Port Chester Students Awarded At State Music Festival

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. -- Port Chester Middle School musicians won several Gold Awards at the New York State School Music Association's annual spring evaluation festival.

The sixth grade chorus won a Gold Award on Level Two. The 103 students in the chorus sang "Al Shlo Sha D'Varim," "Shake the Papaya Down" and "Ja-Da" under the direction of Mark Zizolfo. The sixth grade band won a Gold Award on Level One. The 60-member band played "Valley Forge March," "Two English Dances" and "Imperium" under the direction of Linda McDermott. McDermott's groups have won Gold Awards four of the last five years.

The jazz band won a Gold Award on Level Three. The 26 student musicians performed "Summertime," "Sax to the Max" and "Watermelon Man" under the direction of Ken Kraut and Kahlil Barnes. The select band won a Silver Award on Level Three. The 95-member band performed "Lion of Lucerne," "Prestissimo" and "Covington Square" under the direction of Kraut and Barnes.

Music for the festival was categorized into six levels, with Level Six being the most difficult. Each group performed three selections and were evaluated and rated by two NYSSMA adjudicators.

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