Victorious grins spread across the faces of six lucky ACS students on their return home from The American School of the Hague annual music competition on the weekend of January 26th, 2007.  Sporting blue ribbons and school pride these students knew that their hard work and months of practice had finally paid off, consequently bringing a feeling that cannot be easily matched.

Each year, The American School of The Hague hosts a music and ensemble festival for brave young musicians who are willing to showcase their years of developed talent in front of professional judges. Each student was placed in a division based on instrument and age and hence placed with a judge. The six students plus their loyal fan club (consisting parents, siblings, and of course our own Mrs. Walters) reported to the school bright and early as they were among the first to perform. Nervousness was not an option to this bunch as the piano students “wowed” the judges early in the morning with performances that would ultimately be hard to beat. Due to their early finishes (and eager to check out their competition) the pianists scattered to different parts of the building where they had the opportunity to view other performances, watching in relief knowing that they no longer were the ones being judged.

The scores were posted after what seemed like hours of waiting around. One by one, the students eagerly checked the scoreboard, every single student running to deliver the exciting news to their fan club that their performance had received a category “1” mark. There were 3 categories, one being the most sought after mark categorized by almost flawless performances. The marks followed in succession from there. However, there were still two important performances left and the support for these individuals mounted greatly as the entire group of nineteen turned out to wish them luck. They could not celebrate just yet! It turned out that both of the performances received “1” marks. Relieved, it was finally time to relax and have fun.

After a closing ceremony, complete with a string ensemble (assembled within only 90 minutes) and choir performing some choral classics, the group decided it was time that they celebrated. All enjoyed traditional Dutch pancakes as the group finally had time to enjoy the trip and the student’s accomplishments over the weekend. It was certainly an inspirational experience that the students are sure to remember for the rest of their lives. It was a kick-start to their musical careers and shows exactly how much can truly be accomplished with time, patience, and of course, practice. Thank you especially to Mrs. Walters, piano teacher, choral director, and music teacher, for arranging this fabulous event!

Scores:

Kate Festa (senior-piano solo)- 1 = Blue ribbon

Margaret Hayne (junior-piano solo)- 1 = Blue ribbon

Malcom St. John  (junior piano solo)- 1+= Blue ribbon

Brendan Badia (junior piano solo)- 1 = Blue ribbon

Kate Festa and Katie Peterson (junior piano duet)- 1+ = Blue ribbon

Robbie L’Altrelli (junior trombone solo)- 1+ = Blue ribbon