Canton sends 10 students to District Music Festival

As a child, Canton High School junior Dan Kazenel took violin and piano lessons. When he was 8 years old, he heard a cello played at a concert and made a life-altering decision. “Mom, I want to play that,” he said to his mother.

Dan Kazenel

Kazenel, 16, will play the cello at Symphony Hall this weekend with other high school students from across Massachusetts in the All-State Festival. The National Association for Music Education and the Massachusetts Music Educators Association sponsor the performance.

The student musicians learn the musical pieces on their own and will rehearse together on Thursday and Friday prior to performing on Saturday.

“It’s so much fun,” Kazenel said. “There’s such a high level of musicianship. It’s pretty cool.”

Kazenel is a member of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, sang in the CHS production of Once upon a Mattress last fall, and plays rhythm guitar and sings with his band Floe. He plans to study music in college.

The state Music Educators Association also sponsors the Southeastern District Music Festival. Students who are interested in participating are given pieces of music to learn and then audition. Kazenel and CHS sophomore Katie Thomas auditioned for the Senior District Festival and were selected for the band. Thomas has taken clarinet lessons since she was in fourth grade.

The Senior Festival was held January 6 and 7 at Oliver Ames High School. “Everyone you’re working with is around the same skill level,” Thomas said. “It’s nice to play with people who are that good.”

“It’s really exciting to have such solid representation from Canton at these festivals,” said Sarah Collmer, Canton Public Schools’ K-12 performing arts coordinator. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis on our private lessons program.”

Collmer, who matches students with a teacher, said the number of teachers offering private lessons has more than doubled — from five to 12 — during the past few years.

In addition to the two Senior Festival participants, five students from the Galvin Middle School and three from the high school will take part in the Junior Festival the weekend of March 9 and 10 at Attleboro High School. Freshmen Shannon Milewski, Asia Smith, and Tim DeMaggio, and seventh graders Angel Salcedo, Nino Ruggeri, and Sarah Campbell will sing in the Mixed Chorus. Eighth graders Sung Ahn and Catherine Song will play the flute in the band.

Collmer is thrilled with the success of the students. “I, along with the rest of the performing arts staff, am incredibly proud of these students and all of the hard work they have done to earn their spots in these festivals,” she said.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Feb 29 2012. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.