Lindero Canyon musicians score big at Heritage Festival





Lindero Canyon Middle School musicians were recipients of several gold awards at a music contest in San Francisco in April. The event, sponsored by the national Heritage Festivals at Foothill College, drew students from schools in California, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.

Groups performed for a panel of nationally recognized music judges.

The Lindero bands are under the direction of Matthew McKagan and the string orchestra and choir are led by Dr. Gregory Fried.

The concert orchestra, composed of 20 members, received the Top Orchestra Award. The group competed against high school and middle school competitors and also won first place gold and adjudicators awards.

The 23-member Jazz Band “A” and 75-member Concert Band received gold awards. These award winners must have an average score of 90 or above.

The Lindero Jazz Band scored higher than nearly 20 high school bands and was awarded Best Overall Band Group.

“Our combined music program also won the Instrumental Sweepstakes Award, which is given to the school with the highest overall point average at the festival-beating all high schools,” McKagan said.

“While placing first is a thrill, my goal is the ‘wow’ factor,” said Fried, who has high expectations for his students.

Lindero Canyon students have been attending these national music competitions for nearly 15 years. They’ve been awarded top honors in sweepstakes and gold ratings consistently for the last 13 years.

“For me, it’s not about winning-it’s about the experience and the process,” said McKagan.

Winning is fun, but the students are more likely to remember the process and the experience because they have to practice a lot to prepare for the event, McKagan said.

McKagan said he encourages his students to do their best through self evaluation. “We can’t control what the judges think, but we can control how we play.”

The popular music teacher, who can often be caught tossing the football with his students after class, likes to create an environment were the youth are having fun while they work hard to achieve their best.

At the festival, the young musicians competed and also took part

n mini-clinics that gave them immediate feedback and direction from the judges.

Heritage Festivals take place

hroughout the nation. The organization was established in 1980 by a group of music educators and educational tour professionals who believed that bands, choirs and orchestras deserved new performng opportunities.

During the clinics, groups receive comments that are honest and educational, as well as constructive and supportive, while the audience listens, said festival organizers.

In the past 16 years, the Lindero Concert Band has participated annually in the Southern California School Band and Orchestra music festival where it consistently has received the “unanimous superior” rating, the highest rating the judges can award, according to McKagan.

The concert band was selected to perform last year at the California Band Directors Association state convention in Fresno, representing all middle school bands from the state.

Two weeks ago, the band program earned the prestigious “Mr. Holland’s Opus Award” and received $5,000 for instrument purchase and repair.

“It’s great help for the program,” said Julie Cassan, a parent and booster club member who wrote the grant request with Mc-Kagan.

Instruments get worn out and they’re expensive to repair or replace, she said. Her son plays the euphonium, a tuba-like instrument that costs $3,000.

“Lindero got the award because of its dedication and outstanding program,” Cassan said.

About 400 pupils, a third of the students at Lindero Canyon, participate in the band program.

“Combined with the choir and strings program, we have over one half of the LCMS student population involved in music,” McKagan said.

McKagan said the high rate of participation is due to great administrative support and parent participation. “They understand that music can be an important part of their child’s educational experience. Success breeds success and many kids want to be a part of it,” she said.


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