Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School held its second set of spring concerts at the High School auditorium for the 4th/5th Grade Chorus, 4th Grade Band, 5th Grade Select Chorus “High Notes” and 5th Grade Orchestra on May 30. The JAE 4th/5th Grade Chorus, under the direction of Mr. Craig Knapp, opened the show with a joyful, challenging and diverse program of songs, including their final piece, “Sahayta,” which included singing in 10 different languages! This piece featured soloists Casey Angelo, Sofia Behlen, Kendall Daly, Andrew DeTurris, Jaileen Gomez, Isabella Imeidopf, Kira Izzo, Logan Kantor, Kylie McGee, Michaela Minardi, Brionna Nace, Lillian Ozorio, Aria Soto and Phoenix Wilkinson.
The 4th Grade Band, under the baton of the newest member of the Rocky Point music department, Miss Cailyn Monastero, took the stage next and performed a delightful program. Selections included wonderful performances of familiar folk songs, including “Merrily We Roll Along,” which highlighted each of the three instrument families in the band, and “Rain, Rain,” which began with a student-created thunderstorm using a combination of body percussion with traditional unpitched percussion instruments. This was the first time a 4th Grade Band graced the stage in a Rocky Point concert in over 30 years! In between the 6 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. concerts, the audience had the pleasure of listening to the piano stylings of fifth grade student Alexander Lantigua-Mettrock, who performed the works of composers Claude Debussy, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann and others. The audience was amazed with Alex’s ability, especially when he informed the crowd that he only started playing the piano about seven months ago!
The 5th Grade Select Chorus “High Notes,” under the direction of Mr. Knapp, performed next and shared the program they will be singing at their upcoming NYSSMA Major Organization Evaluation Festival. The JAE 5th Grade Orchestra, under the baton of Mr. Dave Ventura, performed very fun and difficult selections that included pieces ranging from the American folk song “Fiddler’s Hoedown” to a rock-style piece, “First Finger Rock.” All the performances were joyful, expressive and very successful. The enthusiastic audience reaction for each group displayed how proud the parents were of their children!
A congratulatory message from Rocky Point music department chairpersons Mr. Knapp and Ms. Amy Schecher read: “We are so proud of the JAE music students. The students have spent countless hours rehearsing before and after school. The have sharpened not only their music skills, but they also learned the importance of building teamwork while leading up to their performances. Special congratulations to Miss Monastero for doing a superb job leading her children in her first-ever concert as JAE 4th Grade Band director. It has been an extraordinary series of concerts for the Rocky Point School District this spring. The wonderful concerts the student musicians in all of our schools performed this spring is a true testament to their hard work, effort and dedication. We are very lucky to have such amazing students involved in the music program, and we are thankful to our industrious and energetic music staff and the parents for supporting their children in their involvement with the performing arts. Thank you to all of the administrators and Board of Education members in Rocky Point for their continued support of our music programs.”
“It has been a pleasure to observe the incredible progress made in only five months by the students in all of the JAE performing ensembles,” Mr. Knapp added. “It is a gift to work with Miss Monastero and Mr. Ventura. They are both very passionate, diligent and dedicated music educators. It’s a true team effort at JAE!”
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Date Added: 6/5/2024