By Crystal Hayduk
(This is the second part of a two-part series about Chelsea music students performing at the Michigan Music Conference.)
Chelsea was well represented at the prestigious Michigan Music Conference (MMC), held in Grand Rapids Jan. 19-21.
In addition to three choir students and one Chelsea resident who served as a State Honors Choir director, three instrumentalists from Chelsea High School (CHS) and one from Beach Middle School (BMS) performed in All-State ensembles at MMC.
Seren Angus, a junior bass player who takes lessons from Jed Fritzemeier, said, “It’s inspiring to play with people who are as excited about music as I am.”
She’s very excited about music, shown by her commitment in two bands with friends—Wild Childz and Ceiling. Angus is also a member of the high school’s extracurricular Celtic group, Chelsea House Orchestra (CHO), along with sophomore Luke Mourad, a student of Bethany Bagbey who played cello in the All-State Orchestra. He said students undergo a rigorous audition in the fall to be chosen for All-State ensembles. They learn etudes, play scales, and sight-read (play music never seen or heard before) at the audition.
Band member Gus Alafita, a junior who plays the trumpet and takes lessons from Amanda Ross, said playing in the All-State band allows him to meet musicians from around the state and be part of something bigger.
It is impressive to be selected for an All-State ensemble once, but each of these students also had seats in previous years. This was the third time for Angus and Mourad; the second for Alafita.
Seniors Phoebe Harris, a cellist who takes lessons from Sara Cumming; and Peter Mourad, who previously took violin lessons from Nathan Peters received honorable mention ratings this year. Both Harris and Mourad have been selected for All-State Orchestra in previous years.
Catarina Rossi, an eighth grader, was chosen as the principal French horn player for the All-State Middle School Band. Her private teacher is Tammy Kosinski.
Taking her place in the first chair meant Rossi had met her target of improving after last year, when she was in the second chair. “I like to challenge myself with new goals,” she said. “I’m my own biggest competitor.”
Besides the joy of seeing friends from last year and meeting new people from other school districts around the state, Rossi said she will remember this year’s rehearsals for the frequent delays. “The students were told to bring their own music stands to rehearsal, and we all had flimsy wire ones. It seemed like a different person’s stand fell apart about every ten minutes and we had to wait for them to put it back together to move on.”
Music is in Rossi’s blood. Both of her parents are musicians, and her grandfather was a band director. She plays with groups outside of school, including the Dexter Community Orchestra, the Detroit Civic Philharmonic Orchestra, and the youth wind ensemble.
Eighth-grader Isaac Snyder received honorable mention for his cello audition. His private teacher is Sara Cumming.
Phillip Sylvester, CHS orchestra director, said the All-State audition is an intense challenge even for advanced student musicians. Students practice vital foundational scales and etudes, and their sight-reading ability is pushed to extreme limits.
“The music performed in the All-State ensembles is professional level. Students work hard in intense rehearsals during the conference. These rehearsals and performances give students the perspective to consider future performance opportunities after high school.”
Chelsea was represented at MMC not only by musicians, but also among the presenters. Sylvester, who began teaching in 2019, was a member of a panel discussion, “Thriving in the First Few Years of Ensemble Teaching.” The conversation focus was to “… give advice to new teachers on navigating the pitfalls and embracing the successes.”
Jed Fritzemeier and Katie Rae Hayduk presented “Celtic Music as an Alternative Style Ensemble,” a session that explored the style in developing an extracurricular music ensemble, discussed keys to success, and demonstrated the music. Fritzemeier, who retired from CSD in 2019 and is now the director of music education at the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, founded CHO in 1996. Hayduk, a 2019 CHS graduate, is a senior majoring in music education at Hope College. She was a member of CHO when she was in high school, and currently serves as the assistant director of the group, which is under Sylvester’s leadership.
Nathan Peters, BMS orchestra director, attended the presentation by Fritzemeier and Hayduk. “The session about starting a Celtic ensemble in your school was fun because Katie Rae demonstrated some of the music and gave input from her perspective as a college music education major,” he said. “Also, the session was interactive with questions asked by teachers and ideas shared by other teachers who have fiddle ensembles in their school music programs.”
About MSBOA
The Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association helps to make All-State Band and Orchestra concerts possible. From the MSBOA website: “Our mission is to provide each student intellectual and creative instrumental music experiences expressed through emotional and artistic communication.” This year, more than 2,300 students from around the state auditioned for nearly 400 spots in five ensembles.
About MMC
This year marked the 18th annual MMC, which draws about 9,000 teachers, administrators, students, speakers, and guests for the educational sessions and concerts. From the Michigan Music Conference website, “The purpose of the Michigan Music Conference is to provide relevant professional development and vibrant musical experiences that support music education for educators and their students.”
