At this month’s Music in the Parks competition in Salt Lake City, the Montezuma-Cortez chamber choir and jazz band were awarded first place and superior ratings, which is the highest honor possible.
The jazz band was also awarded Overall Best Jazz Band and band member Bruce Stafford was named Outstanding Soloist on the drums.
“For the past few years, Mr. Winslow and I have joined forces and traveled to Denver for Music in the Parks,” Marla Sitton, Cortez Middle School choir teacher, told The Journal. “It is a yearly music competition for choirs, bands and orchestras for middle school and high school students. This year we decided to travel to Salt Lake instead because it is closer and a different (theme) park.”
When competing, the band and choir prepare two pieces of music that are judged and scored by “critically claimed adjudicators” who rate and place each performance based on their performance.
“This year we had the honor and privilege of the highest rating possible of superior and first place,” Sitton said. “Both the chamber choir and the jazz band scored superior and first place in their respective categories.”
Following the day of competing,the group went to the Lagoon Amusement Park, where students were able to ride the rides and enjoy their time at the park. Awards were given out at 4:30 p.m.
The group continued to celebrate, Sitton said, riding the rides until the park’s close at 9 p.m.
