Winging it in front of music big wigs was no biggie for a young Okotoks trombone player who topped his peers in an international band competition.
St. John Paul II Collegiate Grade 8 student Jacob Bueckert was awarded Most Outstanding Performer for Junior High for his performance with the school’s jazz band at the Alberta International Band Festival in Calgary March 8.
“I wasn’t expecting to get it, but I’m happy that I did,” he said.
Bueckert has been playing the trombone with the school’s jazz band for two years and initially found the solo element of jazz intimidating.
“I was nervous doing solos last year,” he said. “Once I got comfortable in my solos I wasn’t as nervous.”
Bueckert also performs with the school’s concert band, but favours the jazz band for the opportunity to get creative and hang with friends.
Mom Lisa Bueckert said she’s noticed a difference in her son’s confidence since joining the band.
“Over the past couple of years he’s really grown a lot through the jazz band,” she said. “It takes a lot of courage to go up there and wing it on your own. We are just super proud that he took that risk and that he’s been acknowledged for taking that risk.”
Bueckert’s award wasn’t the school’s only achievement during the Alberta International Band Festival. The Grade 8 jazz band was awarded gold and Most Outstanding Jazz Band for Junior High Award.
“For the Grade 8s to win this trophy is huge,” said band director Brianne Gruber. “They beat out all of the Grade 9 bands. This group in particular is just a phenomenal group of students. They work really hard and really come together as a group. They love jazz music and they love being challenged. They blow me away every time I see them.”
The Grade 9 jazz band received an excellent rating for its performance in Edmonton on March 15, which isn’t unique for JPII, said Gruber.
The band typically receives an excellent or superior rating and has been known to pick up some gold awards over the years, she said.
“It depends on the groups I have and what they’re willing to reach for,” she said. “This year they were ready to take the bull by the horns. They really accept every challenge I give them.”
Gruber said adjudicators were impressed with the band’s foundation and technique, but suggested it play with a bigger sound.
“That’s always a request for junior highs students,” she said. “They are pretty young and shy and it makes them nervous watching the high school groups. They don’t always take into account they are a different age group.”
Westmount School also wowed adjudicators at the festival.
The Grade 8/9 concert band received gold and a superior rating for its performance in Calgary March 13.
“It’s not unusual for our school to do this but it’s a really hard thing to accomplish,” said music director Jeff Graham. “Our kids work really hard. They are a talented group and they are great to work with.”
Graham sets the bar high for his students after teaching high school band students for 15 years.
“I treat my 8s and 9s like high schools students,” he said. “Even the adjudicator said, ‘You must be a high school teacher.’”
Graham sees the festival as a learning opportunity.
“I don’t live for the awards,” he said. “We get to make great music and if we get rewarded at the end of it then that’s great. The reason I take kids to festival is to get tips from the adjudicators.”
This year the adjudicators struggled with suggestions, obviously impressed that the band sounded beyond its years.
“They sound like a high school band when they play,” he said. “They sound very mature and don’t sound like a junior high school usually plays. Everything is in control. They are really in sync together. It just verifies the hard work that we put in.”
