Sophia Earle is one of a handful of students from Bergen County selected for this year’s Music Educators of Bergen County, Inc. (MEBCI) Chorus Festival.
“I was pretty excited that I got chosen to be a part of the phenomenal MEBCI chorus festival because it is a great way to improve your singing techniques by learning and growing,” Earle said.
The sixth-grader from Patrick M. Villano School will attend the festival this year with fellow sixth gradrs Samanya Panda and Olivia Kim and fifth-grader Louie Burke. At this festival, talented student vocalists gather to rehearse and perform under the guidance of professional conductors.
“I think it’s always important to learn as much as you can from as many different people as possible,” Allison Beckley said.
Beckley, the music and chorus teacher at Patrick M. Villano School in Emerson, nominates students for the Chorus Festival. Once students are accepted, she provides them with the necessary music materials. Beckley said going to the MEBCI Chorus Festival is a great way to expand one’s knowledge of singing and to meet new people. The festival includes students from all over the county.
“The MEBCI chorus festival allows students to expand their talents by singing with other students their age and working with different music teachers who have different experiences. Usually, the conductor chooses different styles of music, which is interesting, too. Sometimes the songs are even in other languages,” Beckley explained.
The festival will take place in Fairlawn, New Jersey. The program runs from 9 a.m to 2:30 p.m. Then at 3 p.m., there is a concert of all the songs rehearsed for families. The festival is an annual event organized by the MEBCI to promote choral music education and collaboration among schools in Bergen County. This year will be their 9th annual performance.
