HARDWICK – For Hazen Union senior Quinn Molleur, engaging in music has opened doors to travel and new experiences. Molleur traveled to Connecticut last March for the New England Music Festival, a competitive opportunity for high school students in the region.
photo by Lisa Stinson
“Not only did I get to go to a place I’ve never been to before, I also got to meet people from other states,” Molleur said of the experience.
Singing in a chorus of over 200 high school students “sounded fuller,” he added.
“It’s not like here at Hazen . . . in a bigger chorus, the sound has more potential.”
Music festivals offer students who sing or play an instrument an opportunity to extend their learning by participating in larger ensembles, and often performing more challenging music than in their schools. In addition to strengthening musical skills, students who attend festivals build community among creative youth across Vermont and beyond. Hazen Union School Counselor Dani Smith notes that “developing a musical practice helps students with brain development and executive functioning, so I strongly support our students accessing these programs in any capacity. I am so proud of the work our arts program has put into connecting our students with experiences in the broader arts world.”
The Hazen Union music department will be well-represented this year at festivals across the region.
At the high school level, students spend the fall months preparing for auditions to be considered for festival acceptance. This year has yielded an especially strong showing of participating students from Hazen.
While Molleur was the only Hazen student at the New England Music Festival last year, he will enjoy the company of three other Wildcats, senior Ethan Gann, freshman Mary Rogerson and freshman Garrett Sisk, at this year’s festival, which will take place in New Hampshire. All Hazen students will sing in the festival chorus.
Those four are also among the eight students accepted to the 99th-annual Vermont All State Music Festival, seven in the chorus, and one in the concert band, which will be held at Missisquoi Valley Union School in May.
All 13 Hazen students who auditioned for the Northeast District Music Festival, which is held annually in Newport, were accepted this year, with nine slated to sing in the chorus and four to play in the concert band. For many students, including freshman Shilo Allen, it was their first audition experience.
“It was a little scary,” said Allen, “but I felt confident auditioning in a quartet, because there were people that I knew singing with me. I’m really excited for the festival. I’m excited for the music.” Allen has participated in chorus since her seventh grade year, and attended the middle school district festivals last spring.
Middle school students are selected by nomination for the two district festivals, and this year Hazen sent 12 students in grades 7-8 to the District Jazz Festival in February, and will send 13 students to the Northeast District Festival in March.
All festival concerts are celebrations of music and community, which are open to the public. For more information, contact Mavis MacNeil ([email protected]) or Leah Gagnon ([email protected]). Hazen’s Spring Concerts will take place on Tuesday, April 14 (middle school) and Thursday, April 16 (high school), both at 7 p.m., in the Hazen Auditorium, with an art show in the library.
