On March 9, the Avon choir and band members participated in a contest. The choir had the option of taking part in a virtual contest and submitting videos to our region or inviting in a certified adjudicator. They chose to bring in a certified adjudicator and to host a contest themselves. Typically, the contests are done on three separate days, so there was a lot to cram in all in one day. The choir began warm-ups in the morning to go through their pieces before performing.

The choir started working on their songs in January. Beginning preparations in January, there were solo ensemble small groups and large groups for both choir and band. The choir had 14 small groups and one large group and the band had four small groups and one large group. They set a goal to get 14 superior (I) ratings to earn a pizza party.

Choir director Autumn Shultz said, “The kids put in a lot of hard work memorizing these pieces and putting musical elements into it including diction, articulation, intonation, and presentation in order to solidify great ratings. I always stress that there is always something to improve upon. I think the kids took that to heart and you can see that in the successful day we had!”

LARGE GROUP:

Avon High School Girls Choir - I

Avon High School Band - I

BAND SOLOS AND ENSEMBLES:

Saxophone Ensemble - I

(Madelynn Huitema, Carmindy Ferwerda, Landon Thury, Caleb Wallinga, Rachel De-Jong, Landon Mudder)

Brass Ensemble - I

(Gunnar Voigt, Ashley Tolsma, Jon Hento, Tyler Tjeerdsma, Lila Vanderlei, Kaeli Wallinga, Haleigh Tjeerdsma)

Flute Duet - I

(Natalie Zacharias, Kiara Driesen)

Clarinet Duet - I

(Madi Mudder, Macy Voigt)

VOCAL SOLOS AND ENSEMBLES:

Haden Cahoy Solo - I

“Pennies” - I

(Airen Cline, Haley Gillette, Kley Heumiller, Lydia Houska, Kalee Mixon, Madi Mudder, Makenzie Sassaman, Gracie Small, Sarah Swier, Kimberly Tolsma, Taylor Van Duysen)

Kristen Namminga Solo - I

“Dem Bones” - I

(Hayden Talsma, Madelynn Huitema, Kindra Mixon)

Girls Trio - I

(Sarah Swier, Kimberly Tolsma, Makayla Kopp)

“Hey! Ho! Nobody Home!” - I

(Airen Cline, Kley Heumiller)

Kalee Mixon Solo - II

“Pasta” - I

(Paxton Bierema, Hayden Talsma, Landon Thury, Noah Watchorn, Airen Cline, Kley Heumiller, Haden Cahoy)

“Pinwheels” - I

(Madelynn Huitema, McKenna Kocmich, Kindra Mixon, Courtney Sees, Grace Vanderlei, Kiara Driesen, Katie Gretschmann, Reece Loewe, Tiffany Pelton)

Airen Cline Solo - I

Sarah Swier Solo - I

“Calico Cat” - I

(Kley Heumiller, Noah Watchorn)

“We Remember You” - I

(Sarah Swier, Kimberly Tolsma)

“Defining Moment” - I

(Keely Bares, Kristen Namminga, Alexa Sees, Megan Soukup, Cassie Stewart)