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Show C-2 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, April 21-24, 2012 The Park Record Music thrives in Park City Schools In Park City Save Gas Store local • ONLY in town location • • Over 20 years in business • • Electronic Gate Access • • Friendly Staff • 435.649.2741 www.thestoragedepotut.com 1040 Ironhorse Dr.• Park City Ironhorse Industrial District Storage at affordable rates Bonanza Windy Ridge Cafe • The Storage Depot H I r o n h o r s e • Riff's Park Avenue Seven out of nine ensemble groups headed to state By SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record While the Park City School District struggles to balance its budget, the district's music program is the strongest it has been in years. The program boasts nine competitive music ensembles - Varsity Jazz, JV Jazz, Intermediate and Advanced Percussion Ensemble, Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensemble. "The whole music studio is divided into five different large-ensemble facets at Park City High School," explained from to COUNTRY LANES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN THE PARK RECORD. subscribe to the Park Record and get all of your Park City and Summit County News. Delivered twice a week to your driveway or mail box. Also includes the Sunday Issue of the Salt Lake Tribune free with your paid in Summit County Park Record Subscription. Call our office Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM @ 435-649-9014 and ask for the Circulation Department or you can email us directly at Circulation@parkrecord.com. Photos by Jill Orschel Top photo: Park City High School Varsity Jazz Band plays some romantic songs during the annual Sweetheart Gala last February. Bottom photo: Park City High School director of bands Chris Taylor, left, and assistant director of bands Bret Hughes, right, show off the new marching band uniforms. The PCSD music program boasts nine competitive music ensembles and this year, seven of them are competing in state festivals. Taylor, who has been teaching at Park City High School since 2001, said the older students' high caliber of performing begins with the care the music teachers in the area's elementary- and middle-schools take in establishing a musical foundation with the younger students. Bret Hughes, assistant director of bands and percussion teacher. "You have the choirs, the orchestras, the bands, the jazz bands and the percussion ensembles, and the kids from these groups can also compete in a solo and ensemble category also, which includes solos, duets and quartets. All of these ensembles can compete at five different state festivals that run from March until May. (See accompanying story for the schedule) "Out of our nine competitive ensembles, seven of them have placed at various regional festivals and are competing on the state level," Hughes said. This is the first time that has happened since Chris Taylor has been the director of bands at Park City High School. "When I first started teaching at Park City High School, which was 2001-02, we may have had four groups qualify for state," Taylor said. "That was one band, one choir, one orchestra and one jazz band. But now, since we've added the percussion ensembles and such, it's been great to have all the groups going." Taylor credits the improved caliber of musicians to the middle and elementary school music teachers - Derek Spitzer and Dennis Harrington at Ecker Hill Middle School and Mary Morgan at Jeremy Ranch. "For me, having Derek Spitzer teaching at Ecker Hill is incredible," Taylor said. "He has more knowledge about band directing in his pinky than most people I know. So, by the time I start teaching eighth-grade kids, they are well versed in fundamentals and play very well. That's refreshing, because I don't have to teach them how to play the instrument. We can just worry about making music and going to that next level. "It's like getting kids who have been playing for four years, even though they have been playing for two," he said. Harrington has also started a fiddle program, Taylor said. "So, the kids are learning some improvisation," he said. "Then there's Mary Morgan at Jeremy Ranch who is just killing it. They are laying down a solid foundation." Taylor also praised Ryan North and Stephen Fairbanks, PCHS's respective choir and orchestra directors. "Ryan has been resurrecting a choral program that was almost dead a few years ago," he said. "When I first started, there were only three choirs in high school and Ryan came into his position without very many numbers to work with, but has changed the quality of sound because he has the kids believing in themselves. 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