After a long bus ride from Pittsburgh, members of the North Hills High School Wind Ensemble stood on the terrace of the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, laughing and watching the Genesee River flow by.
They came here to make music during the Eastern Division Conference sponsored by the National Association for Music Education. It’s the first time in more than twenty-five years that the "All Eastern" music festival will be hosted by the New York State School Music Association, or NYSSMA.
Students hail from schools in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York. Each auditioned to earn a spot in this prestigious event.
“This is proof positive that the local communities' parents, superintendents, boards of education, and town councils support music education in their schools,” said John J. Gallagher with the New York State School Music Association.
Gallagher said that beyond being a fun event for the teens, the conference helps to promote a healthy ecosystem for the arts in public schools across the country.
“Some teachers would say that we're in a rebuilding phase,” he said. During the pandemic, many music programs saw a drop in enrollment. Gallagher added, “We’re doing our best to reach out to students to say, ’We want you back. And we're going to work with you. And we're going to get you back up to speed.’” Welcoming more than seven hundred students and their teachers to this conference is part of the rebuilding process, he said.
From April 13 – 17, students will rehearse and perform with conductors including Dr. James Tapia of Syracuse University (All Eastern Symphonic Band); Rachel Lauber of the Eastman Community Music School and University at Buffalo (All Eastern Symphony Orchestra); Jason Max Ferdinand of the University of Maryland (All Eastern Mixed Chorus); Brian Powell of Montclair State University, NJ (All Eastern Modern Band); Dr. Kristina MacMullen of University of North Texas (All Eastern Treble Chorus); and jazz tubist Bob Stewart conducting the All Eastern Jazz Ensemble.
NYSSMA, the New York State School Music Association, is the largest state affiliate of the National Association for Music Education.
The “All Eastern” festival concerts in Kodak Hall and The Theater at Innovations Squareare open to the public.
