Kitscoty High School is proud to showcase their long-running band program involving students gr. 7-12. The program has been offered for over 40 years, since moving into its current location, and in a school with a population of around 240 students, just under 200 of those are in band this year.
By participating in the band program, students are given opportunities to interact with their community, collaborate with their peers on a whole new level, and explore the world around them. Students have competed in music festivals around Alberta, attended workshops at various universities and colleges, performed 2 - 4 concerts annually for the community, collaborated with the school’s drama club a few times, and gone on tour both within our own province as well as internationally with the Buffalo Trail Public Schools Honour Band. Some of the tours have included Drumheller, Banff, Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Italy, Ireland, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.
Some of the most memorable experiences for the current band director of KHS, Jamie Stromberg, include hosting a Squeak and Squawk sleepover event for all the first-year band students in the division to learn how to care for and make their first sounds on an instrument while also learning what it meant to be part of a musical community. Fast forward 5 years and one of the students who participated in that first event arranged a few pieces for the senior band to perform. “One of the perks of teaching a band program in a rural setting is that you get to see the sparks of excitement in the eyes of the beginners and watch their journey through to mature musicians in high school. In the cities you often only get to experience the beginning of the journey or the end, not both.”
A large part of the success of the band program at Kitscoty High School is due to the support of the community, parents, and administration. It is because of their flexibility and unwavering commitment that our students are given these opportunities to shine!
Story Submitted by: Jamie Stromberg, KHS Band Director
