On Thursday, May 8, Central’s Music Department departed for Denver, Colorado to attend their annual Music in the Parks event. It is a competition involving various middle schools and high schools from around the area. While Central participates each year, Central does not go to Denver’s Music in the Parks every year, instead following a rotating schedule, visiting Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah, in addition to Colorado. Overall, this trip has many students looking forward to it every year and always turns out to be a great opportunity for growth, fun, and community for the Music Department.
Although the Music Department competes on the Saturday of each trip, during the rest of the trip, they participate in many fun activities. This year, Central’s primary activities consisted of, laser tag, an MLB Rockies Game, and the amusement park Elitch Gardens. Sophomore Paula Twichel, explained that these activities allow her to spend quality time with her friends and with others that she normally doesn’t get to spend time with. Most of the students that attended this year particularly liked the Rockies Game because it was a great time that the Music Department was able to enjoy together as a whole group.
Despite the fact that the various activities were very enjoyable for the group, the students also greatly enjoyed competing in the music competition where they were able to perform the songs that they had worked on all year. This competition allows for growth in all areas for each music group. Sophomore Emily Day testifies to this, “It is a great learning experience for us because we get to go up against different schools, and we get to perform in front of more strict judges. This helps us grow in our skill level, and it’s good to know what to improve on in the future.” As Day stated, Central’s Music Department goes up against different schools, as well as judges that have never heard each particular group perform their songs. With all of this in mind, the music students are able to feel confident, while getting very accurate ratings in competition to reflect on.
The Music in the Parks Trip in Denver was a great experience for everyone who attended, providing times for students to get to know each other through the various activities, while performing their songs they worked on all year together. It is a fun and exciting trip, where everyone can have fun with each other alongside performing music in an environment that both displays their talent and provides helpful feedback. Students that go on this trip often come back with the desire of going next year, and this year was no exception.
