ARLEE - The Arlee Music Department's Annual Coffee House fundraising event was a big hit last Thursday night as the junior high and high school bands and choirs lit up the stage.

The Coffee House is designed to be more of a pop concert than the traditional spring concert, which was in April. It also provides a more intimate setting, band and choir director Rich Brinkman said.

Students served food and drinks, provided face-painting and a fishing game for kids. Other student work was on display like quilts from home-economics and projects from the shop class. One big difference this year, however, was after the show.

"It evolved more into a dance with the high school band and the Big Sky Mudflaps, a band from the Missoula-area, taking it from there," Brinkman said. "Everyone had a great time, not only getting to see the kids play, but afterwards dancing."

It was a great opportunity for the students to have some fun with their performances as was evident with the junior high choir's "Stop! In the Name of Love" and the high school band's "Jump, Jive An' Wail." According to Brinkman, many students came up with their own song proposals and creatively performed them.

"It takes a lot of courage to come on stage like this," he said Thursday night. "These students are doing a great job."

Especially considering the groups only had about six weeks to prepare for it, "Which is a little less time than they normally do for a concert," Brinkman said. "So, we really had to get working at it."

What's more, the number of kids willing to solo was impressive.

"More people are coming out of their shell, being a little more comfortable," Brinkman said. "As you can tell, music is important here at Arlee."

This past April, sophomore Coy North was awarded the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Soloist Award from the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival at the University of Montana in Missoula. Arlee was the only Class C school picked for any award, Brinkman said.

"That's a really big award for him."