Nearly 1,000 high school students visited Iola on Wednesday as the school hosted a state music contest.
Iola High School had a rare opportunity to serve as host for the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s large music ensemble state contest.
It included mixed choirs, treble choirs, tenor and bass choirs, bands and orchestras. In all, students from 21 schools offered 33 performances.
Iola band instructor Brandi Holt organized the event with the help of IHS faculty and staff.
“The purpose of this event is to primarily provide feedback to performing ensembles so they can grow musically, and to work outside of our standard annual scheduled concerts,” she said.
Schools weren’t competing against each other, Holt noted. Rather, individual students compete to perform at “the highest level of musicianship” in a way that deserves recognition at the state level, she said.
Students faced three judges with various music backgrounds. The judges are trained to consider such things as timing, pitch and overall performance. They evaluate each ensemble by using a grading rubric.
Ratings are given from I to V, with I being the highest — Outstanding.
Iola’s band, by the way, got a I rating at the event.
“This event is the culmination of what high school ensembles have learned their entire year in their respective large ensemble class,” Holt said.
“This event is to display how much everyone has grown as a team, as an ensemble, and individually.”
Holt said she was asked if Iola would be willing to host the event, as the usual site in Louisburg was unable to do so.
“I knew it would be a fantastic opportunity to flaunt just how great Iola is,” she said. “We hope we get to host the event again in the future.”
