Students in Honors Band and Music Educators of Bergen County, Inc. (MEBCI), the honors chorus program, are preparing for an upcoming performance at the O Show in May. The programs at Patrick M. Villano School are led by band director, Joseph Gibbs, and chorus director, Rayna Fox. They say these groups are for students who go above and beyond in morning band and chorus. Hailey Ciavaglia, a fifth-grader, plays the trombone in Honors Band.
“I am excited to play for the Honors Band, but there are really hard songs, but I’m still excited. I’m so excited to do songs for it, and I hope we do really well at the concert,” she said.
Honors Band includes one or two students from each instrument group and one student from each grade level. Students practice on selected Friday mornings. Fifth-grader Vivian Sfarra plays the flute in Honors Band.
“I’m really excited to be in the Honors Band because I think it’s a great opportunity to express my musical talents,” Sfarra said.
The band is performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “He’s a Pirate” at the show. The Honors Chorus will also sing at the O Show.
“I’m a soprano. That is like the highest voice you can have, and in the chorus there’s like around 15 of us that are sopranos,” Maya Pineda, a fifth-grader, said. “I’m very excited to be in Honors, but we have to do six songs, but I’m really nervous, but I’m also really excited.”
