The Peace River North Festival of the Arts continues all week at the cultural centre in Fort St. John.
Wednesday's line-up features music from School District 60 from beginner to experienced and from solo performances to orchestra.
"It is so wonderful that it's the first time, basically, since the pandemic started that anybody has been able to get together and do this thing kind of thing," said adjudicator, Dr. Michael Keddy, from Victoria. "It's my first festival in three years, to come and adjudicate, and come and help students grow from what their teachers have been doing with them. It's great to have the opportunity to share music because that's what music is all about."
"I look for them to have some joy in what they do," added Keddy, when asked what he looks for when evaluating a student. "They're learning about music but learning to be personable with it, make a connection to music, and with each other."
Students are graded using a gold, silver, and bronze system. Gold standard is considered the top rating.
"Where there are a lot of good things are happening and the sound is really good. The student is working on things like balance and blend, so they make the style of music sound like it was intended."
The event which ends May 1 also highlights a strings and piano section and combines classical and jazz music with more popular genres.
