THE BATTLEFORDS — The deadline for entries in the 2024 Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival is quickly approaching. Entries are to be submitted by Saturday, Jan. 20. Entry forms can be found online by searching “Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival” and clicking on the “music festival suite” link. The syllabus and festival rules and regulations can be found online on the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association (SMFA) website.
There are now a variety of non-competitive classes for those who seek the educational aspect and experience of performing for an expert adjudicator without participating in the competitive aspect. Additionally, there is the option to participate in classes that include workshops in each area of musical discipline. Those areas include vocal singing, musical theatre, spoken word, choral, piano, organ, guitar, strings, woodwind instrument, brass instrument, percussion and band ensemble. Expanding inclusivity for styles of music, there are now “World Music Classes” on an instrument of choice that may include popular forms of non-European classical (ex. Chinese guzheng, Indian raga, Tibetan chant), Eastern European folk (ex. Balkan, Bulgarian), Nordic folk, Latin and Indonesian. In non-competitive classes, no mark is assigned.
The 2024 festival is scheduled to run from April 15th – 28th. This annual local festival provides a venue for students to showcase their talent and access feedback from top-quality guest adjudicators who are experts in their field. It’s an event filled with inspiration and celebration for young musicians.
Festival entry fees are solo $15, duet/trio/small ensemble $15 and band/choir/large ensemble $30. The late registration fee is $25 per participant; see the online entry forms for more details. The late entries deadline is Saturday, Jan. 27.
To be eligible for an award or scholarship, a participant must be 19 years of age or younger, have lived in or studied in the Battlefords and district for a minimum of six months before the festival, or be furthering their education elsewhere but still supported by parents living in the Battlefords and district. Other students are welcome for adjudication and recommendation to the provincial and national level competitions.
The Battlefords Music Festival committee hosts a booster program for teachers in the area. If you would like to bring a clinician/teacher in to hold an event for your students, the committee will pay $350/day for facilitator’s fees, .56 cents per kilometre for travel, and accommodation costs. If the expenses for your event go above and beyond this, please submit a proposal for consideration. All that is asked in return for this support is entering your students/group in the 2024 music festival. Last year, string players, Orff musicians, spoken word groups and young pianists benefitted from these booster workshops. As well, the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association is refunding entry fees for school classroom groups in the spoken word discipline.
The online entry system, MusicFestivalSuite.com or MFS, software allows committee volunteers to maximize efforts in scheduling and planning. Your profile gives Teachers, Parents, Accompanists and Students the ability to interact with their registrations long after they’ve been submitted. Paying for all registrations is possible through PayPal. The teacher and student profiles you set last year are saved in the system. If you need to refresh your memory about how to use the website, you can go to www.musicfestivalsuite.com, where you can peruse the festival Participants section for “How-To’”
Volunteers are always needed and welcome. If you have an interest in volunteering, there are tasks ranging from small to more involved. There are also numerous opportunities to support the festival in the way of sponsorship and awards if you or your business are interested. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and see where your time, skills, or resources might be of most help. Correspondence can be directed by email to the Committee secretary Amy Francais amy.francais@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1301, North Battleford, Sask., S9A 3L8.
“This is what I want in heaven … words to become notes and conversations to be symphonies.”
Tina Turner – (1939 – 2023)
