SSHS Musicians Excel at District Music Festival

MISSOULA – Seeley-Swan High School musicians took their talents to the stage at Big Sky High School to compete in the annual District Music Festival April 7-8. The band received a one (superior), the top rating. The choir, small vocal ensemble and soloist Cera Strumpfer received twos (excellent).

Some of the things that the band has been working on is breathing and connecting the lines. They also have been working to making it more musical and less technical. Music Director Kaytee Ambrozich said the pieces they worked on this year were a lot more technically challenging that in the past.

"We needed to do the two-fold of focusing on the technical side of things while also being able to do the musical, emotional side of it," said Ambrozich. "That was their challenge for the year so I was glad to hear that we are headed in the right direction."

Ambrozich said they were also complimented on their balance and blend. One of the judges told the group that groups from smaller schools tend to be out of balance and not blended because there is not a strong musical program.

"He said it was a nice change and it was great to hear what he said," said Ambrozich.

While the choir received an excellent rating, their score was very close to a superior.

"I know the choir was really aiming for a one but they ended up with a lot of really good feedback," said Ambrozich. "The things the judge told us to focus on are things that we already have been working on and improving. It's good to know we are headed in the right direction."

The choir was encouraged to be more expressive with their faces and bodies.

"We need to make sure what we are singing is being portrayed," said Ambrozich. "I always tell them a quarter of singing in a choir is acting and drama and making sure that you are actually portraying the emotion that you are singing and not just singing it."

In one of the pieces the choir performed, there is a section for scat, a vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words. Ambrozich said the judges told the group they need to sound more like instruments than vocalist.

"They need to be able to imitate other things, which is a huge step," said Ambrozich. "Once you can imitate other things you can imitate a lot of different styles of music."

The small group included Mary Strumpfer, Chloie Hanback, Amaya Harman, Taylor Cahoon, Amber Leetch, Cera Strumpfer, Korinne Treser and percussionists Brian Atwell and Bradley Miller.

"I was extremely pleased with how the small group did and they all felt very successful and that they had done a good job," said Ambrozich.

Strumpfer was the only soloist to compete this year. She sang "Into the Night" composed by Clara Edwards and accompanied by Laura Morris from Missoula, Mont. While she performed a duet last year, this was her first year singing a solo.

Strumpfer said she learned a lot from her adjudicator. She said if she holds her diaphragm muscles tight after taking a breath, it will help her hold the pitch and hit the legato at the top when ascending to high note and going back down. The adjudicator told her a way to test if she is doing this correctly is feeling her sides and making sure they stay inflated out for the entire breath.

"I think my performance could have gone better overall but I know that at the moment I did my best," wrote Strumpfer in an email. She was only three points from receiving a superior rating and the chance to sing at the state competition.

"I'm extremely proud of everyone for doing an excellent job," said Ambrozich. "To me the scores really don't matter. What matters to me is that they learn and that they have taken away some type of music knowledge and experience with it."

The community is invited to the SSHS Music Department's Spring Concert 7 p.m., May 23 at the SSHS stage.