Many members of the Summit Hill Junior High Band competed in the Illinois Grade School Music Association’s Solo & Ensemble Contest, hosted at Summit Hill on Feb. 15. All 27 SHJH entries received first division ratings, and four earned perfect scores!
"All of the Summit Hill band students who participated in the contest spent extra time rehearsing during intramurals as well as before and after school to be prepared, and I am so proud of all of them for their hard work and dedication,” said SHJH Band Director Kim Coughlin.
Receiving perfect scores for their solos were Brandon Ehmen on tenor saxophone and Logan Vargas on trumpet. Two trios received perfect scores: a mixed woodwind/brass trio comprised of Leah McGillivray, Aydan Miller and Madyn Schoiber, and a woodwind trio by Raneem Alsiksek, Tasneem Assi and April Cerda.
First place solos included Dominic Dunford (alto saxophone), Jacob Tadros (alto saxophone), Leah McGillivray (alto saxophone), Caleb Cosgrove (trumpet), Eva Mazarakos (baritone), Parker Racette (trombone), Deborah Kwarteng (flute), April Cerda (clarinet), Raneem Alsiksek (clarinet), Eli Drozd (on both snare drum and piano) and Tasneem Assi (flute).
First place ensembles were Caleb Cosgrove and Henry Jacobek (trumpet duet); Caleb Dvorkin and Obada Khanafseh (trumpet/baritone duet); Violet Hunter, James Bradley and Lena Taweel (mixed woodwind/brass trio); Emma Piwkiewicz, Deborah Kwarteng and Haylee Grant (flute trio); Malcolm Martin, Chris Becvar, Reed Brown and Brandon Ehmen (mixed woodwind quartet); Nicole Ni and Liliana Crowe (flute duet); Adeline Miller and Audrey Brown (xylophone duet); Brandon Ehmen, Jacob Tadros, Reed Brown and Dominic Dunford (saxophone quartet); Parker Racette, Dominic Dunford and Malcolm Martin (mixed woodwind/brass trio); Nathan Lopez and Nathan Diaz (saxophone duet) and Jackson Oliver and Eli Drozd (marimba duet).