Thornhill Secondary music students host exchange group

Thornhill Liberal
April 3, 2014
By Sera Wong

For five days in late March, music students from a British Columbia high school came to Thornhill as part of an exchange visit with students from Thornhill Secondary School.

The exchange with Garibaldi Secondary School in Maple Ridge was organized through the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada youth program.

More than 17 Thornhill students participating are from Thornhill Secondary’s vocal ensemble that earned a gold standard rating in the 2013 Music Alive York Region festival, also earning them the opportunity to enter in the national finals of MusicFest Canada, which will be held in Vancouver in May.

Upon arrival March 21, the Maple Ridge music students were treated to a potluck dinner and had a chance to meet their host student counterparts from Thornhill. During the six days of their stay, the students from B.C. toured local attractions and both groups took part in special music-based activities, under music teacher Marianne Spilberg. Among them was a Latin Drumming workshop at Thornhill Secondary.

From May 10 to 16, Thornhill Secondary students will visit their musical counterparts, travelling to British Columbia where they will participate in the national MusicFest event and briefly become part of Maple Ridge’s community.