March is designated as Music in our Schools month, and we certainly have music here at Salamanca! In addition to the concerts and other events put on by the music department, we are celebrating the accomplishments of our own Mitchel Schnaufer.
Mitch , a Junior at Salamanca, attended the NYSBDA (New York State Band Director's Association) Honor Band consisting of students from across the state based on an application and solo festival scores. This year's honor band was held in Syracuse. Mitch spent the weekend rehearsing with a world-class conductor, educator, and composer, Andrew Boysen Jr., conductor and composer at the University of New Hampshire. The ensemble played stirring pieces, "Marry Shelley Meets Frankenstein," a piece inspired by what would happen if Mary Shelley met the monster she created in her book, "Into the Silent Land," a moving tribute to the lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School 10 years ago, and a piece composed by the conductor of the ensemble, "Phoenix," which tells the story of a phoenix nearing the end of its life, bursting into flames, and then being reborn.
Later in April, Mitch will travel again to Rochester, NY to participate in the All-Eastern Symphonic Orchestra. This orchestra consists of students in 11 states from Maine down to Maryland and is likely the first student from Salamanca to accomplish this goal. Congratulations Mitch on these amazing opportunities and accomplishments!
