Thanks to two years of rehearsals and active participation in concerts and competitions, our sixth grade M1 "Sound Wave" ensemble, under the guidance of Supplemental Education teacher Olga Sergienko, outdid the pop music ensembles of many Russian Far East music schools to become a prizewinner at the VII Regional Competition of Youth Pop Music Performers.
"This was our group's first serious regional competition." Olga Sergienko notes. "It's held once every two years at the Primorye Regional College of Arts. Children from all around the Russian Far East display their skills at the event."
"Sound Wave" performed two numbers at the competition: "Hit the Road, Jack," made famous by Ray Charles, and Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther".
"Almost all the participants were from specialized music schools," Olga Sergienko explains, "but we worked very hard to prepare. We're not a music school, but our intentions and goals were just as serious. We were very impressed with the other participants' high level of preparation and geographic range. My students watched the others perform and were inspired to do their very best. Now, we have many new ideas and plans for our own musical development."
There is indeed much to develop! The creative potential of the students at International Linguistic School is enormous. At the school's Second International Youth Jazz Festival "Pacific Fusion," our students delighted visitors with performances of eight jazz compositions, including "Sound Wave's" performance of a new addition to its repertoire, Alexander Vinitsky's "Pink Elephant".
Among the numerous new offerings at this year's "Pacific Fusion" was a ragtime selection performed by fourth grader Namkung Song; "Dream a Little Dream of Me," performed by tenth grader Kim Seohyun; and another masterful rendering, this time of "Misty," by ninth grader Emma Holm-Olsen.
Other outstanding performances at the festival included Igor Krutoi's "Lullaby for Sasha" on melodica by sixth grader Alexander Karavashkin, and blues numbers by an ensemble featuring sixth graders Gleb Kolchemanov, Sergei Tushanovsky, Artur Tekiev, Artur Khachatryan and Alexander Karavashkin, joined by Kim Seohyun and Emma Holm-Olsen. All of these talented young artists are students of ILS Supplemental Education instructor Vyacheslav Vedernikov.
"The creativeness of our students and teachers is multifaceted, and we are pleased that their achievements have been recognized by authoritative independent experts," notes ILS Director Olga Shevchenko. "Their victory at the prestigious Regional Competition of Youth Pop Music Performers is fresh confirmation the excellent quality of the teachers at our school."
