STUDENTS impressed the adjudicator in the non-competitive Orff class at the Pacific Northwest Music Festival yesterday at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.
Adjudicator Cathy Bayley, fine arts coordinator for the Surrey School DIstrict, kicked off the afternoon Orff performances with a warmup, getting the students seated in the REM Lee Theatre to stand up and follow her movements. Music teacher Anne Hill asked Bayley to start with warmups as they had relaxed everyone, including herself, that morning.
Three Grade 3 classes from Thornhill Primary combined to sing, play instruments and dance along to two songs they performed: Silver Moon Boat and Wake Me.
In addition, for the first song, three students held a large crescent moon beside them like it was a canoe with one of them paddling.
And for the second song, several students laid down at the front of the stage under blankets with pillows for their beds.
And all the students were wearing their pajamas.
Bayley complimented the students on their wonderful performance and how it reminded her of a boat trip she took while in China.
Bringing memories to mind is what music is supposed to do, she told them.
The students' movements to the songs were wonderful, she said, adding that composer Carl Orff, the creator of the Orff music style, would've liked their performance.
"He would be proud of you," she said.
Orff didn't want music to be people just standing still but wanted it to involve singing, instruments, speaking, acting and dancing – all of which the students did – so people would see a performance and think of all sorts of things, said Bayley.
The Pacific Northwest Music Festival Orff performances continue today and scholarship night starts at 6:30 p.m. tonight.
The music festival winds down with its Gala Night tomorrow, Saturday April 16, at 7 p.m. at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.