Music students from across the east coast will gather in Rochester, New York, this year on April 14th to practice and perform in a biennial festival for only the best musicians. Three Fleetwood Area High School students will be amongst their ranks.
Baxter Beihl, Francesca Snyder, and Riley Spannuth are attending the NafME All-Eastern music festival in April. They will be traveling to Rochester, New York, to practice and perform in their audition-only ensembles. Beihl is in the symphonic band. Snyder is in the treble chorus. Spannuth is in the mixed chorus.
“Selected to perform in the 2023 All-Eastern Honors Ensembles will be the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern region of the United States,” the festival claims.
The selection process works via a percentage system, where the percentage of students accepted into the festival from each state correlates to the percentage of schools from each state that are in the NAfME program. PA schools make up 26% of the membership, and therefore 26% of musicians attending the festival will be from PA.
“The students selected to participate in the All-Eastern festival are the top musicians in their home state,” Fleetwood Area High School choral director Ms. Catherine Williamson said.
The students take great pride in their work.
“I practiced a lot. I practiced every day, for like hours,” Snyder said.
Their teachers have extended much praise and admiration.
“These students know how to practice, and they are disciplined in their preparation,” Fleetwood band director Ms. Elizabeth Mahovsky said.
Beihl has the unique opportunity to attend both All-Eastern and All-National festivals.
“I have a suspicion that All-Easterns might be better than nationals. I think this because the east coast is generally more competitive when it comes to music,” Biehl said.
Both the students and the teachers are ready for Fleetwood’s musical talents to be on display.
The Tiger Times 
Posted on March 29, 2023 by thetigertimes
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