All District Music Festival set for March 26
The choir group’s first rehearsal at the Steve Thornton Gymnasium at West High.
March 18, 2015
The All District Music Festival where Tracy Unified School District’s middle and high schools choir, band, and orchestra students will come together to put on a performance on March 26, at Steve Thornton Gymnasium at West High School.
Tickets for the concert are $10. Pre-sale starts on March 19 and each performer is guaranteed two tickets. Tickets will also be sold at the door the day of the performance for $10. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.
Teachers and students are only being given two rehearsals with all the schools combined before the performance, so they have been working non-stop on the music. A total of 11 songs are being performed: three from choir, three from band, three from orchestra, and two with everyone combined. The first rehearsal took place at West High on Feb. 26. and the second rehearsal date is the day of the performance, March 26, during school at West High.
“We have been having the All District Music Festival ever since 1998,” Visual and Performing Arts Chair and Tracy High’s orchestra teacher Tom Renner said.
There are directors conducting each group, all of whom are teachers from different schools in the Tracy area. Tracy High’s choir teacher, Jennifer Grover, will be conducting a song from choir, along with Lori Yates from Art Freiler, and Rick Russell from West High. David Villa from Williams Middle School will be conducting band, along with Jeff Kumagai from Tracy High, and GeofforyFelver from Kimball High. Randy McMillan from Monte Vista Middle School will be conducting orchestra, along with Renner from Tracy High. Renner will also be conducting the two songs where everyone is performing.
Since there are over 800 students performing, tickets tend to sell out pretty fast
— Jennifer Grover
The students have been preparing for this performance since winter break. Having to learn four to five songs within three months has been a difficult task.
“Only being given two full rehearsals with everyone, it seemed a bit impossible to think that we could pull this performance off,” senior Madrigals student Calei Akers said.
The teachers feel that combing all of choir, band, and orchestra students will help show the strength of the Performing Arts program.
“We want to prove that the music influence is strong in schools,” Grover said.
