Danvers Student Musicians Perform At State Education Conference

DANVERS, MA — An array of Danvers student musical talents and social awareness were on display at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Conference and Festival in Worcester.

Danvers High School seniors Kaelin Hampe and JJ Murphy were selected to perform with the All-State SATB Chorus, while junior Brooke Wilichoski was selected for the inaugural All-State Contemporary Ensemble.

Both ensembles performed at the Hanover Theater in Worcester on March 21.

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The Danvers High social justice singing group, Vocal Alliance, was also invited to perform for the conference's General Assembly.

Under the direction of DHS Choral Director Alexander Grover, Vocal Alliance is a six-person ensemble that focuses on preparing repertoire for events such as PRIDE, Trans Day of Visibility, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Light The Night Purple.

This year's ensemble includes Piper Brett, Bella Drakos, Ella Guitard, Kaelin Hampe, Dalin Martinez Rodriguez, and Brooke Wilichoski. The group also supported Grover in presenting his conference session, "Harmony Beyond Notes: Social Emotional Learning in Chorus."

This was Hampe's fourth consecutive year being selected to the All-State Chorus. She also performed at Carnegie Hall this year as part of the WorldStrides Honors Performance Series.

Danvers educators Griff Gall (Highlands Elementary) and Jenn Dennett (Riverside Elementary) were selected to present multiple sessions at the conference.

Gall and Dennett are experienced clinicians who are frequently selected to present at state and national conferences.

Both are Level III Orff-Schulwerk certified teachers and recipients of the Donna Nagel Award for Excellence in General Music from MMEA.