Western+District+Festival

= A Huge Congratulations to the following South Middle School students who made it into the MMEA-WD (Massachusetts Music Educators Association Western Districts Festival) for 2016-17: =
 * MMEA-WD Western Districts Festival **

== On Saturday December 10th, a number of our band and chorus students represented South Middle School well at the MMEA-WD Western Districts Auditions at Westfield State University. They competed against other musicians grades 7-9 on their respective instruments and vocal parts. == ** We actually had more instrumentalists make it in than ever before. Last year we got in 9. This year it was 13. There were also a number of chorus students. ** ** Some of the highlights: ** ** specifics below: ** ** 1. Caitlynn Thomson (grade 8)- 2nd place Flute in the concert band ** ** 2. Abby Daley (grade 8)- 8th place Clarinet in concert band ** ** 3. Leah Urbanski (grade 7)- 10th place Clarinet in concert band ** ** 4. Mairi Tumavicus (grade 8)- 12th place Clarinet in the concert band ** ** 5. Lesya Krapova (grade 7)- 13th place Clarinet in the concert band ** ** 6. Makayla Yankowski (grade 7)- 5th place Trumpet in concert band ** ** 7. David Tirrell (grade 8)- 5th place French Horn in the concert band ** ** 8. Will Brewster (grade 8)- 6th place Trombone in the concert band ** ** 9. Steven Bonacci (grade 8)- Tenor 2 in the jazz band ** ** 10. Hannah Bruno (grade 8)- Trumpet 1 in the jazz band ** ** 11. Cooper Leclair (grade 8)-Trombone 3 in the jazz band ** ** 12. Anton Bonacci (grade 6)- Trombone 4 in the jazz band ** ** 13. Yana Chumakova (grade 8)- Piano in the jazz band ** ** Mr. Gomes' choral students: ** ** 1. Melody Latshaw (grade 7)- 15th place alto in the chorus ** ** 2. Shane McCarthy (grade 6)- Male Chorus ** ** 3. Gage Elderkin (grade 6)- Male Chorus ** ** 4. Jacob Beaulieu (grade 6)- Male Chorus ** ** concert band music ** jazz ensemble music senior choir
 * ** Hannah triple auditioned, and passed all 3. She ended up the first trumpet in the jazz band with two 9th graders under her. This is her 3rd year in a row making junior districts. **
 * ** Yana tripled and made it on 2 of them. She's the pianist for the jazz band for the second year in a row. **
 * ** Anton and Cooper doubled, made both, and ended up in the jazz band together. **
 * ** The Districts Jazz Band has 20 students in it this year and Anton is the only 6th grader in the whole thing. **
 * ** Steven made jazz band for the second year in a row. **
 * ** Caitlynn doubled and made both (by a huge margin). She's the second highest scoring flute and first highest jazz bari. Last year she was 3rd flute. Way to go! **
 * ** While I'm talking jazz band, 9th grader Hadleigh Leclair made jazz band for the second year in a row (and districts for the 3rd year in a row). **
 * ** Makayla Yankowski got the 5th highest score of all the 29 trumpets who auditioned. She was the highest scoring trumpet player from Westfield! This is with not starting until 6th grade, and having no private lessons! **
 * ** All our clarinets made it! **
 * ** Melody who doubled on flute and voice, made voice. **

2015-2016 = A Huge Congratulations to the following South Middle School students who made it into the MMEA-WD (Massachusetts Music Educators Association Western Districts Festival) for 2016: =

== On Saturday December 5th, a number of our band and chorus students represented South Middle School well at the MMEA-WD Western Districts Auditions at Westfield State University. They competed against other musicians grades 7-9 on their respective instruments and vocal parts. ==

== The auditions coordinator said that South Middle School had the most auditions of any of the 69 schools that participated on Saturday December 5. == == We've gotten more instrumentalists in than ever before == == 1. Steven Bonacci (grade 7)-tenor 2 in the jazz band == == 2. Hadleigh Leclair (grade 8) - trumpet 3 in the jazz band == == 3. Aaron Muldrew (grade 8)- trumpet 2 in the jazz band == == 4. Samir Ghalayini (grade 8)- trombone 1 in the jazz band == == 5. Yana Chumakova (grade 7)- piano in the jazz band == == 6. Caitlynn Thomson (grade 7) Third highest scoring flute == == 7. Nicole Servetnik (grade 8) Fourth highest scoring flute == == 8. Angela Ivanova (grade 7) on clarinet == == 9. Mairi Tumavicus (grade 7) on clarinet == == 1. Madi Curbelo (grade 8)-alto == == 2. Hannah Bruno (grade 7) - soprano == == 3. Marisa Clark (grade 8)-alto == == 4. Melissa Doiron (grade 8)-alto == == 5. Morgan Danek (grade 8)-alto ==

== These students will be performing in an All-Star concert on March 19th at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wibraham. ==

2015 = A Huge Congratulations to the following South Middle School students who made it into the MMEA-WD (Massachusetts Music Educators Association Western Districts Festival) for 2015: = = __Hannah Bruno__ (Chorus) grade 6, __Diana Stuzhuk__ on percussion, grade 8, __Ruth Krapova__ on Flute grade 8, __Aaron Muldrew__ on French Horn grade 7, and __Hadleigh Leclair__ on trumpet grade 7. They will be performing at The University of Massachusetts Amherst (Fine Arts Center) on Saturday March 14th at 3:00p.m. Outstanding job students! =

Also, be it known that __Hannah Bruno__ from 6th Grade Chorus (and plays clarinet and oboe in the band) has made it into the Massachusetts All-State Treble Chorus (Elementary 4-6) for the second year in a row. For the 2015 Season, she will be performing at the Seaport Boston Hotel on Saturday March 21st at 3:00 p.m. Many schools across Massachusetts have auditioned their 4th Grade through 6th grade singers (Chorus students) in excess of 600 auditionees, and only 200 performed at a high enough level to be accepted, and Hannah was one of them. Congratulations! == = = ==





Seventh and Eighth graders have the opportunity of auditioning for Junior Districts. Students from all the districts in Western Massachusetts audition annually. Read more about it the the letter below. Also below is some of the audition material for the 2013-14 school year.

You may watch videos I created as demonstrations of the scales and pieces on my youtube page: []

















=Sight-singing/ear-training=