The musical talents of 22 fourth-grade students from across the Sachem Central School District were recently on display and applauded during this year’s Parents, Educators and Kids Festival hosted by the Suffolk County Music Educators Association.

Approximately 200 students from 32 Suffolk school districts were represented during the PEAK Festival at Northport High School, where they participated in various enriching musical workshops. The gifted student musicians had the opportunity to play the recorder in a peer ensemble and perform songs for an audience as part of a chorus comprised of other top fourth-grade musicians from Suffolk County.  

The PEAK Festival is an opportunity for the musicians to experience new and exciting music that they may not have been exposed to before, while allowing parents and educators to join in on the fun. The workshop sessions included activities such as world drumming, folk dance, ukulele and musical theater. Music educators participating in the workshops are encouraged to draw inspiration from the activities they attend and incorporate elements into their own classroom lessons.  

“PEAK provides students, parents and music teachers a unique experience participating in workshops and performances together,” said Jennifer Fischer, Sachem music teacher and co-chairperson for the PEAK Festival. “The smiles on the faces of all those involved during the performance speaks volumes about the festival.”

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to take part in this event:

Cayuga Elementary (Teacher - Amy Beck)
Aidan Pardi
Lilliana Surbito
Alexcis Tramontana
Matthew Umbenhower

Merrimac Elementary (Teacher - Debbie Degenhardt) 
Gianna Fitzpatrick
Elizabeth D’Agostino 
McKenna Dembinski
William Knaub
Jordyn Simone

Grundy Avenue Elementary (Teacher - Alyssa Gallagher)
Krish Rajan
Wyatt Straub

Hiawatha Elementary (Teacher - Marjorie Kelting) 
Catarina Dutra
Isabella Meichner
Justin Perry
Kiera Reichel
Abigail Tannacore

Wenonah Elementary (Teacher - Grace Kim)
Alexa DyReyes
Jonathan Giraulo
Melanie Marchionna
Abigail Rabbitt

Nokomis Elementary (Teacher - Christina Schaefer) 
Delilah Creter
Alyssa Tappin