All-County

WCSMA ALL-COUNTY CHORUS NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE 2024-2025

November 2024

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to begin our All-County Chorus Season! As we shared in our original correspondence, we are able to accept ALL students nominated for the Intermediate All-County and Elementary All-County festivals. We are happy to welcome Craig Knapp as the conductor of the Elementary All-County Chorus and Amanda Gundling as the Conductor of the Intermediate All-County Chorus. Both Craig and Amanda are phenomenal educators, musicians, and builders of community and we know this festival will prove to be an amazing experience for our singers.

Student Letter of Responsibility/Guardian Permission

• There is a downloadable Student Letter of Responsibility and Guardian Permission Form on DaCapo. It should auto-generate your students and their information. Please fill these out and upload these forms to DaCapo no later than December 9th, 2024.

Invoices

• Please ask families to submit payment to you as the teacher. Checks and POs should be in progress as of December 9th, 2024. Please send ONE check for all students, payable to WCSMA. The invoices can be downloaded from DaCapo!

PLEASE NOTE: We can only prepare the music once we’ve received all materials and fees. Music will not be prepared for any students who have not returned their letter of responsibility form or participation fees.

Festival Dates Reminder:

• All rehearsals and the performance will be held at New Rochelle High School.
• The first rehearsal will be Monday, February 10th, 2025 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.) Snow Date is Tuesday, February 11th, 2024.
• The second rehearsal will be Tuesday, March 4th, 2024 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.) Snow Date is Wednesday, March 5th, 2024.
• The concert will be Sunday, March 9th, at 1:00 pm (arrival for students at 11:00 am.) Snow Date is Sunday, March 17th, at 1:00 pm.

We appreciate your patience in receiving this information. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our chorus coordinator Dana Celestino at DCelestino@byramhills.net.

Sincerely,

Dana Celestino, All County Coordinator

Hannah Geiling and Emily Ilson, All-County Chorus Chairs

 

WCSMA ALL-COUNTY CHORUS NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE 2024-2025

November 2024

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to begin our All-County Chorus Season! As we shared in our original correspondence, we are able to accept ALL students nominated for the Intermediate All-County and Elementary All-County festivals. We are happy to welcome Craig Knapp as the conductor of the Elementary All-County Chorus and Amanda Gundling as the Conductor of the Intermediate All-County Chorus. Both Craig and Amanda are phenomenal educators, musicians, and builders of community and we know this festival will prove to be an amazing experience for our singers.

Student Letter of Responsibility/Guardian Permission

• There is a downloadable Student Letter of Responsibility and Guardian Permission Form on DaCapo. It should auto-generate your students and their information. Please fill these out and upload these forms to DaCapo no later than December 9th, 2024.

Invoices

• Please ask families to submit payment to you as the teacher. Checks and POs should be in progress as of December 9th, 2024. Please send ONE check for all students, payable to WCSMA. The invoices can be downloaded from DaCapo!

PLEASE NOTE: We can only prepare the music once we’ve received all materials and fees. Music will not be prepared for any students who have not returned their letter of responsibility form or participation fees.

Festival Dates Reminder:

• All rehearsals and the performance will be held at New Rochelle High School.
• The first rehearsal will be Monday, February 10th, 2025 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.) Snow Date is Tuesday, February 11th, 2024.
• The second rehearsal will be Tuesday, March 4th, 2024 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.) Snow Date is Wednesday, March 5th, 2024.
• The concert will be Sunday, March 9th, at 1:00 pm (arrival for students at 11:00 am.) Snow Date is Sunday, March 17th, at 1:00 pm.

We appreciate your patience in receiving this information. As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our chorus coordinator Dana Celestino at DCelestino@byramhills.net.

Sincerely,

Dana Celestino, All County Coordinator

Hannah Geiling and Emily Ilson, All-County Chorus Chairs

3/3/25
I hope this email finds you well. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s rehearsal and the concert this weekend, please remind students throughout the week to bring all music distributed by WCSMA to New Rochelle High School to be turned in on Saturday after the concert. If you have a student who is no longer participating in the festival, please make sure to return the music to Melissa Neyer, the Intermediate Orchestra Chairperson, or Gabriella Savino, the Elementary Orchestra Chairperson either tomorrow or on Saturday.

Thank you,

Shadman Mirza

—————————————————————–

I hope this email finds you well. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s rehearsal and the concert this weekend, please remind students throughout the week to bring all music distrubuted by WCSMA to New Rochelle High School to be turned in on Saturday after the concert. If you have a student who is no longer participating in the festival, please make sure to return the music to Melissa Neyer, the Intermediate Orchestra Chairperson, either tomorrow, or on Satur

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Good afternoon orchestra colleagues,

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. This is a reminder to please upload commitment letters for all accepted students including recently accepted alternates by next Monday, December 9th by midnight. This is a requirement to confirm your student’s participation in the festival. Please also make sure that payments for accepted students are in progress by this time.

To submit commitment letters:

1. Log in to Da Capo and navigate to the “View All Nominations” tab on the left.
2. On the far right of the next page, click the “Missing Commitment Form” link in orange. This must be done for each individual accepted student. Note that only .pdf and .jpeg files will be accepted.

I will be in touch later this month with a firm payment deadline. This will also be the deadline to submit commitment letters for any alternates accepted after December 9, 2024.

Thank you,

Shadman Mirza

WCSMA 2024-2025

ELEMENTARY

ALL-COUNTY ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL

                                                                 Coordinator: Shadman Mirza                                           Chairperson: Gabriella Savino

Dear All-County Orchestra Participant & Families,

Congratulations on being selected to participate in this year’s Elementary All-County Orchestra Festival! You should be proud of your musical accomplishments and the honor in which you represent your school and community. We are looking forward to the music you and your peers will create together in the next few months.

We are pleased to announce the conductor for the 2025 Elementary All-County Orchestra: Mr. Charles DuChateau, Tuckahoe UFSD.

Calendar of Events

Students must attend all rehearsals.

**It is imperative that all teachers, students, and parents understand and follow the WCSMA Attendance policy (see All-County Commitment Letter in DaCapo).

Your orchestra teacher at school should be giving you a commitment form, which you must fill out and return to your school orchestra teacher. Your teacher will also be collecting a participation fee of $25.00. It is important that this is done in a timely manner so we can in turn send the music to you. Commitment letters (found in DaCapo) are due no later than December 9th, 2024. Payments/Purchase orders must also be in progress by this time.

General Information

• Please bring the following to all rehearsals: A music stand, your instrument, your music, water, and a snack.

Please Label all of your belongings!

• Students are expected to have all music selections prepared. Please work diligently before the first rehearsal.
• Ticket information will be available at the first rehearsal.

Again, congratulations on this musical achievement. We are looking forward to meeting you all at our first rehearsal. Happy practicing!

Sincerely,

Shadman Mirza                                                 Gabriella Savino

All-County Orchestra Coordinator                Elementary All-County Orchestra Chairperson

WCSMA 2024-2025

INTERMEDIATE

ALL-COUNTY ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL

                                                             Coordinator: Shadman Mirza                             Chairperson: Melissa Neyer

Dear All-County Orchestra Participant & Families,

Congratulations on being selected to participate in this year’s Intermediate All-County Orchestra Festival! You should be proud of your musical accomplishments and the honor in which you represent your school and community. We are looking forward to the music you and your peers will create together in the next few months.

We are pleased to announce the conductor for the 2025 Intermediate All-County Orchestra: Ms. Kate Stocker, Mamaroneck UFSD.

Calendar of Events

Students must attend all rehearsals.

**It is imperative that all teachers, students, and parents understand and follow the WCSMA Attendance policy (see All-County Commitment Letter in DaCapo).

Your orchestra teacher at school should be giving you a commitment form, which you must fill out and return to your school orchestra teacher. Your teacher will also be collecting a participation fee of $25.00. It is important that this is done in a timely manner so we can in turn send the music to you. Commitment letters (found in DaCapo) are due no later than December 9th, 2024. Payments/Purchase orders must also be in progress by this time.

General Information

• Please bring the following to all rehearsals: A music stand, your instrument, your music, water, and a snack.

Please Label all of your belongings!

• Students are expected to have all music selections prepared. Please work diligently before the first rehearsal.
• Ticket information will be available at the first rehearsal.

Again, congratulations on this musical achievement. We are looking forward to meeting you all at our first rehearsal. Happy practicing!

Sincerely,

Shadman Mirza                                            Melissa Neyer

All-County Orchestra Coordinator           Intermediate All-County Orchestra Chairperson

Elementary Band – Don Whitman

Don Whitman has served as the Director of Bands at Blind Brook Middle School in Rye Brook, NY since 2002. Mr. Whitman graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Crane School of Music where he studied trumpet under John Ellis. After receiving the Catherine A. English Award for Excellence in Student Teaching, he began his teaching career at Yorktown High School. Since moving to Blind Brook, Mr. Whitman has assumed the role of K-12 Music Advisor and also chairs the district Welfare Fund for Vision and Dental Benefits.

Mr. Whitman’s ensembles have consistently earned top scores at music festivals, including Gold and Gold with Distinction at NYSSMA Majors, and Superior ratings at the annual Trills and Thrills Music Festival. In addition to the 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Bands, Mr. Whitman also directs the Blind Brook Middle School Jazz Ensemble and the Blind Brook Middle School Select Band. Each year he does his best to provide his students with as many chamber ensemble opportunities as his schedule will allow.

Mr. Whitman has been a member of the Hudson Valley Wind Ensemble and was an original member of the Hudson Valley Brass Quintet as well. His time these days is spent with his best friend and wife of 21 years, Gwynne (also a band teacher!), their two children Ariana and Dylan, and their Lhasa Apso, Charlie. You will often find him cheering at a dance recital, caddying for a golf tournament, or serving as an “Uber Daddy” to any number of his children’s activities!

Intermediate Band – Jasmine Britt

Jasmine Britt is a music educator based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College. Her teaching career began at Olsen Middle School (Dania Beach, Florida) where under her direction, students actively participated in all-county bands, all-state bands, FBA solo and ensemble, and FBA music performance assessments. Upon relocating to New York, she became the band director at JHS 50 where she led the band program to several Gold medal ratings at NYSSMA majors evaluation including their first-ever Gold medal rating in 2009. After her time at JHS 50, she served on the music faculty at the Grand Street Campus High Schools as director of the Symphonic Band and Jazz Band B. The Grand Street Campus music program is made up of 400 performing arts students across three separate schools, many of whom begin their formal study of music as ninth graders. In addition to being a K-12 educator, Jasmine was also the director of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble from 2021 to 2024. She now serves as the band director at IS 318 in Brooklyn where the majority of the students in the band program attend performing arts high schools in New York City.

In addition to her work as an educator, Jasmine is an active conductor and clinician. She is a CBDNA Mike Moss Conducting Study Fellow and through her participation in various conducting symposiums, she has studied with prominent wind conductors Anthony J. Maiello, Jerry Junkin, Tim Robblee, Stephen Peterson, and Mallory Thompson. She serves as the Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Music Community which is the governing body of Bushwick Big Band, Kings County Concert Band, Grand Street Community Band, and the Brooklyn Wind Symphony–all of which are established adult community bands based in New York City. As an educational advocate, she serves as the NYSSMA state chairperson for urban schools and has presented at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, The Ohio Music Education Association conference, and The Sphinx Connect national conference. Many of her presentations and panelist appearances revolve around the work of promoting artistic access and excellence for music students typically underserved by the arts and supporting diversity/inclusion in repertoire, ensemble participation, and leadership.

Elementary Chorus – Craig Knapp

Craig B. Knapp is the current Elementary Music Department Chairperson in the Rocky Point School District where he has been teaching Classroom Music and Chorus, grades 3 through 5, at the Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School since 1998. A graduate of the Crane School of Music, Mr. Knapp has also studied with distinguished educators and musicians including John Feierabend, Jos Wuytack, Henry Leck, Francisco Núñez, Janet Galván, Will Schmid, and Bobby McFerrin. Craig is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hofstra University where he teaches “Conversational Solfege” and “First Steps in Music with Orff Schulwerk.” He is the co-author of the book, First Steps in Music with Orff Schulwerk: Sing, Say, Dance,
Play and a contributing author for the book, Feierabend Fundamentals: History, Philosophy, and Practice.

With his innovative and energetic approach to music education, Craig Knapp directs the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York’s Children’s Treble Choirs, where he has conducted at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He has conducted several commissioned pieces by renowned composers including Nick Page, Jim Papoulis, Melissa Keylock and Jill Friedersdorf. Mr. Knapp is also the former director of the Stony Brook University Summer Youth Choir. Craig has presented elementary classroom music and choral workshops at various music education conferences, including national conferences for NAfME (National Association for Music Education), ACDA (American Choral Directors Association), OAKE (Organization of American Kodály Educators), AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association)
and FAME (Feierabend Association for Music Education). Craig is a sought-after clinician and choral conductor and has guest conducted for the Connecticut Music Educators’ Association Elementary Honors Choir, New Hampshire Music Educators’ Association Elementary Honors Choir, Ohio Music Educators’ Association Elementary All-State Choir, KONY (Kodály Organization of New York) “Voices United” Festival and Pennsylvania Music Educators’ Association Elementary ChorusFest. He has also guest conducted various All-County chorus groups in New York State for the Dutchess, Monroe, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schoharie, Suffolk, and Ulster County Music Educators’ Associations. Mr. Knapp’s choral ensembles have performed annually at NYSSMA Major Organization
Evaluation Festivals since 2003, where they have received consistent “Gold” and “Gold With Distinction” ratings. Mr. Knapp frequently has students participating in various American Choral Directors Association’s Children’s Honor Choirs, and, in the Organization of American Kodály Educators’ National Children’s Choirs.

Craig is the former director of the Early Childhood Community Music Program at Stony Brook University, where he instructed children in First Steps in Music classes for students in Pre-K through 2nd grade from 2017-2022. Mr. Knapp is a Past-President of SCMEA (Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association). Craig is actively involved with NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association), where he served on their Curriculum Committee from 2012-2023 and on the NYSSMA Manual Committee from 2016-2023. He served as the Administrative Program Coordinator for the Orff-Schulwerk and Summer Music Studies Program at Hofstra
University from 2005-2019 and served two terms as the Membership Chairperson for LIAOSA (Long Island Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association) from 2013-2017.

Craig is a Lifetime Member of OAKE. He is also a Lifetime Member of ACDA and served three terms as chairperson for the ACDA Eastern Division Elementary Honor Choir. For the New York Chapter of ACDA, Craig served two terms as Children’s Choir Repertoire & Standards Chairperson and two terms as Long Island Regional Representative. Mr. Knapp is also a founding member of FAME where he is a Lifetime Member and has served on their Board of Directors as President-Elect and Member-at-Large. Craig is the only educator to simultaneously hold Lifetime Memberships in ACDA, FAME and OAKE.

Intermediate Chorus  – Amanda Gundling

Amanda K. Gundling founded the Westchester Children’s Chorus in the spring of 2015. She is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Chorale, high school-aged singers. Amanda has served as a music teacher, choral conductor, and vocal coach since 2008 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music with a concentration in vocal performance from Syracuse University and a Master’s degree in Music Education from New York University.

As the Director of Choirs at Scarsdale High School, Amanda conducts the Mixed Choir, Chamber Choir, and Concert Choir in addition to teaching AT Music Theory. She proudly served the Mamaroneck School District as the High School Choir Director for 10 years before moving to Scarsdale. Before arriving in Westchester, Amanda taught Choir and General Music in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District and the Huntington School District on Long Island.

In addition to her daily teaching position, Amanda has had wonderful opportunities to be a guest clinician, conductor, and leader in the Westchester choral community. She has served as the Westchester County Area All-State Choral Chairperson and led workshops for colleagues in the county and her district. Amanda has been the guest conductor for the SCMEA Elementary All County Choir on Long Island (2011).

As a lifelong learner, Amanda continues to participate in conducting music education workshops such as The Choral Music Experience at Ithaca College with Dr. Janet Galvan and The Cross Choral Training Workshops with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. She has studied voice with Dr. Julianna Sabol and Dr. Linda Larson. She has apprenticed with and studied conducting with Dr. Barbara Tagg, founder and conductor emeritus of the Syracuse Children’s Chorus, and Dr. John Daly Goodwin, music director emeritus of the New York Choral Society.

Elementary Orchestra – Charles duChateau

Charles duChateau is a multi-instrumentalist, conductor and educator. He is thrilled to be working with so many incredible young musicians as an All-County guest conductor! Before teaching, “Mr. D’s” first career was as an instrumentalist, arranger and conductor for many Broadway shows. In addition to conducting, he has played piano, cello, accordion and erhu on Broadway (or touring the world) for the last 35 years. Highlights include conducting Hugh Jackman in The Music Man, Renee Fleming in Carousel, and working alongside icons Dolly Parton on the development of 9 To 5, as well as Bono & Edge (of U2) for Spiderman – Turn Off The Dark. Most recently Charles can be seen in Jon Batiste’s film, American Symphony.

Mr. duChateau holds a Bachelor’s degree in cello performance from the University of Northern Colorado, where he studied cello with James Fittz, and conducting with David Mackenzie. He also studied with esteemed former principal cellist of the Colorado Symphony, Jurgen deLemos. He received his Master’s in Education from Lehman College. A proponent of many different music methodologies, Mr. duChateau accesses his training in Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Bornoff on and off the podium. This year Mr. duChateau is excited to join the editorial board of the ASTA (American String Teacher’s Association) journal. He is extremely proud of the thriving string program as well as Tuckahoe Theater Works that he has built at Tuckahoe Middle/High School. He resides in Tuckahoe with his wife (also a B’way conductor/musician), their two sons, and 3 cats!

Intermediate Orchestra – Kate Stocker

Kate Stocker is an engaging educator and performer in the metropolitan New York area. Throughout her career, her passion to collaborate and make music with those around her has always been palpable.

The foundation of Ms. Stocker’s career has been built on giving all students an opportunity to have a rich and rewarding musical experience, regardless of ability. During her tenure as string teacher at Briarcliff Middle School, she co-founded the Rivertowns Honors Orchestra, a multi-district festival featuring middle school orchestra and band students. As the strings teacher at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, Ms. Stocker led her students in a concert at Carnegie Hall, as well as a performance tour to Munich and Salzburg. Ms. Stocker currently teaches strings at the Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck, in Westchester County. She continues to create positive musical experiences for all
students by bridging the gap between elementary and middle school in a large and successful school district.

While the majority of her career has been in Westchester County, Ms. Stocker’s ties have always remained close to her native Long Island. She is a proud alum of the Usdan Center for Creative and Performing Arts, where she spent several summers managing the orchestra program, as well as conducting the junior orchestra and piloting a beginner’s strings class. Last Summer, with collaboration from the Westchester Children’s Chorus, Ms. Stocker brought this experience to the County as she co-founded the Summer Music Intensive. The SMI is a one-week artistic experience for instrumental, vocal, and piano students in the Hudson Valley who long to create and collaborate with other music students in Westchester County.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Stocker has achieved much success as a conductor and performer. She has conducted several All-County festivals around New York State, served on the board for the Westchester County School Music Association (WCSMA), and performed with and served as board president of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Stocker is also the second violinist of the Meadowlark Quartet, which has performed at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Museum, and other notable concert venues.

Ms. Stocker received her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College in 2007, and her Masters of Science in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University in 2011.

Rehearsals

All rehearsals and the performance will be held at New Rochelle High School.

Elementary & Intermediate All-County Bands
Rehearsal #1
Monday, February 10th, 2025 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.)
Snow Date is Tuesday, February 11th, 2024.

Rehearsal #2
Tuesday, March 4th, 2024 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.)
Snow Date is Wednesday, March 5th, 2024.

Concert
Sunday, March 8th, at 1:00 pm (arrival for students at 11:00 am.)
Snow Date is Sunday, March 15th, at 1:00 pm.

Elementary & Intermediate All-County Orchestras
Rehearsal #1
Monday, February 10th, 2025 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.)
Snow Date is Tuesday, February 11th, 2024.

Rehearsal #2
Tuesday, March 4th, 2024 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.)
Snow Date is Wednesday, March 5th, 2024.

Concert
Sunday, March 8th, at 5:00 pm (arrival for students at 3:00 pm.)
Snow Date is Sunday, March 15th, at 1:00 pm.

All-County Choirs
Rehearsal #1
Monday, February 10th, 2025 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.)
Snow Date is Tuesday, February 11th, 2024.

Rehearsal #2
Tuesday, March 4th, 2024 (3:30 pm arrival, 4 pm – 7 pm rehearsal.)
Snow Date is Wednesday, March 5th, 2024.

Concert
Sunday, March 9th, at 1:00 pm (arrival for students at 11:00 am.)
Snow Date is Sunday, March 16th, at 1:00 pm.

Directions to the LEK Theatre
at
New Rochelle High School

The Linda E. Kelly (aka LEK) is located in House 4 of New Rochelle High School.
Its mailing address is 265 Clove Road in New Rochelle but it is ONLY for mailing. You will be on the complete
opposite side of the very large high school if you follow directions to it.

Enter in on your maps to go to Braemar Ave & North Ave. You will want to go into the parking lot that is located
next to and behind the tennis courts.

The One-way drive around the building is for drop-off only. The entrance is located on the side nearest the pond.

Ticket information for the 2025 All-County Band, Choir, and Orchestra Concerts can be found by clicking the link below

https://westchestercountyschoolmu.simpletix.com/

Directions to the LEK Theatre
at
New Rochelle High School

The Linda E. Kelly (aka LEK) is located in House 4 of New Rochelle High School.
Its mailing address is 265 Clove Road in New Rochelle but it is ONLY for mailing. You will be on the complete
opposite side of the very large high school if you follow directions to it.

Enter in on your maps to go to Braemar Ave & North Ave. You will want to go into the parking lot that is located
next to and behind the tennis courts.

The One-way drive around the building is for drop-off only. The entrance is located on the side nearest the pond.

Purchase a video/audio recording of the concert here