On Saturday, January 17, Mount Greylock High School students in orchestra, band, and chorus participated in the Senior Districts music festival hosted by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association in Worcester. 32 students were accepted in Senior Districts. This is the highest number of students accepted in the past five years.
Band and chorus teacher Jacqueline Vinette described the festival as a “two day event where students make music with the other best musicians in Western Mass.” Orchestra teacher Patrick O’Connell also stated that, “our students get to spend two weekends with… similarly motivated students from other school districts and really esteemed conductors.”
In the lead up to the festival, all students who wish to perform go through an audition. They “play or sing in front of a judge, [and] if their scores are high enough, they’re accepted into the festival,” explained Vinette. The auditions happen in mid November, however, students get the audition piece and start practicing earlier in the fall.
Similarly, the students also get support from the community. “I just think the culture of the school is just very arts focused,” O’Connell said. He also mentioned that “parents are a huge part of it. Parents encourage their kids to pursue these extra opportunities.”
Vinette and O’Connell are still looking to grow the program and are inspired by Mount Greylock’s incredible success in sending so many students.
