Eisenhower Music: Solo Ensembles

     The last two weeks have been really busy for the music department here at Ike. On February 4th and February 11th, students from band, choir, and orchestra competed in the YVMEA Solo and Ensemble competition at Davis. You might be asking “what is Solo and Ensemble?” Well, Solo and Ensemble is a yearly competition held in early February for middle school and high school musicians throughout the Yakima Valley and even Ellensburg. Students can either perform a solo or do a duet, trio, or even a quartet or quintet with others (2, 3, 4, and 5 people respectively). Categories in Solo and Ensemble take into account the type of instrument/voice (brass, woodwind, piano, violin/viola, soprano, alto, etc.) and the size of the group (solo, small, or large). Everyone receives a score on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being the best and 5 the worst. One winner is selected from each category, strings large group for example, and they’re invited to compete at the WMEA State Solo and Ensemble Competition held at CWU in April.

     This year, Eisenhower had 30 entries ranging from a trumpet duet to a soprano solo to even a large string ensemble. It was a tremendous success for the band this year. According to Mr. Friesz, director of bands, “It went great. Everyone showed up on time and came prepared to play, a third of the groups [in band] placed, and I received comments from judges saying that Eisenhower band kids were the most professional students of the day. It’s Eisenhower’s first appearance since Covid and it was a great showing. Sadelle Verduzco, who’s only played the oboe for a year, got a 1- and qualified for state. I’m optimistic for next year since kids have been exposed to it and will be interested in doing more events like solos.” It’s not just, Sadelle Verduzco said, “The day went pretty well. It was a bit stressful, but I was well organized, well prepared, and had fun watching everyone.” The results speak for themselves: the brass quintet and saxophone ensemble were runner ups, facing fierce competition; Sadelle handily qualified for state on oboe; Ethan Gu won the piano category for the second time in a row; Lilian Gu swept the violin/viola category; Gabriella Hawkins easily went home as the best alto in the valley; and the Chamber Orchestra defeated Davis to represent Central Washington as the large string ensemble. More pictures can be found on fivestarjournal.com.