Each spring, thousands of students audition a New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) level 6 solo for a rating from a certified judge. The audition results are forwarded to a statewide selection committee and a proficiency list is generated, from which students are selected for All-State participation. The Katonah-Lewisboro School District was proud to send Rachel Rodgers and Yanni Metaxas to this year’s All- State festival. Rachel performed on flute with the Wind Ensemble, and Yanni performed on violin with the Symphonic Orchestra. The 77th NYSSMA All-State Annual Winter Conference was held in Rochester, New York on November 29 through December 2. Nearly 900 student musicians rehearsed day and night, which culminated in three wonderful performances at the historic Eastman Theater. Congratulations to Rachel and Yanni on this outstanding accomplishment!

In addition, Rachel has been selected to represent New York State at this year’s NAfME (National Association for Music Educators) All-Eastern Honors Ensembles performance on April 4-7, 2013 in Hartford, Connecticut. Rachel will perform on flute with the All-Eastern Band, and is only the 2nd KLSD student to be chosen in nearly 20 years to receive this honor. More than 780 of the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern region of the United States have been selected to perform. Each of the state music educators associations in the Eastern Division (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, PA, VT) oversee the selection process in their state and compile ranked lists of recommended juniors and seniors who participated in All-State festivals. Then, a committee builds the ensembles from the state presidents’ ranked lists, trying to mimic the state population percentages in each group. The 2013 NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles will perform for an audience of thousands on Sunday, April 7, 2013, at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. For program and ticket information please visit www.nafme-eastern.org.