Saugus High band, chorus hit high note

SAUGUS – The Saugus High School band and chorus were feeling a little down about their trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Va. until they rode out with a major piece of hardware.Two buses carrying 86 students headed to the Classical Heritage Festival just before April vacation where the musicians were not only critiqued, but also competed for the first time.Fine Arts Director Mike Donovan said the students are typically adjudicated by a panel of college level judges who rate them on their various musical capabilities and offer feedback.While students have had the chance to actually compete against other schools in the past, Donovan said they’ve always simply gone for the ratings. But this year, Chorus Director Nancy Lemoine and Band Director Amanda Shelly decided their students would compete.Donovan said the students quickly discovered that schools that compete in festivals such as Classical Heritage are in it to win.”They found out high schools that enter these programs are for real,” Donovan said. “They have huge programs and they’re highly competitive.”Saugus High School held its own, however, with the combined quartet coming in second in the competition and receiving a gold rating. The chorus also received a gold, silver and bronze rating for various performances while the band picked up a bronze.Donovan said on the final night of the trip, the student were feeling a little down about their first competition until the very last award for best overall program was handed out.”Little ole’ Saugus won the award for best total program,” Donovan said pointing to a three foot high trophy. “For musicians, it’s like winning the Super Bowl.Donovan said to win best program a school had to have entered at least three programs and scored the overall highest, up to a total of 300 points. Out of 1,500 student musicians Saugus scored the overall highest.”The children and parents were very excited to walk away with that piece of hardware,” Donovan said.School Committee member Christine Wilson offered her kudos to all the students involved and to Donovan.Wilson said it is not unusual to see Fine Arts programs get the ax when a school district hits tough financial times.”Saugus, in my humble opinion, has one of the best Fine Arts programs around and they’re doing a great job on a shoe string,” she said.She said statistics will show that students who excel in areas such as Fine Arts tend to do better in all their classes as well.Events such as the Heritage Festival have become a biannual event for students largely because students can’t afford the cost to go every year.Donovan said he specifically wanted to thank the Saugus Business Education Collaborative for its help in funding this year’s trip.