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Five Students Chosen for CJMEA Elementary Honors Orchestra

Five Lower School musicians were recently accepted into the Central Jersey Music Educators Association’s (CJMEA) fourth annual Elementary Honors Orchestra. After receiving recommendations from Lower School Strings teacher Dr. Dorothy Sobieski, the CJMEA chose Jacob Egol ’19, Sathya Edamadaka ’19, Olivia Pasquale ’19, Trinity Dalmazio ’19 and Aidan Smires ’20 to represent Ranney in a concert at Woodbridge High School on Saturday, March 31, 2012. Dr. Sobieski, who was one of 13 talented teachers from neighboring schools chosen to conduct at the event.
Please join the Ranney community in congratulating five Lower School musicians who were recently accepted into the Central Jersey Music Educators Association’s (CJMEA) fourth annual Elementary Honors Orchestra. The Elementary Honors Orchestra presents a wonderful opportunity for gifted children to play in a large, full-instrumentation string orchestra.
 
After receiving recommendations from Lower School Strings teacher Dr. Dorothy Sobieski, the CJMEA chose Jacob Egol ’19, Sathya Edamadaka ’19, Olivia Pasquale ’19, Trinity Dalmazio ’19 and Aidan Smires ’20 to represent Ranney in a concert at Woodbridge High School on Saturday, March 31, 2012. Although students are expected to receive their sheet music several weeks prior to the show, the day’s agenda will include a morning rehearsal, lunch, afternoon rehearsal and concert. Past musical repertoires have contained the Appalachian Hymn by Soon Hee Newbold, Spring (The Four Seasons) by Vivaldi and Gargoyles by Doug Spata.
 
While Jacob, Sathya and Olivia will accompany the Chamber Orchestra — formerly known as the Philharmonic Orchestra — on Cello and Violin, Trinity and Aidan will play Cello and Violin with the Symphony Orchestra.
 
Dr. Sobieski was one of 13 talented teachers from neighboring schools chosen to conduct at the event as well, and will be there to support the children. Joining Dr. Sobieski will be such teachers as Diane Lee from the Grant School in South Plainfield and Jennifer Brush from Markham Place School in Little Silver.
 
It is teachers like Dr. Sobieski and donations to the Ranney Annual Fund that have provided the Performing Arts program with a longstanding tradition of excellence it holds today. Through the Annual Fund, enhancements are constantly being made to Ranney's Performing Arts Department. Such developments include the introduction of several new student workshops to children of all ages. For instance, with the belief that it is never too soon to start learning, the Lower School has offered a unique after-school strings activity to all second grade students for the past three years. From there, third grade students can voluntarily join one of three string orchestras that rank on ability. These are the Elementary Beginners Orchestra, Elementary Intermediate Orchestra and Elementary Advanced Orchestra. Accompanied by such new instruments as the timpani drums and a grand piano purchased via the Annual Fund, each Orchestra is able to practice its craft not only in the classroom, but also at seasonal concerts, Lower School gatherings and Open House events. Generous donations to the Annual Fund afford students the opportunity to view and, oftentimes, accompany professional musicians from such ensembles as New York Voices and Pacific Encore Opera as well.  
 
Through this 21st century learning experience, complete with student workshops and musical performances in RSPA Panther Hall, stars like Ranney’s own Sabrina Park ’15 are born. As a role model to those younger musicians — like the five chosen as part of the Elementary Honors Orchestra — Sabrina was not only selected to represent the Ranney Middle School at a CJMEA concert last school year, but she was also the first Ranney student ever accepted into the High School Region II Orchestra this 2011-12 academic year. To gain acceptance, Sabrina was asked to attend a live audition, during which she performed the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G Major, as well as several major and minor scales and arpeggios.
 
Sabrina’s next audition will be for the New Jersey All-State Orchestra on March 17, 2012. If she is chosen and surpasses a seating audition in September 2012, Sabrina will eventually perform in Atlantic City and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark.
 
Thanks to generous donors of the Annual Fund, Ranney’s Lower School musicians have every opportunity to follow in the footsteps of student role models like Sabrina Park and their teacher Dr. Dorothy Sobieski. To make a donation to the Annual Fund, please click here.
 

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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.