Cold Spring Harbor Students Receive Prestigious Music Honors

Several students within the Cold Spring Harbor School District received music honors in the All-State New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) All National Choral Ensembles. Photo Courtesy of Cold Spring Harbor School District

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

The music program at the Cold Spring Harbor School District tallied seven students receiving 2017 All-State New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) honors and two students being selected for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) All National Choral Ensembles.

Brent Chiarello, K-12 Music Coordinator, said in order for students to qualify for All-State NYSSMA, they have to perform a solo piece in front of a judicator. The musicians are scored out of 100 points based on a list of criteria, which include their sound, sight-reading, scales and how well they play the piece.

Students who received All-State honors are Mike Davis, who plays jazz trumpet, and Alexander Wang, on vocals. They were selected for All-State Jazz Ensemble and Mixed Chorus, respectively. Both students will perform at the All-State Conference at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester this December.

Ryan McLaughlin, who plays the trumpet; Hank Tsekerides, on the snare drum; Thomas McGee, who plays the violin; Kate Zimmon, on vocals; and Sergio Rodriguez, on vocals, were selected as All-State NYSSMA alternates.

In addition, Jillian Coughlin, Raffi Sanna and Kate Zimmon were selected for the ACDA All National Choral Ensembles. With that, they will perform at the ACDA conference in Philadelphia in March 2018.

In order to be eligible for All-State and All-National honors, Chiarello said students have to perform at the highest level possible.

“You have to be performing perfectly in order to be even considered in this ensemble and then to actually make it you have to be playing almost on a professional level, where your musicality and how you perform the music, and how it gets across to the listener is very important,” he said. “To be able to reach that level in high school is a very impressive thing and the students who make these groups really are the best musicians around.”

Chiarello added that 80 students within the district were also selected for All-County New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education (NYSCAME) honors.