WAJ Students Perform In Massachusetts Festival

By Michael Ryan

WINDHAM - A history-making trip was made, May 24, by select band and chorus members from Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School.

WAJ students, under the musical direction of Leslie Beauregard and Annie Drewello, performed at the “Music in the Parks Festival” in Massachusetts.

All members of the Junior and Senior Bands and Choruses were given the opportunity to audition for a place in the Music in the Parks ensembles.

The students listed below met all audition requirements and were able to participate in their respective ensembles for the festival:

Thomas Candreva, Piper Cohane, Payton Dempsey, Valeria Diaz, Hailey Dolan, Angelina Domena, Charlie Doran, Scarlett Douglas, Sophia Dyjak,

Abby Gardner, Gianna Garzone, John Garzone, Lizzie Gonzalez, Brian Greene, Christian Greene, Angeleah Griffin;

Addison Hansen, Ashtyn Hansen, Sofia Hoshenko, Aly Hoyt, Avery LaPlace, Tyler Lashua, Phoebe Leach, Ben Leto, Selina Li, Jack Lonecke

Dora Lopes, Theo Lopes, Edwin Lopez, Luke Maeurer, Daisy Mason, Hannah Mattice;

Aedan Milstead, Alexis Moss, Bryce Palumbo, Isabel Pedrick, Jack Pellettier, Owen Pellettier, Valerie Petrie, Kayla Rusk, Devin Schlosser, Riley Slater, Harrison Smith, Adelyn Sutch, Jacob Sutch, Lada Svechnikova, Matthew Weiman and Alexis Weinberg.

Music in the Parks is a motivational, one-day festival where the students perform two musical selections for adjudicators, and receive a rating.

As part of the process, judges provide both written and recorded comments on the performance. The students are rated on categories such as:

tone, interpretation, diction, technique, etc.

Following the performance, students enjoy some well-earned time at Six Flags Amusement Park as a reward for their work practicing and preparing for the festival.

“We are very pleased to announce that their dedication throughout the process truly paid off,” Beauregard stated.

“Both the Band and Chorus earned a trophy for their performances and scored in the category of “Excellent!!”

“The adjudicators provided very useful suggestions to further strengthen the ensembles, as well as positive reinforcement for the areas in which our groups excelled.”

The Band received such comments as, “This is a spirited group, parts

are well learned, and technique is really good.” “The low brass and woodwind playing is crystal clear.

“Your fundamentals are firmly in place and you’re doing some really musical things” and “What an age range – you’re doing a remarkable job with such varied ages of experience – I think you should be really proud of what you’ve accomplished!”

Some comments for the Chorus were, “Lots of attention to vowel shape, ending, consonants and cut offs - your unisons were fantastic – the way you listened to each other, made you sound like one voice.

“Nice smiles – it is fun to sing and I can tell you’re having a good time,” and “Everyone was really well prepared – a lot of strong fundamental work!”

“This year, for the first time ever, WAJ was chosen above all other groups attending the festival, to receive the coveted “Esprit de Corps” award,” Beauregard stated.

“This award is given to the group who exudes camaraderie, enthusiasm, honor and pride in their work and accomplishments as a team.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of the students in the program this year and are grateful for the students who went the “extra mile” to prepare for this festival.

“Their hard work and dedication shone through! Also, a huge thank you to the administration, Board of Education, bus drivers and chaperones who made this day a reality for us all.

“We are very fortunate to work in a community that continues to support and nurture music studies at WAJ,” Beauregard stated.