The Hoosick Falls Central School PTA recently received a $750 grant through Stewart’s Holiday Match program recognizing organizations that support children’s programs throughout the communities it serves. Hoosick Falls Central School’s PTA is donating the grant to the 7-12 grade instrumental music program to purchase music for its annual participation in the New York State School Music Association Solo Festival. “Currently, we have over 110 students in our 7-12 program, and many of them participate in this increasingly popular festival, which provides for individual assessment of student performance, an invaluable tool for developing music students”, says Robert Allen, Jr./Sr. High Music Teacher at Hoosick Falls Central School. “Even if students don’t physically go to the festival, these pieces are tied directly into my curriculum, so all of my students work on these solos throughout their middle and high school career.”
“Students prepare a solo for months, and then perform it at one of the many festivals across the state in front of an official NYSSMA judge. The judge rates them on a rubric that addresses the fundamental parts of performing: tone, style, articulation, interpretation, etc.. The student then gets a score, and these scores put them in the running for extra accolades, such as placement in ‘All-County’, ‘Area All-State’ groups, and the highest level – the ‘All-State’ bands.”
And the work is paying off. “This year, 16 HFCS students participated in the All-County Senior Band – the most from any school. Additionally, we had two students make the Area All-State Festival Band (encompassing an area larger than the entire Capital Region) – and we haven’t gotten students placed in that group in about a decade.”
