The Carver Middle High School’s instrumentalists and vocalists delighted an auditorium filled with family and friends at their recently held annual spring concert. Before the musicians took the stage, CMHS Principal Scott Knief welcomed the audience and took a moment to recognize several graduating seniors for being such strong leaders in their school and community. The Concert Band then opened the show with three fantastic numbers including “Fanfare for the Common Man,” “Flight of the Piasa,” and “Mars.” With the crowd warmed up, CMHS Band Director Jeremy Teunis introduced talented saxophonist Ben Bonenfant who performed a remarkable rendition of “Sonata III – Allegro Vivace” accompanied by pianist Shu‐Hui Chen Teunis. The Concert Chorus, led by Choral Director Nicole Sjolin, followed Ben and showcased their powerful pipes as they sang, “Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie,” featuring the smooth vocals of Megan Giles, Jamie Flood, and Jill Place and “All the Pretty Little Horses.” Before they sang their next number, “Arise, Beloved!” Ms. Sjolin pointed out that it was one of the most difficult pieces that she has ever tried with high school vocalists, indicating the confidence that she has in her students’ abilities. She also thanked senior Allie Guimaraes for making her job a lot easier by accompanying the chorus on the piano. Their last number, “Rhythm of Life,” required four hands on the piano, a role easily filled when accomplished pianist, Ben Bonenfant (yes, he plays the piano too) joined Allie on the ivory keys. During a brief intermission, several trophies were presented to this year’s S.E.M.S.B.A. (Southeastern Massachusetts School Bandmasters Association) and District Festival participants as well as to Carver’s only All State Festival participant, clarinetist Casey Armanetti. The Music Boosters also announced the winners of several raffle baskets and gift certificates that were generously donated by local businesses and family members of the students on stage. Before the show resumed, Mr. Teunis surprised three “graduating” Music Booster officers, Julie Hildebrandt, Liv Guimaraes, and Linda Armanetti with plaques of recognition and thanks for their years of service in support of Carver’s music program. After intermission, the Symphonic Band entertained the crowd with polished performances of “One Thousand Cranes” and “Espana Cani” followed by the Honors Chorus who beautifully sang “Rest,” a special request from senior vocalist, Matt Chasey. As the audience applauded, Matt was clearly delighted as he mouthed the word “thanks” to Ms. Sjolin for making his wish come true. The Acappella Ensemble rounded out the vocalists’ portion of the show with two terrific numbers, “Barton Hollow” featuring soloists Tristan Marshall, Tori Berry, Katherine Hildebrandt, and Gabby Adams, and “Four‐Chord Song,” a fun piece humorously introduced by drama veterans Matt Chasey and Nathaniel Singer. The Jazz Ensemble closed out the show with one of the earliest beebop tunes, “Now’s the Time” showcasing Sam Reed on the guitar, a Big Band Era song entitled “In a Mellow Tone,” featuring clarinetist Casey Armanetti and trombonist Josh Goodman, and a famous Herbie Hancock number, “Chameleon” with a solo by trumpeter Allie Guimaraes (yes, she plays the trumpet too) which had the audience dancing in their seats. This evening would not have been possible without the combined support of the dedicated CMHS music faculty, the music students, their parents, and the Music Boosters. Special thanks also go out to pianist Shu‐Hui Chen Teunis, Gary Sjolin for his expertise in handling the sound system and recording, photographer Bruce Skinner, Superintendent Elizabeth Sorrell, Principal Scott Knief, Assistant Principals Jonathan Evans and Christine Cabral, Facilities Director David Siedentopf, and the custodial staff. If you missed the concert, please check out photos at carvermusicboosters.org or hyperion.bruceskinner.com and mark your calendars for three more concerts: June 4th, Elementary School Concert at 6:30pm; June 5th, Middle School Choral Concert at 7pm; and June 10th, Middle School Instrumental Concert at 7pm. All concerts are held in the CMHS auditorium and coast $2.00 with a $10.00 family cap. Plan to come early so you’ll have time to bid on the awesome raffle items!

Approximately 180 enthusiastic Carver Middle High School instrumentalists and vocalists trekked out to Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham on May 16th to participate in the 2014 Great East Festival. Hundreds of schools from throughout the northeast including the Mid-Atlantic States come to this annual event. Performances are held at several locations on Fridays and Saturdays from the first week in May to the first week in June, giving thousands of middle and high school musicians the opportunity to perform in front of judges. The adjudicators then give the students feedback on their tone, technique, musicianship, and overall ability to showcase their talent after which they present the ensembles with bronze, silver, gold, or platinum awards. The judges were quite impressed with what they heard and awarded GOLD to Carver Middle High School’s Eighth Grade Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Eighth Grade Chorus, and Concert Chorus. Mr. Jeremy Teunis, CMHS Band Director, and Ms. Nicole Sjolin, CMHS Choral Director, were very pleased with their students’ performance this year. Mr. Teunis has been entering Carver’s instrumentalists into the Great East Festival for the past fifteen years and has an overflowing display case of awards to prove it. Special thanks go out to chaperones Colleen Archer, Linda Armanetti, Lori Baker, Kathy Belbin, Rich Butts, Jenn Dowding, Liv Guimaraes, Bob Middendorf, Christine Mota, Shanna Oldham, and Annmarie Schindler who cheered on the musicians and then accompanied them to Six Flags to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

Four students from Carver Middle High School were recognized for finishing in the top 20 for the 12th Annual Ralph Salvucci Online Bridge Contest run by the Boston Society of Civil Engineers. The contest was open for Massachusetts students as a Sub-Contest of the National Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest.
The winners were as follows:
19th place: Senior, Sam Estes
18th place: Grade 7, Holly Lauzon
5th place: Braden Froehlich and Gavin Morey.
Braden and Gavin received prizes valued at $100 ea. and Holly and Sam received $20 gift cards.
Braden and Gavin’s design also qualified them as 1 of 2 middle school teams from Massachusetts to compete in the semi-final round to be held at 1:00pm on May 30th. Over 8,780 teams competed in the qualifying round submitting over 27,800 unique bridge designs. This is the 3rd year in a row that CMHS has had a student compete in the middle school portion of the contest. Holly Lauzon and Kyle Rizzuto in 2013 and Amanda Harrington in 2012 were the others.
We wish Gavin and Braden best of luck as they try to be the 1st CMHS team to make it to the finals at West Point, NY on June 27-28 for a shot at $1,000 cash scholarship each and a tablet computer donated by Dell for both also.

Once again a spring snowstorm didn’t deter the show last Wednesday night as Carver Middle High School’s young musicians delighted their family and friends during the Carver Music Boosters’ annual March Music Madness event. All proceeds from the night went directly to the Music Boosters’ Scholarship Fund and raised enough money to award four graduating seniors $500 scholarships. Two dozen top performances were given by soloists, duets, and ensembles comprised of vocalists and instrumentalists beginning with the Seventh Grade Band’s rousing rendition of “Rock Around the Clock.” As the crowd munched on tasty treats served by members of the chorus, a mixture of melodies filled the air ranging from Jamie Flood’s unique vocals singing “My Same” to talented eighth grade clarinetist Matthew Roberts’ “Clarinet Fantasy” and Nathaniel Singer’s moving performance of “When I Was Your Man.” Next pianist Ben Bonenfant accompanied All State clarinetist Casey Armanetti in a lively polka followed by a beautiful flute solo by Carley Ryan. Haley Dries then took the stage and showcased her powerful pipes in “Let It Go” and later joined fellow vocalist Tristan Marshall in a touching version of “Say Something.” The somber mood switched gears as the Crusader Big Band got the crowd moving with a well-rehearsed version of “Rock This Town” followed by saxophonist Evan Hermenau’s “Allegro con Motto” and the smooth sounds of vocalist Jess Rizzuto singing “Chasing Pavements.” Allie Guimaraes showcased her musical versatility beginning with an amazing performance of “Whiter Shade of Pale” on the piano and later with an upbeat trumpet solo. She also accompanied several singers on the piano including seventh graders Stephanie Flores and Kaylin Diantonio-Smith as they entertained the audience with their theatrical performance of “What Is This Feeling.” Next the CHS Jazz Ensemble took the stage to perform “Now’s the Time” featuring Brandon Walsh’s percussion prowess followed by the strong vocals of Alana Dunham singing, “Second Hand White Baby Grand” and eighth grade trumpeter AJ Macrina’s foot-tapping “Polka Militaire.” The talents of Carver’s young vocalists continued to impress the crowd as the night wore on with incredible performances from Megan Cullity “Your Song,” Priya Tait “Demons,” Katherine Hildebrandt “Sunday Morning,” Gabby Adams “Hallelujah” (accompanied by her sister McKayla on the piano), and the CHS A Capella Ensemble who delighted the crowd with the comical “Four-Chord Song.” Multitalented Paul Butts delivered a flawless performance of “La Bamba” on the piano then switched to the tuba and joined trombonists Liam Archer, Nick Falzarano, and Josh Goodman in a rousing rendition of “When I’m 64.” The CHS Jazz Ensemble rounded out the evening with two more crowd-pleasing numbers, “Cantaloupe Island” and “Chameleon.” The Music Boosters would like to give special thanks to the CMHS music faculty: Jeremy Teunis, Nicole Sjolin, and Donna Merritt for preparing their students for this evening, the CMHS custodians for their help with set-up and clean-up, CCAT for filming the event, Bruce Skinner for capturing the night in pictures, Shaw’s, Stop n Shop, Hannaford’s, BJs and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital for donating refreshments, and all of the young musicians who performed as well as their parents who donated their time and menu items. For those of you who missed this festive night of entertainment, you can watch the replay on CCAT, and you can also view photos at carvermusicboosters.org or at Bruce Skinner’s website at hyperionphoto.us.

On February 8th several talented CMHS vocalists and instrumentalists traveled to Mansfield HS to compete for a spot on stage at the annual SEMSBA (Southeastern Massachusetts School Bandmasters Association) Junior and Senior Festivals. Junior auditions are open to students in grades 7-9 from about 30 southeastern Massachusetts towns, while Senior auditions are open to students in grades 9-12 from the same area. Students were judged on their ability to perform scales, play solo literature and sight-read passages. We are proud to announce that 13 instrumentalists and 11 vocalists earned coveted spots on stage this year. Playing in the Junior SEMSBA Band will be: Gabrielle Belbin, oboe; Charles Garrity, clarinet; AJ Macrina, trumpet; Natalie Mosher, bass clarinet; and Matthew Roberts, clarinet. The Junior SEMSBA Chorus will include Jessika Doll, Stephanie Flores, Sara Hanrahan, Victoria Rego, Kaylin Diantonio-Smith, Priya Tait, and Sarah Testa. Clarinetist Casey Armanetti will be playing in the Senior SEMSBA Orchestra while the following musicians will be joining the Senior SEMSBA Band: trombonists Liam Archer, Nick Falzarano, and Josh Goodman; trumpeters Allie Guimaraes and Connor Skinner; saxophonist Evan Hermenau; and percussionist Ainsley Ryan. The Senior SEMSBA Chorus welcomed Matthew Chasey, Nadia Golubov, Katherine Hildebrandt, and David Madden. The Senior SEMSBA Festival will be held on April 12, 2014 at E. Bridgewater HS, and the Junior SEMSBA Festival will be held on May 2, 2014 at Plymouth North HS. Congratulations to all of these fine musicians and vocalists, and kudos to their dedicated music teachers, Jeremy Teunis, Nicole Sjolin, and Donna Merritt. We are proud of their remarkable accomplishments and wish them good luck at their festivals. If you would like to have the pleasure of enjoying some of this musical talent that we are privileged to have in our town, mark your calendars for the annual March Music Madness to be held at the Carver Middle High School cafeteria on March 26, 2014 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 for students and seniors, $8.00 for adults, and there is a $25 family cap. Refreshments will be available and all proceeds go to the Music Boosters Scholarship Fund. Last year three $500 scholarships were awarded to deserving high school seniors. Hope to see you there!

ARMANETTI GOING TO SYMPHONY HALL
The top high school musicians from all over Massachusetts met at Shrewsbury High School on January 25th to audition for the 60th Massachusetts Music Educators’ All State Music Festival. They were judged on a challenging solo piece as well as on their ability to sight read and play certain scales. This year CMHS clarinetist Casey Armanetti was accepted into this prestigious festival for the second time. She looks forward to spending two and a half days practicing with her fellow All State musicians at the World Trade Center in Boston from March 20th through the 22nd. The highlight of that final day of practice will be a fantastic concert at Boston’s Symphony Hall where these enthusiastic and dedicated young adults will showcase their hard work and talent while creating a memory to last a life time.

CONGRATULATIONS CARVER MUSICIANS

On November 23, hundreds of band and chorus students in grades 9-12 from approximately 85 towns throughout the Southeastern District of Massachusetts traveled to King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham to audition for a chance to participate in the Massachusetts Music Educators Southeast District Senior Festival. All of the young musicians and vocalists who were accepted met again on January 10 & 11 at Silver Lake Regional High School for a day and half of intense rehearsing, which culminated in a phenomenal concert showcasing their hard work and talent. After the judging was completed, seven Carver High School music students landed coveted spots on stage including vocalists Matt Chasey, Alana Dunham, Andrew Foster, Brian Glaneuski, and Nathaniel Singer, as well as clarinetist Casey Armanetti and trumpeter Allie Guimaraes. It should also be noted that students who score in the top 50% of the competition are also invited to audition for the All State Music Festival held at Symphony Hall in March, and this year Casey and Allie earned that distinction. They will travel to Shrewsbury in January for their audition. Congratulations to these fine musicians and vocalists. We are proud of their remarkable accomplishments!