Berlin High School Music Program Rated Excellent Plus

The Berlin High School Music Department recently took several groups of students to the Music in the Parks competition sponsored by Six Flags New England. Early on Saturday morning, May 12, approximately 120 eager students boarded a bus at Berlin High at 6:45 am to head to Holyoke High School, where the competitions were held. The morning and early afternoon were devoted to the musical performances; the remainder of the day brought fun at Six Flags which included an awards ceremony, where each of the Berlin High School musical groups walked away with a trophy.

The rating scale used at this competition is “Superior,” “Excellent,” “Good,” and “Poor.”

First to perform was the Concert Choir, under the direction of Mr. Robert Kelly, Director of Choral Ensembles. At the awards ceremony, the Concert Choir was awarded a rating of Excellent and received a trophy for second place in their class at the competition.

The next Berlin High groups to perform were the Concert Band and Marching Band, both under the direction of Mr. Mark Bowling, Director of Bands.  Each of these groups also earned a rating of Excellent, with the Concert Band taking second place in their class and the Marching Band taking first place.

The final Berlin group to perform was the Jazz Band under the direction of Mr. Raymond Sinclair, Director of Jazz Bands.  This ensemble achieved a rating of Superior and took not only first place in their class, but also took home the title of Best Overall Jazz Band at the competition.

If you’d like to see firsthand how impressive the Berlin High music program is, a couple of these groups will be performing locally in the next few weeks and the public is invited to support these amazing student musicians.  As is the annual tradition, the Berlin High School Marching Band will be participating in the Memorial Day parade, proudly marching down Farmington Avenue and participating in the ceremony that follows at the VFW to support local veterans.

The Jazz Band will be performing at a new event, “Jazz with Pizzazz.” This event will take place on Saturday, June 2 in the Berlin High School Cafeteria. Doors open at 6:45 pm and the music starts at 7 pm. The evening will feature the high school Jazz Band and local jazz professionals Frankenfrenz. Admission is $5 for students and senior citizens, $10 for adults; included in the cost of the admission is dessert, coffee, the musical entertainment, and a silent auction.  Proceeds from Jazz with Pizzazz will benefit the entire band program at Berlin High School. For tickets to this event, or for information on any of the band programs, please contact bhsbandparents@yahoo.com.