6 gold awards for all 6 G.W. Graham bands at Chilliwack Music and Dance Festival

The music students at G.W. Graham Middle Secondary School couldn’t have done any better.

Nearly 100 kids competed in various music group categories during the recent Chilliwack Music and Dance Festival (Feb. 17 to March 16) and they won gold awards in all of them.

“We had six groups perform in the festival and all six groups earned gold in the performances,” said Shane Monkman, music director at the school. “This indicates excellence in all areas of performance.”

The six groups were choir, orchestra, junior concert band, senior wind ensemble, junior jazz band and senior jazz band. The bands came home with six gold certificates as a result.

“These kids deserve to be recognized. These are outstanding achievements.”

Monkman explained that when it comes to music festivals, gold, silver and bronze awards do not mean first, second and third place.

“You’re performing against perfection. Gold represents excellence in all facets of performance… tone quality, rhythm, dynamics, attitude, professionalism, everything across the board.”

There could be multiple groups in one category that win gold, or there could be no groups.

In addition to the six gold certificates, three of the groups picked up trophies as well. They were given awards for Most Outstanding High School Choir, Most Outstanding Senior Concert Band and Most Outstanding Senior Jazz Band. Those trophies are awarded based on who the adjudicators felt gave the best performances.

He said the results are “remarkable” especially since the number of band members dropped substantially as a result of COVID.

When the kids returned to school in September 2022, the music level of the students was lower than at the beginning of pre-COVID years. But once the new year hit, Monkman noticed a huge difference.

“The growth from January to now has just taken off.”

Their hard work definitely paid off and he pointed out that many kids play in more than one group at G.W. Graham. There are even some students who are in five bands and play five different instruments.

Because of how well the six groups did, many of them have been invited to perform at the annual high school national competition called MusicFest next year in May 2024.