Heritage Festival, New York City
Recently Waterville High School musicians traveled to New York City for the Heritage Festival. Not only did they come home with awards but they had a chance to experience part of the culture that New York has to offer.
Chaperone and Waterville High School nurse Ann Bouchard describes the pride in the music students and their trip to New York City:
“So lucky to have been part of this amazing experience with exceptional musicians and people—-our students!!! Colleagues and chaperones were top notch. Thanks to our music educators for giving the gift of music to our children and students and for enriching our lives with their gifts. As was said at the festival, “The arts make our world civilized.” Thank goodness something does and these educators and musicians have a hand in the civilizing of our part of the world”.
Sue Barre with her son and daughter, juniors at Waterville High School
Waterville music educator Sue Barre words to school staff on the return from New York:
“We had a wonderful few days. First and foremost we would like to share the compliments we received on how polite and well behaved our students are. Kudos to all at WSHS for that”!
DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIENCE
Ensembles are adjudicated on a scale that is used nationwide at Heritage Festivals. Student ensembles were from California, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, and Maine. This included 700-800 students.
Gold awards indicates scores of 90-100. The Waterville ensembles that earned Gold ratings:
- chorus
- sound check
- strings
- band
- jazz band
Four of the six awards presented for Outstanding Musicianship were presented to Waterville students
- Alex Lecrone – sound check
- Soren Nyhus – strings
- Natalia Fuentes – string
- Aubrey Fossett – band and jazz band
Each school was asked to nominate a student who not only is a strong musician but also a good school citizen, scholar, and overall person. Selected for this award from the entire festival was Waterville’s Soren Nyhus!
- Best overall Band Program – Waterville
- Best overall String Program – Waterville
- Best overall Instrumental Program – Waterville
- Adjudicators Award for Concert Band – average of 92 or more on scores – Superior Performance
- Festival Award for Best Program – Waterville
Congratulations to the Waterville Music educators for their outstanding teaching and preparing students to participate in this event!
- Sue Barre – Band and department chair
- Ciara Hargrove – Vocals
- Graybert Beacham – Strings
The first Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) Regional conference took place yesterday at Ellsworth High School. The participants were appreciative of the opportunity, not just to attend and learn in the formal sessions, but to have the chance to network with other arts educators.
Music teacher and editor Heidi Anderson has created “Maine Motif”, a wonderful magazine for the Maine Music Educators Association. You can access it by 
Waterville schools had the privilege of hosting Srinivas Krishnan, an Indian Musician, for a week-long residency. The educational experience impacted the 80 members of the high school band, the 40 member chorus and 50 member orchestra. In addition, Srini worked with the 38, grades 4-8 elementary and middle school gifted and talented students from AOS 92 (Waterville, Winslow, and Vassalboro).
While in Waterville Krishnan, taught the students about music from other cultures, cooked and treated them to Indian food and told stories. As often happens when providing unique learning opportunities for students, he enlightened the students about life and humanity. Scrini’s goal is to work in small towns to share his culture with students who would not otherwise be able to have access.
I think the experience was best summed up by accomplished sophomore musician Soren Nyhus, 15, a cellist in the school orchestra. “We all work to make the music better with the notes, the rhythms and all that stuff. Working with Scrini taught me that music is more than working on the notes. Music has the ability to speak to all of us through the heart, music is our common language.”
Last week 75 students in grades PK-12 were honored for their accomplishments in visual art and music education. We celebrated in the Hall of Flags in Maine’s State House. We are honored to have the First Lady Ann LePage as a partner in the Excellence in Visual and Performing Arts Education and to join us in recognizing the students in the ceremony.
Students from AOS 93, AOS 92, MSAD 41, and the Biddeford School districts were presented certificates and viewed their artwork on display throughout the State House complex, in the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Department of Education.
This is a first for the State of Maine. The Maine Department of Education and the Maine Arts Commission are collaborating to bring together this exhibit and in celebrating the students and teachers in a ceremony. I am sooooo excited that this is happening for Maine’s students and teachers!
The GRAMMY Foundation has selected 119 schools nationwide as GRAMMY Signature Schools semifinalists for 2016. Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year.
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