The Rocky Point music department’s annual Jazz Night took place on April 30. The Rocky Point Middle School and Rocky Point High School Guitar Ensembles, High School Varsity Select Choir, and the Middle School and High School Jazz Ensembles each performed upbeat, entertaining and demanding sets of music.
The Middle School Guitar Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Dave Ventura, opened the show with a wonderful performance. The students, all with varying degrees of experience, played very well together as a group. Their set included well-known selections “Green Onions” and “Seven Nation Army.” The High School Guitar Ensemble, also under the direction of Mr. Dave Ventura, performed challenging selections with some well-known crowd pleasers and an original arrangement composed by Mr. Ventura. Mr. Ventura and the students had fun on stage and the groups sounded terrific.
The Middle School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Vincent Ragona, played a delightful collection of diverse selections and standards. Their set was highlighted by their closing number, Dizzy Gillespie’s, “A Night in Tunisia.” The Middle School Jazz Ensemble featured solos by Brielle Merlo on baritone saxophone, Jeremy Moriarty on trumpet, Alicia Santos on alto saxophone, Colin Singh on tenor saxophone and Nathan Watkis on trombone.
The High School Varsity Select Choir, under the direction of Miss Jessica Spitz, performed a set of pop music favorites, including songs made famous by the bands ABBA and Queen. High School students Nathan Watkis and Matteo Gravinese accompanied the choir on piano. Soloists included Maya Alexander, Olivia Carley, Madaleine Grattan, Isabella Kelly, Maya MacCarthy and Alexa Vassallo. The High School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Ms. Kyra Kenwood, performed a program of jazz and rock selections that included crowd favorites “My Favorite Things” and “Carry On Wayward Son.” Soloists included Olivia Carley on trumpet, Jacob Donovan on trombone, Oliver Fiore on tenor saxophone, Jeremy Moriarty on trumpet, Allyson Opitz on alto saxophone, Jake Scheffer on clarinet, Grayson Steigerwald on upright acoustic bass, Emmanuel Watkis on electric guitar and Nathan Watkis on trombone and piano.
A congratulatory message from Rocky Point music department chairpersons Mr. Craig Knapp and Ms. Amy Schecher read: “Congratulations to all of the students in the guitar, vocal and jazz ensembles who worked so hard for the many months leading into Jazz Night. Many of your rehearsals were in the evenings, and you are to be acknowledged for juggling your busy schedules in order to participate. Your dedication to each other and to the music department is inspiring! Thank you to Mr. Ventura for providing the opportunity for the guitar students to prosper in Rocky Point. We are very lucky to be one of the few Long Island public schools to offer a program for guitar students. Thank you to Mr. Ragona for cultivating an environment where all instrumentalists are welcome and where our younger Middle School students can work with older students and still feel successful. Thank you to Miss Spitz for providing an avenue for vocal students to work on and explore music not typically performed in the traditional High School choral setting. Also, thank you to Miss Spitz for creating a performance opportunity where our wonderful High School piano students are featured. Thank you and congratulations to Ms. Kenwood and her students on a wonderful performance. Ms. Kenwood is in her first year as High School Jazz Ensemble director and she has done an amazing job. Jazz music is a huge passion for Ms. Kenwood and it is great to see how much the group has increased in size during her first year as director. It was a terrific evening of music and we were very impressed with the level of talent and musicianship demonstrated at the Jazz Night performance. It was fabulous to see and hear the students explore and perform a variety of musical genres in their concert. We are particularly pleased with how Mr. Ventura, Mr. Ragona, Miss Spitz and Ms. Kenwood create and encourage an inclusive environment of respect, acceptance and support within their respective ensembles, which are comprised of students with varied levels of skill. We are extremely proud of all of the students involved. Thank you to the families of these talented students for all of their support and encouragement. Thank you to all of the administrators and Board of Education members in Rocky Point for their continued support of our music programs. Thank you to all involved in making Jazz Night a fun-filled evening of music!”
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Date Added: 5/2/2024