Canton students showcase performing arts; eighth-grader plays original orchestra suite
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Summary
Performing arts coordinator Catherine Eckersley highlighted a robust pre-K'12 program and student Jacob Salat played a movement from an original orchestral suite during the May 1 school committee meeting.
Catherine Eckersley, the district's performing arts coordinator, told the Canton School Committee on May 1 that the performing arts program serves students from pre-K through grade 12 and this school year produced 11 concerts and eight full-length shows while engaging thousands of residents through community events.
Eckersley listed community partners that support students' learning, including the Paul Revere Heritage Site, Canton Farmers Market, Canton Choral Society, Canton American Legion Band, the Brayton School at the Pappas Rehab Center, Canton Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the local fire department, Cornerstone at Canton, Brightview Senior Living, Canton Parks and Recreation, and the Canton Veterans Council. She said district students participate in regional opportunities through the Southeastern Massachusetts Music Educators Association and the Southeastern School Bandmasters Association.
Eighth-grader Jacob Salat told the committee he attended the All-State Festival in March and described the experience as "a really great experience" that exposed him to many music educators and professional feedback. Salat played a computer-generated audio of a nearly finished movement from a three-part suite he has composed, which he called the "Wicked Witch Suite" (he said the movement he submitted is titled "Fan Turn March" and runs about four minutes). He described creating the piece using MuseScore and hearing it through the Muse Strings playback.
Eckersley said the program runs after-school private lessons for about 55 students, summer programs with roughly 20 students enrolled last summer, and supported two students who submitted original compositions for adjudication at state/district festivals; one Canton student attended the All-State Festival this year (Sonia Lay). Committee members praised the student performance and the department's community partnerships.
