After months of practice, all four bands from Prince Rupert Middle School received a round of applause — and an invitation to perform at the nationwide MusicFest Canada in 2019.

At the Pacific Northwest Music Festival in Terrace on April 13, each band performed and then took a workshop with a festival adjudicator.

The Grade 6 band was up first. The adjudicator gave the young musicians tips and suggestions on how to go beyond the music notes on the page.

Then, at the end of the workshop, the adjudicator said, “‘Oh, and congratulations, you’ve been rated Superior and you have an invitation to MusicFest Canada,’” band director Kristy Tillman recalled. “They were all in shock and surprised. I was even a little surprised.”

READ MORE: Heart of Our City — Kristy Tillman is with the band

By the end of the regional festival, all 64 students from Prince Rupert would hear the same news. The Grade 6 band and concert band were both rated Superior — the highest level on the scale — while the Grade 7/8 band and jazz band were rated Excellent. All of them have been invited to next year’s MusicFest Canada to perform among band students from across the country.

The Grade 6 PRMS band will also take home the Terrace Community Band trophy for their grade. They’ll be presented the award from the Pacific Northwest Music Festival in Terrace on April 28.

“I think they represented our school and community very well in Terrace,” Tillman said. “It was an overall great day.”

While the 2019 MusicFest has yet to announce its location, 38 PRMS students will be performing at this year’s festival in Toronto. In a few weeks, the concert and jazz bands will travel to Ontario — some for the first time. A live stream of their performances will be available at musicfest.ca/toronto-2018/schedule/new-live-streaming-events/.

READ MORE: Concert band MusicFest-bound