Members of the Westfield High School Senior Chorus proudly display their level 6, Gold with Distinction award from the New York State School Music Association.
This May the Westfield High School Chorus participated in the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) major organization festival at Chautauqua Lake High School.
High school choirs, bands and orchestras can be evaluated at one of six difficulty levels, with one being the easiest and six being the most difficult.
The Westfield Senior High Chorus sang for two NYSSMA adjudicators and received a special honor, that being the Gold With Distinction award for their performance that day. This is the highest honor a school music group of any kind can receive from NYSSMA.
“I was just so proud of our students” state Westfield music teacher, Kent Knappenberger “It’s almost unheard of for a high school our size receiving this rating, and with a group that is non-auditioned and open to any student in the Westfield High School population. They are a super-talented group. Normally school music ensembles that receive this honor are from suburban schools.
“Being a product of a rural school myself, I love the fact that we can show the rest of the state what great things go on in rural schools. It is estimated that only 6-10 singing groups in the entire state will receive this honor this year, and that is not dependent on school size, but only their performance that day.”
The Westfield High School Senior Chorus previously received this honor in 2002.