Irvine School resurrects band program

By Peggy Revell on March 6, 2018.

prevell@medicinehatnews.com @MHNprevell

Irvine School’s band program has been rebooted after a hiatus, thanks to a partnership between Prairie Rose School Division and the Medicine Hat College.

“We’re aiming for a performance at Kaleidoscope, which is PRSD’s arts festival that happens every year at the Esplanade,” said Mark Ward, a brass instructor with MHC’s Conservatory of Music and Dance, about what’s in store for the 18 students involved in the program since the start of February.

Irvine’s band program ended four years ago when the teacher with the expertise for it accepted a full-time position elsewhere, said Irvine principal Carol Carlson.

As a rural school, it can be a challenge to find a teacher with the skillset for teaching band, she said. In the meantime they’ve filled the gap with programming like drama and fine arts.

To have Ward — who is a former band teacher for Crescent Heights High School —is a “real win for us,” she said, and it’s a delight to watch him work with the kids.

It also helped that Irvine School still had the 40-50 instruments available, just sitting in storage.

Right now, students have the choice to learn flute, clarinet, trumpet and trombone, with the possibility of expanding to other instruments later on, said Ward.

The classes take place twice a week during lunch hour — and at this point is free for students, thanks to funding put forward by the school, PRSD and MHC.

Both Carlson and Ward hope the program in Irvine continues to grow in the months and years ahead.

As well, Ward said they are looking to launch a similar program at Parkside School in Redcliff. Unlike Irvine, Parkside doesn’t have instruments, which means that’s one issue that will have to be solved.

Hopefully, the performance at Kaleidoscope will ultimately include Parkside, Irvine and Seven Persons, which already has a band program.

Having the program up and running has multiple benefits for the students, said Carlson, such as those who already play an instrument now having the chance to play as a part of band.

The program will help teach them commitment and responsibility while also a passion that can carry on for the rest of their life, she said.

“I think it’s good grounding for our students.”

It’s important for schools to provide as many positive opportunities as possible to students, said Ward, so they can experience all sorts of things.

“There’s more and more research out there that shows how important music education is, especially to early childhood development, to brain development,” said Ward. “And the benefits of music are I think should be obvious to just about anybody.”

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