Wicomico County Public Schools has once again been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for outstanding commitment to music education.
Wicomico received this recognition for the seventh straight year and for the ninth time in the past 12 years. Wicomico County Public Schools was one of four school districts recognized in Maryland, and one of only two on Delmarva.
This is an excellent time of year to experience for yourself the excellence of music education in Wicomico schools. Spring concerts and programs are taking place at every school level, from Prekindergarten through Grade 12. Performances began in April, and a list of this year’s remaining concerts is included, with concerts happening from now through May 30.
There’s even something new for Wicomico County Public Schools: This weekend, high school students from throughout Wicomico County will perform in “Seussical the Musical,” the first countywide high school musical for Wicomico Schools. Performances will be at 7 p.m. May 11 and 12 in the Wicomico High School Auditorium.
The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, Wicomico Schools answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
This award recognizes that WCPS is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation guides implementation in the states and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was often criticized for an overemphasis on testing-while leaving behind subjects such as music. ESSA recommends music and the arts as important elements of a well-rounded education for all children.
Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. In a series of landmark studies by scientists and researchers at Northwestern University a link was found between students in community music programs and life-long academic success, including higher high school graduation rates and college attendance. In another study from the University, it was discovered that the benefits of early exposure to music education improves how the brain processes and assimilates sounds, a trait that lasts well into adulthood. Other studies have indicated that music education lays the foundation for individual excellence in group settings, creative problem solving and flexibility in work situations, as well learning how to give and receive constructive criticism to excel.
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.
Contact: Tracy Sahler, Public Information Officer, 410-430-4796 or tsahler@wcboe.org
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Upcoming Spring Music Performances in Wicomico County Public Schools
Monday, May 7
East Salisbury Elementary Spring Concert on Monday, May 7 at 6 pm. in the gym. The concert will feature 5th grade Band, 4th & 5th grade String students, and 4th & 5th grade performers (singers & Guitar Club). Free admission. 410-677-5803
Pinehurst Elementary’s 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Choir, 5th Grade recorder club, and the 4th and 5th Grade String and Band students will present a Spring Concert at 6 p.m. Monday, May 7 in the Pinehurst gym. Free. 410-677-5810
The Mardela High Spring Band Concert will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, May 7 and will feature the Mardela Middle Festival Band, High School Symphonic Band, and Warrior Marching Band & Bandfront. The concert will take place in the MMHS cafetorium. Free admission. 410-677-5142
Tuesday, May 8
The Mardela Middle School Festival Band will perform in the 2018 MMEA Junior State Band Festival on Tuesday, May 8.
The Wicomico Early Learning Center 3- and 4-year-old students will perform “A Happy, Healthy Me” in East Salisbury Elementary School Gymnasium, on Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. This show is centered around exercise and healthy eating. For more information contact Patty Brown at 410-677-5900.
The Parkside High School Spring Band Concert featuring the Symphonic Band and Intermediate Band will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 in the Wicomico High School Auditorium. The Bennett Middle Festival Band will also perform. Free. 410-677-5161
The Spring Concert for Pittsville Elementary 4th and 5th grade orchestra and band students will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 in the Pittsville School cafetorium. Free. 410-677-5811
James M. Bennett High School and Wicomico High School Orchestra students will present a concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 in the James M. Bennett Auditorium. Free. 410-677-5141 or 410-677-5146
Wednesday, May 9
Charles H. Chipman Elementary is proud to present its school-wide spring concert on Wednesday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m. Due to limited space in the school, the concert will be held at Salisbury Middle School. All students are encouraged to attend. 410-677-5814
Parkside High School Orchestra students will present a spring concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 9. Due to renovations at the Parkside High School Auditorium, the concert will take place in the James M. Bennett Auditorium. Admission is free. 410-677-5161
Thursday, May 10
The Bennett Middle 7th and 8th grade Spring Band Concert will take place Thursday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the school. 410-677-5140
Come join the Wicomico High School Choral Department for the spring concert, Poets, People, and Pop! Selections include works by Brahms, Lauridsen, traditional folk songs, spirituals, and more. Doors open at 6:30, with the performance beginning at 7 p.m. 410-677-5146
Friday, May 11
The Mardela Middle and High chorus will present a Spring Concert at 7 p.m. Friday, May 11 at the school. Free admission. 410-677-5142
Monday, May 14
The North Salisbury Elementary Spring Concert with 4th and 5th grade string students will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, May 14 in the school multipurpose room. Free. 410-677-5807
The Parkside Jazz Band and Bennett Middle musicians will present a concert in the Bennett Middle School Auditorium at 7 p.m. Monday, May 14. Admission is free. 410-677-5143 or 410-677-5140
Tuesday, May 15
Please join the Bennett Middle School Choruses for our Spring Variety Show! We will be singing a range of choral music from history, stage and screen that is sure to delight. The 6th and 7th Grade Chorus will present the first act of our Variety Show at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 in the James M. Bennett Auditorium. Tickets will be sold at the door the night of each concert for $3, beginning at 6:30 pm. Admission is free for attendees aged 5 and under. We can’t wait to see you there! 410-677-5140
Pittsville Middle School Chorus will be in concert on Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Wicomico High School Auditorium. Featuring both Festival Choir and Select Ensemble along with the traditional 5th – 8th grade chorus, the evening will be largely comprised of melodies of current Broadway shows. Admission is $2 for individuals and $5 for families, and 15% of the proceeds from admission will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 410-677-5811
The Salisbury Middle School Band Spring Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 in the cafeteria. The Symphonic Band and 6th Grade Bands will perform a variety of music from different styles of music. Admission is free. 410-677-5149
Wednesday, May 16
North Salisbury Fourth Grade Students will be giving a Recorder Concert on Wednesday, May 16 at 6 p.m. in the NSS multipurpose room. Students will demonstrate all they have learned since February on their instruments! Join us as we go through our Recorder Dojo Songs. Free. 410-677-5807
Wicomico Middle School Choirs will present their spring concerts during the month of May. Come out and hear the 7th and 8th grade combined choirs sing on Wednesday, May 16 in the Wicomico Middle school auditorium at 6:30 p.m. No admission. Bring the whole family! 410-677-5145
Bennett Middle School Orchestra students will present a concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 16 in the Bennett Middle School cafeteria. Admission is free. 410-677-5140
The James M. Bennett High Intermediate and Concert Choirs will present a spring program entitled “Bernstein at 100: A Centennial Tribute to the music of Leonard Bernstein” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 16 in the James M. Bennett Auditorium. The program highlights Bernstein’s choral music with performances from “Wonderful Town”, “West Side Story” and “Candide”. The JMB Concert Choir will also reprise its performance from the 2018 District Choral Festival. Free. 410-677-5141
Thursday, May 17
The Parkside High Choral Department will celebrate decades of iconic music with the Spring Concert “Encore: The Music of Our Time” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church in Salisbury. The Intermediate and Concert Choirs will sing selections from several beloved solo and group artists. The celebration will include a variety of songs such as “Count on Me,” “Three Little Birds,” “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” and “Somebody to Love.” There will be lots of dancing and even some “special guests”! Please join us as we take this entertaining and musical journey down memory lane. Admission $7 for adults, $3 for children 6-11 years, and free for children 5 and under. 410-677-5143.
Please join the Bennett Middle School Choruses for our Spring Variety Show! We will be singing a range of choral music from history, stage and screen that is sure to delight. The 8th Grade Chorus will present Act II of our Spring Variety Show at the James M. Bennett Auditorium on Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door the night of each concert for $3, beginning at 6:30 pm. Admission is free for attendees aged 5 and under. We can’t wait to see you there! 410-677-5140
The Salisbury Middle School and the Mardela Middle and High School Spring Orchestra concert will be held on Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. in the Salisbury Middle School cafeteria. This concert will feature strings 6-12th grade. Free. 410-677-5142
Pittsville Elementary and Middle, Middle School Band Concert will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in the Wicomico High School Auditorium. Admission is free. 410-677
Saturday, May 19
Twenty-nine students from the Mardela Middle School Bands (grades 6-8) and 35 students from the Mardela High School Symphonic Band — 44 ensembles total — will travel to the 2018 MMEA State Solo & Ensemble Festival on Saturday, May 19 at Towson University’s Fine Arts Center.
Select chorus students from Delmar Elementary will take the field at the Delmarva Shorebirds game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 19 to sing the Star Spangled Banner. Then they will return to the field during the seventh-inning stretch to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame with Fruitland Primary Second Grade students. FPS and Delmar students and family members are invited to attend the event, but all attendees must have a ticket to enter the game. Tickets are available at the Perdue Stadium box office. 410-677-5171
Monday, May 21
North Salisbury Elementary’s 5th grade band will present “Now and Then” on Monday, May 21 at 6 p.m. in the NSS multipurpose room. Songs will include “Star-Splitter Fanfare” and “Tyrannosaurus Rocks”. Free 410-677-5807
Tuesday, May 22
Fruitland Intermediate School’s Spring Concert will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 in the James M. Bennett Auditorium. Featured will be the Chorus, Band & Orchestra students. Free. 410-677-5805
Westside Intermediate School 5th grade band and 4th and 5th grade Orchestra will present a Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. Band songs include “Heroes of the Galaxy,” and 0rchestra students will present familiar tunes they have learned this year. Free 410-677-5118
Vocalists and instrumentalists from the Wicomico County Visual and Performing Arts Program (VPA) will present the year-end Spring Recital at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Bethesda United Methodist Church in Salisbury. Student performers represent all four high schools. Admission is free.
The Bennett Middle School spring 6th-Grade band concert will be on Tuesday, May 22 at the school. 410-677-5140
The Salisbury Middle School 6th Grade Beginning Chorus will present a spring concert, “Singing Around the World, Part 1” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 in the cafetorium. Admission is $3 for adults and free for students and children. 410-677-5149
Wicomico Middle School Choirs will present their Spring concerts during the month of May. On Tuesday, May 22 come hear the combined 6th grade Choir and Band concert, in the Wicomico Middle auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m. Bring the whole family! 410-677-5145
Wednesday, May 23
The North Salisbury Elementary 3rd Grade Choir and 4/5th Singing Sensations Choir will give a choral concert on Wednesday, May 23 at 6 p.m. in the NSS multipurpose room. The 3rd Grade Choir will be presenting patriotic music and the 4/5th Grade Singing Sensations will be presenting a concert entitled “Darkness to Light”. Free. 410-677-5807
The Salisbury Middle 7th and 8th Grade chorus concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 23. The 7th Grade Intermediate Chorus, 8th Grade Intermediate Chorus, Show Choir, and Concert Chorus will combine to present “Singing Around the World, Part 2.” Admission is $3 for adults and free for students and children. In the school cafetorium. 410-677-5149
Thursday, May 24
The Westside Intermediate School Spring choral concert will be Thursday May 24th at 6pm.
Prince Street Elementary presents A Night of the Arts on Thursday, May 24 at 6 p.m. The evening will feature Fifth Grade Beginning Band, under the direction of Doug Miles, Fourth and Fifth Grade Orchestra, under the direction of Paul Oltmann and our 2nd and 3rd students performing Disney, The Movies, The Music, under the direction of Jamiliah Marshall. Free admission. 410-677-5813
Friday, May 25
Salisbury Middle School’s Concert Choir and Symphonic Band, and the combined orchestra of Salisbury Middle and Mardela Middle and High will all compete at the Musicale Competition in Williamsburg, VA on Friday, May 25.
Wednesday, May 30
Pemberton Elementary 5th grade band and 4th and 5th grade 0rchestra will present a Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 30 at 6:30 in the school auditorium. Band songs include “High Adventure” and 0rchestra students will present the songs they have learned this year. Free 410-677-5809
