www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 30, 2008 - 23 Award-winning Blakelock school bands perform May 7 By Patricia Stephenson SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Oakville residents can see T. A. Blakelock High School showcase its double-gold winning music students at the Gold Medal Showcase on Wednesday, May 7. The concert will feature performances by Blakelock's Senior Jazz Orchestra and Senior Wind Ensemble led by music director Brian Vincent. Blakelock won double gold at the Ontario Regional music competitions in February this year. The 60 student musicians will be competing in the National Music Festival and Competition on Thursday, May 15 in Ottawa. "We have students in Grades 11 and 12 who have had some very good [music] education, and have followed that up with some private study, who are very committed to what we're doing here, and who rehearse very effectively," said Vincent. "What that's translated into is recognition on the provincial level." "You're going to hear the Senior Jazz Orchestra which is made up of 20 musicians playing everything from Latin music to rock, swing, old standards, soloing, and a couple of ballads", says the music director. "Our Senior Wind Ensemble will play a collection of 20th century music, a piece of Canadiana, [and] a piece composed and arranged by a musician in Kitchener, Waterloo." The Wind Ensemble will also play a piece called Rhythm Danse by composer Richard L. Saucedo, "a piece in 5/4 which is extreme- DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Alanna Bray-Lougheed plays the clarinet while rehearsing with the T. A. Blakelock Wind Ensemble. ly challenging rhythmically, and really great to listen to, very dramatic, that you wouldn't necessarily hear unless you went to a wind ensemble concert". Grade 12 student David Park plays lead trombone in the Senior Wind Ensemble and Senior Jazz Orchestra, sings in the choir, and is a member of the Student Music Council. "Since I started playing trombone in Grade 6, I've just loved playing it," he said. "No matter what I play, I just thoroughly love playing and that's really why I joined the band in the first place". Camille Boukhaled has played piano since she was four years old, but for Blakelock she plays percussion, mainly bells, xylophone and vibraphone in the Senior Wind Ensemble. She is also on the student music council. Band rehearsals are anything but dull. "We're all friends, and it's exciting to come to band. I look forward to Mondays . It's a fun time," she says. Grade 11 student Isabelle Hamel Carassi has her sights set on pursuing music at university. Carassi plays flute in the Senior Flute Ensemble, plays piccolo and flute in the Senior Wind Ensemble, is a co-mentor to the Junior Flute Ensemble, and is a member of the Music Student Council. With the National Music Festival and Competition a few weeks away, Carassi says, "Our practices now are really intensive because we know we don't have much time left [to practice]". "It's an honour to stand on the podium in front of these young people who are focused and committed, and to help them make some music. I feel like I'm part of the process. I don't conduct from a top down kind of place, I feel that it must be done collaboratively, and if it's not, then I don't think you get a genuine performance," said Vincent. According to Vincent, the students can be booked by businesses to play at events, just as they did for the Kerr Street Business Association at Christmas time. The Gold Medal Showcase is at T. A. Blakelock High School in the Studio Theatre at 7 p.m. on May 7. 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