Western Regional Music Festival Accepts Nine Norwalk Middle School Students

Norwalk Public Schools will send nine students to the Western Regional Middle School Music Festival – one from Nathan Hale Middle School and eight from Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy. All eight students who auditioned from Ponus Ridge were accepted.

At Ponus Ridge, choral teacher Margaret Ferrari nominated eight students for the competition and all of them jumped at the chance to participate. Students rehearsed together for two weeks during homeroom then auditioned solo. Auditions took place on Dec. 3 at Fairfield Woods Middle School.

Choir students Khyliane Kamdoum, 7th grade, Zion Williams, 7th grade, Ishmael Baptiste, 8th grade, Chloe Gelin, 8th grade, Jada Hernandez, 8th grade, Devin Stancil, 8th grade sang for their auditions. Eric Victor, 7th grade, and Zachary Neer, 7th grade, each played the xylophone.

“I’m extremely proud of this group not only because they’ve never done anything like this before, singing alone, but also post-COVID era and not being able to sing and wearing masks, all of this stuff is very new for them,” Ferrari said of her students. “To see them come out of their shells and really do something that’s not only brave but is really difficult has been exciting. It’s invigorating to see Norwalk be part of this again.”

Ashley Diaz will represent Nathan Hale Middle at the music festival. The multi-talented eighth-grader participates in Orchestra, Chorus and the Gifted & Talented program, rotating between the three classes in one block. She also performed in the school’s fall play, “Ghost.”

“She carries it like a queen,” said Angela Nida, the music director at Nathan Hale.

Diaz auditioned as an alto and is the first student to audition from Nathan Hale “in a long time,” according to Nida. She had only three weeks to prepare and scored 196 out of 200 points at the audition.

Nida encouraged Diaz to audition after hearing from Steven Oliveri, the choral director at Norwalk High School, who reached out and asked how he could support the high school’s feeder programs. Oliveri came each week before the audition to give Diaz voice lessons.

“Ashley was a student meeting every expectation, and I could tell she was wanting to do more. One day, I looked at her and said, ‘Are you up for a challenge?’ She said yes, and we dug into the process,” Nida said.

Nida added that she couldn’t have done the things she needed to do for Diaz without help from Oliveri.

“He is a remarkable leader, and I am happy I have him to support my program,” Nida said.

West Rocks Middle School will also send three students to the music festival, one from each grade level. Isabella Kibbey, 8^th grade, qualified for her flute playing. Ciara O’Malley, 7^th grade, qualified for playing the cello, and Jack Wesley, 6^th grade, will play his violin. West Rocks orchestra instructor Glen Ullman serves as an ensemble chair for the Western Region Middle School orchestra. His responsibilities include running the audition and selection processes, communicating with other orchestra directors in the region, and coordinating the logistics of the festival. 

The festival is hosted by the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) and is a federated state organization for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). CMAE is the largest arts education association in the state of Connecticut and plays an important role through its encouragement and support of the highest musical standards in our school programs.

Students will perform at the Western Regional Middle School Music Festival on March 17 and 18 at Wilton High School. Tickets are $15 each.

El Festival Regional de Música del Oeste acepta a nueve estudiantes de Norwalk Middle School

Las Escuelas Públicas de Norwalk enviarán a nueve estudiantes al Festival Regional de Música de las Escuelas Medias del Oeste - uno de Nathan Hale Middle School y ocho de Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy. Los ocho estudiantes que audicionaron de Ponus Ridge fueron aceptados.

En Ponus Ridge, la profesora de coro Margaret Ferrari nominó a ocho estudiantes para la competición y todos ellos aprovecharon la oportunidad de participar. Los estudiantes ensayaron juntos por dos semanas durante homeroom y luego hicieron una audición en solitario. Las audiciones tuvieron lugar el 3 de diciembre en Fairfield Woods Middle School.

Los estudiantes del coro Khyliane Kamdoum, 7º grado, Zion Williams, 7º grado, Ishmael Baptiste, 8º grado, Chloe Gelin, 8º grado, Jada Hernandez, 8º grado, Devin Stancil, 8º grado cantaron para sus audiciones. Eric Victor, 7º grado, y Zachary Neer, 7º grado, tocaron el xilófono.

"Estoy muy orgullosa de este grupo, no solo porque nunca han hecho nada como esto antes, cantar solos, sino también en la era posterior al COVID y no poder cantar y usar mascarilla, todo esto es muy nuevo para ellos", dijo Ferrari de sus estudiantes. "Verlos salir de su caparazón y hacer algo que no solo es valiente, sino realmente difícil, ha sido emocionante. Es vigorizante ver a Norwalk ser parte de esto otra vez".

Ashley Diaz representará a Nathan Hale Middle en el festival de música. La polifacética estudiante de octavo grado participa en la orquesta, el coro y el programa de superdotados y talentosos, rotando entre las tres clases en un bloque. También actuó en la obra de otoño de la escuela, "Ghost".

"Lo lleva como una reina", dice Angela Nida, directora musical de Nathan Hale.

Díaz se presentó a la audición como contralto y es la primera estudiante de Nathan Hale que lo hace "en mucho tiempo", según Nida. Tuvo solo tres semanas para prepararse y obtuvo 196 de 200 puntos en la audición.

Nida animó a Diaz a presentarse a la audición después de que Steven Oliveri, director coral de Norwalk High School, se pusiera en contacto con ella y le preguntara cómo podía apoyar los programas alimentadores de la escuela secundaria. Oliveri vino cada semana antes de la audición para dar clases de canto a Diaz.

"Ashley era una estudiante que cumplía todas las expectativas y me di cuenta de que quería hacer más. Un día la miré y le dije: "¿Estás preparada para un reto?" Dijo que sí, y nos metimos de lleno en el proceso", cuenta Nida.

Nida añadió que no podría haber hecho las cosas que tenía que hacer por Diaz sin la ayuda de Oliveri.

"Es un líder extraordinario, y estoy feliz de contar con él para apoyar mi programa", dijo Nida. 

El festival está organizado por la Asociación de Educadores Musicales de Connecticut (CMEA) y es una organización estatal federada de la Asociación Nacional para la Educación Musical (NAfME). CMAE es la mayor asociación de educación artística en el estado de Connecticut y desempeña un papel importante a través de su fomento y apoyo de los más altos estándares musicales en nuestros programas escolares.

Los estudiantes actuarán en el festival regional de música de las Escuelas Medias del Oeste el 17 y 18 de marzo en Wilton High School. Los tiques cuestan $15 cada uno.