Katikati College music teacher Wendy Fleming is rewarding all members of her school's concert band and jazz bands with an icecream - after they brought home a gold and bronze ranking from Waikato University's music festival late last month.
Ms Fleming told the Advertiser that she first began taking the concert
band to the Waikato ITM Music Festival at Waikato University, which gives every band an ability ranking, in 2007.
"That time we brought home a bronze ranking. In 2008, we took both the jazz and concert bands -and both received a bronze ranking," she said.
"In 2009, the jazz band received a bronze [ranking] and the concert band a silver ranking and a highly commended prize from the judge."
However, this year the jazz band gained bronze [ranking] while the concert band struck gold - the highest standard available.
The concert band has approximately 25 members (which includes 23 adults and 22 students) while the jazz band has 11 members, of whom three are adults and the rest students.
Ms Fleming is band master of both groups with the help of the itinerant music teachers who teach the children their instruments and help them learn the parts.
The youngest musician is 10-year-old Billie Fleming of Katikati Primary School, who skips Beach Rd to play the Tenor Horn, while the oldest member is Mr Peter Basgrove who is rumoured to be retiring soon, and the rest of bands range from Year 7 (age 11) to Year 13 (age 18). "They are all very stoked and I owe them all an ice cream for getting gold," said Ms Fleming.
She says the Waikato competition began at 9am on July 30 and ran to 6pm with three rooms each hosting a category, of Concert and Orchestra, Jazz bands, and the third room was full of small ensembles and guitar groups.
Ms Fleming said her concert band's grades ranged from 17/20 for three categories, 26/30 for musicianship and 9/10 for presentation. "The band played Putting on the Ritz by I Berlin, Hello Dolly by B J Herman and a 1980s movie hits ranging from Top Gun to An Officer and a Gentleman to Ghost Busters and many more," said Ms Fleming.
"Both bands played extremely well and we gained many positive comments from people in the audience afterwards."
