John Rennie High School takes Gold and Silver at Musicfest 2025
submitted by Frank Caracciolo for LBPSB
A big Congratulations goes to over a hundred Music students from John Rennie High School’s Senior and Junior Jazz Bands. Under the direction of Craig Hodgson who participated in this year’s MusicFest, 2025.
Founded in 1984, MusicFest Québec is an educational festival dedicated to ensemble music that brings together more than 150 ensembles from all over Québec each year. Welcoming over 6,000 musicians, the festival offers a unique platform for concert bands, symphony orchestras, string orchestras, guitar orchestras, recorder ensembles, and vocal ensembles. As a non-profit organization, MusicFest Québec’s artistic and educational mission is to promote personal development and artistic growth, emphasizing self-improvement rather than competition.
On March 11, I was in an auditorium at Cegep Marie-Victorin awaiting the JRHS Senior Jazz Band to take the stage at this year’s MusicFest. A procession of students walked onstage followed by Craig Hodgson, the Musical Director at John Rennie High School. You could feel the tension, no chit chat between the students, they were here to perform and seemed focused from the minute they walked on stage. Once seated, they had a quick moment to tune up their instruments, Mr. Hodgson and the students waited for the ok to begin. And then, the music!
Students, some who never performed on stage, and some who have been practicing for years leading to this moment all came together in sync to serve up complex pieces that showcased their talents. A committee watches and listens to every note, seeing if the players were true to the notes on their sheet music. Mr. Hodgson, led them, Baton in hand bringing them in and out of the melodies, keeping the tension and tempo with precision, the students answered his calls.
It’s a moment to witness, all these students in unison, the practice and commitment comes through, and the music holds you in place. When the performance is finished, fellow students in the audience and music aficionados give their approval with a warm applause. Students rise, bow with their conductor and exit the stage. After the performance students are treated to masterclasses in music by world renowned musicians. Now it’s the Junior Jazz bands time to take the stage and again the routine of the entrance, the tension, and seriousness of the task is ever present as they tune up and prepare. They perform their pieces with no less perfection than their Senior member colleagues, hitting the notes and keeping time to the direction. As an audience member, parent, school board member, teacher you get nervous, you want them to do well and as they hit the final notes you notice the smile broaden on your face and your intense clapping to celebrate. I mentioned the date earlier as you would have to remember the week prior, we were off for March break, and in my mind these students had to have been practicing all week while they were off to pull off these award-winning performances!
And it gets even better, Senior Band member, Willian Grenier McDermott, Tenor Saxophone Grade 11 and Junior Jazz Band member Rhiannon Shanks, Flute/ Trumpet Grade 9 were both recipients of The Meritus Musicale Award for overall Musicianship. When I spoke to Director Hodgson about MusicFest he said, “I would say the experience of performing at Musicfest Quebec was both inspiring and motivating for our students. It has energized the John Rennie Music Program. As music teacher and program director, I believe that the fog of the Covid 19 era has completely cleared. Lastly to the best of our knowledge, this the first Nationals invitation in the Concert Band category, in the history of the John Rennie High School music department.” Craig Douglas Hodgson.
Musicfest 2025 Gold Awarded to the Senior High Jazz Band and MusicFest 2025 Silver Award goes to the Juinor Jazz Band. Congratulations to all the student musicians and to Musical Director at John Rennie School, Craig Hodgson.
And the band played on!
