Three Mam'k High School Students Selected For National Music Conference

The content below was submitted by the Mamaroneck School District.

Three Mamaroneck High School students were selected among more than 700 of the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern region of the United States to perform in the 2013 NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles.  Sarah Campbell (Violin II – orchestra), Wesley Troeger (Jazz Bass – Jazz Ensemble) and Victoria Dieck (Soprano II – Treble Voice Chorus), with assistance from their music teachers, will prepare remarkably challenging music that they will perform under the leadership of prominent conductors at this biennial event.  

These exceptional students will spend three days rehearsing with one of four conductors during the Eastern Division Conference of The National Association for Music Education in preparation for performances on April 7, 2013 at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Mortensen Hall in Hartford.   In the past 15 years, our district has had a total of four All-Eastern participants, including strings participants in 2009 and 2003, a jazz guitarist in 1999 and a pianist in 1997.   

“It’s such an honor and, in fact, unprecedented for Mamaroneck to have three students representing all three disciplines [band, orchestra, chorus] selected for All-Eastern,” says Dina Madden, director of music K-12 for the district.  “Our students are so extraordinarily talented, and I’m thrilled that they are being recognized in this way and having this exciting opportunity to perform with the best of the best.” 

Each of the state music educators associations in the Eastern Division (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, PA, VT, Europe) oversee the selection process in their state during the spring and early fall of the year before the event and compile ranked lists of recommended juniors and seniors for consideration. 

The committee builds the ensembles from the state presidents' ranked lists, trying to mimic the statepopulation percentages in each group. The Jazz Ensemble, due to its size and instrumentation, is formed to represent every state in the division.

The NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed chorus, treble voice chorus, and jazz ensemble.  The concert band and symphony orchestra will each have approximately150 instrumentalists; the jazz ensemble will have 20 instrumentalists; the treble voice chorus will have 120 vocalists, and the mixed chorus will have approximately 350 vocalists.

“This incredible honor of having three of our students selected for All-Eastern speaks to the caliber and breadth of our music department,” Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps said.  “We are so proud of these students, who will represent our district so magnificently.”

When the 2013 NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles perform on April 7th, it will be for an audience of thousands.  For program and ticket information please visit www.nafme-eastern.org.