of Superior, is made up of students from Grade 9 to 12.  This group will play two numbers beginning with “Silverbrook” and ending with “Heartland Overture”.
 

The Joan Mantle Music Trust was established in the fall of 2008 to help refresh, modernize and revitalize school music programs in the Rainbow District School Board. The Joan Mantle Music Trust allocates funds to school music programs in Rainbow District School Board, one school at a time.  This ensures that there is a tangible improvement in the condition of equipment in an entire department, allowing for students to achieve more in their musical studies together.

Joan Mantle dedicated many years to music education in Rainbow Schools. She passed away on June 9, 2009, after a courageous battle with cancer.

The Rainbow District School Board provides students with opportunities to increase their musical literacy and develop their creative and critical thinking skills by engaging them in activities that lead them to learn in, about and through music. Musical literacy is the ability to read, write, create and perform music, as well as analyze, interpret and appreciate music from a variety of cultures and historical periods.

Learning in, about and through music is part of a well-rounded education that reinforces academic skills and nurtures life skills. Learning songs and rhythms develops literacy skills. Connecting songs, language and movement increases thinking. Music improves self-esteem and confidence and promotes teamwork and an overall appreciation of the arts.

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Media Contact:

Ralph McIntosh, Arts Education Coordinator,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.7551, ext. 6850