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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, April 5, 2013 | 10 Lack of extracurriculars spells WOW for musicians by Dominik Kurek Oakville Beaver Staff T.A. Blakelock High School is highly regarded in town for its music program. However, when the teachers' union cut all extracurricular activities this school year, the high school's before- and after-school band programs were cancelled. That didn't sit well with a group of parents who refused to stand idly by while their children were limited in their music opportunities. So, the West Oakville Wind (WOW) ensemble was founded in December. In January, a group of 65 high school-aged musicians from west Oakville held their first rehearsal. In February, the ensemble participated in the Ontario Band Association's provincial competition in Markham. WOW earned a gold medal for its performance, the Overall Outstanding Performance award in its division and Overall Best Brass Excellence award. Extracurricular activities have since returned to public high schools and the musicians have returned to their regular school music programs. But WOW still exists, said parent Peter VanDuzer, co-chair of the band. "When we first started, the intent was to give kids a chance to play because they weren't having it," he said. "But also, in conversations in previous years with other people in the music world in Oakville, there seemed to be a need for a band like the West Oakville Wind ensemble." VanDuzer said there are a Members of the newly-formed West Oakville Wind (WOW) ensemble rehearse under the direction of Brian Vincent. submitted photo number of opportunities for young wind musicians in the community, however, many local orchestras are either primarily for string, or have limited wind spots. "Really, for wind players, especially for the younger ones, there's not a big opportunity," he said. So WOW will continue. The current iteration is comprised mostly of Blakelock students, but the band was open to all Oakville high school students in Grades 9-12. This fall, WOW will hold auditions for musicians in Grades 7-12 for the coming year. VanDuzer said forming WOW on short notice was challenging. It faced issues of scheduling, timing and location. A number of the students are part of other music ensembles and rehearse through the week, which limited which nights could be used for WOW rehearsals. The group also had to use rehearsal space where it was available. Despite it all, the program was successful, VanDuzer said. "The fellow who was the music director was very dynamic and a lot of the kids knew him. I think that's certainly part of why it was successful," he said. The parents hired Blakelock music teacher Brian Vincent, who directs the school's Symphonic Band, Senior Jazz Orchestra and the Senior Wind Ensemble. Vincent has also directed youth bands High Rendition Jazz and the Halton Youth Symphony. VanDuzer said Vincent's reputation got WOW into the Band Association's competition. He said the band worked so well because of the commitment of everyone involved. "I think the commitment shown by the kids and their parents to make it work was great and that's really what made it so successful." FREE FAMILY PASS! The Oakville LIFESTYLE HOME SHOW Get Your HUGE INVENTORY BLOW OUT UP TO Just look for the bright pink insert in Today's Oakville Beaver. ON BRAND NEW FURNACES & AIR CONDITIONERS CALL NOW, QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED! 95% HI-EFFICIENCY DC MOTOR GAS FURNACE $ 50 OFF % Per month TO UPUP TO $ 2,100 IN FACTORY IN & GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT HI-EFFICIENCY AIR CONDITIONERS 650 REBATES REBATE Don't miss our best show ever! APRIL 12th-14th at the Glen Abbey Recreation Centre (1415 Third Line north of QEW) Was $ Per month 78 NOW ONLY $ BRAND NEW UNITS AVAILABLE ONLY IN 4 SIZES 39 $ Was ONLY NOW Per month 58 Was $ OAC FURNACE DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE *See dealer for details 29 Per month OAC THE FORECAST CALLS FOR $99 ONLY$49 A+ RATING Thursday 3pm-8pm · Friday 11am-9pm · Saturday 11am-5pm SHOW HOURS HEATING & COOLING www.aireone.com · 1-888-827-2665 905-849-4998 905-632-0505 9 Locations To Serve You Better! Just a few of our Featured Advertisers: SAVE UP TO $ { your source for FREE coupons ek's money saving deals de from our team of experts. { Check out this week's 38 ON YOUR NEXT GROCERY BILL! Sign up for free e-Offers and get the inside scoop on the best flyer deals! @