Cochrane Music Festival for Youth Fills the Gap

A music festival will be happening Sunday, May 1, and offers youth an opportunity to perform in front of adjudicators.

The afternoon festival will allow children to perform for positive feedback filling the gap between now and the Cochrane Rotary Youth Talent Festival which has been moved to November from May.

Shelley Steele-Gittel, music teacher who runs a variety of programs, says May is a good time of year for kids to perform.

“A lot of kids are preparing for festivals, recitals, and things like that; and you are winding down the year. They look forward to an ending performance where they get feedback and also get rewarded for their hard work.”

Gittel thought that rather than waiting until November, an interim festival would tide the youth over. Performers will receive feedback and a reward for their performance.

“We will have adjudicators, we will keep it super positive, and very to the point, and fairly quick. We will give them some positives, some things they can work on; if they try their best they will get a reward for that: a medal.”

The festival may be a good way to give those performing added incentive to practice in preparation for the November Rotary Festival.

“The fact that they will have that positive adjudication, then they can look at next steps, and what is going to happen after that,” says Gittel.

Gittel shares that both Glee Clubs, members of Rock Band, and about 15 soloists will be performing on May 1. Gittel adds that other teachers are able to contact her as well if they have interested students.

“They can give me a call at 403-467-8375 or shoot me an email through missmozart.com but everyone is welcome. We will make sure that they all get rewarded and have a quality adjudication at the same time.”

The performance will be held Sunday May 1, at Seniors on the Bow auditorium in the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre from 1- 3 pm, and the festival is open to the public.

Read the Discover Airdrie article here.