Congratulations to the outstanding 2018 All Shore Orchestra musicians from Wicomico County Public Schools! These All Shore Orchestra students will participate in a day of rehearsal capped off by a concert on Friday, May 18 at Colonel Richardson High School in Federalsburg.
Middle and high school students from throughout the Eastern Shore auditioned for All Shore Orchestra. Most of the students selected for All Shore Orchestra take part in orchestra classes in Wicomico County Public Schools.
Instruction in orchestra, also called strings, begins in 4th Grade and continues with orchestra classes through high school. Wicomico County students are under the direction of teachers Sarah Burton, Ashley Palmer and Courtney Bennett. Since the school system hired a third, full-time secondary strings teacher eight years ago, the enrollment in the orchestra program has doubled in the elementary schools and tripled in the high schools. In the past, the high school students were combined into one ensemble that met during 1st period with students from two of the high schools being transported to the third. Three years ago, thanks to the rising number of high school orchestra students, it was no longer possible to fit them into one ensemble. There is now an additional high school orchestra class to meet the demand.
“In the strings programs of Wicomico County Public Schools, our students get to be part of a musical family that encourages growth both musically and personally,” said Bennett, the orchestra director for Mardela Middle and High and for Salisbury Middle. “In every single rehearsal we push our students to achieve excellence and teach them to consistently work hard to achieve high quality results. It is our goal that students carry these habits with them into other classrooms, other areas of their lives, and on into the ‘real’ world after graduation.”
The achievements of these orchestra students highlight the high level of music education in Wicomico County Public Schools. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donna C. Hanlin and the Board of Education are very proud that Wicomico County Public Schools has been named one of the Best Communities for Music Education in the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation Survey. Wicomico has earned this honor eight of the past 11 years due to its excellent music educators and music instruction programs.
All Shore Orchestra
Violin 1:
James M. Bennett High: Simon Jeong (1st chair)
Mardela High: Sokyra Ward
Parkside High: Gracie Elswick, Brian Min, Laila Libertin (also All Shore Chorus), Leyna Paul
Wicomico High: Nick Nguyen, Millicent Kihiuria
Bennett Middle: Cristina Avanessian
Violin 2:
James M. Bennett High: Anna Long, Riya Mehta, Cassidy Bauer, Josie Sollars, Roxanne Chow, Grace Acle
Parkside High: Sarah Runge
Wicomico High: Kirsten Parsons
Bennett Middle: Ellie Long, Eduardo Minchala
Violin 3:
James M. Bennett High: Mulan Bell (1st chair)
Salisbury Middle: Riley Bozman
Wicomico High: Rebecca Dartilus, Abigaile Dartilus
Viola:
James M. Bennett High: Elizabeth Simpson
Bennett Middle: Sunny Baek
Cello:
Bennett Middle: Mary Hsia
Mardela High: Alexzander Baer
Bass:
James M. Bennett High: Lensky Augustin (1st chair), Adan Thomas-Mason
