Duggan kids help produce concert

WHITE LAKE, NY — Joyce Wells, music teacher and leader of the “Welcome Friends!” winter concert at Cornelias A. Duggan School in White Lake, held on December 13, had some extra help with this year’s production—from members of the student body. Kyle Silva, Samantha Suarez and Jessica Wagner, members of the combined fourth and fifth grade chorus, naturally gravitated to the positions of chorus captains. Fourth-grader Matthew Brown took on the job of equipment manager.

“Matt is well on his way to knowing what it would be like to be a roadie for an important musical group. You never know when an experience like this will set a career path for someone’s future,” said Wells.

The Duggan students wowed Eileen Casey and Dr. Patrick Michel, the superintendent and assistant superintendent of the Monticello Central School District. Alyce VanEtten, President of the Monticello board of education, was particularly interested in the instrumental selections of the concert and said, “I always love the bells. They add such a different dimension to the performance.”

Dr. Kevin Dirth, director of music for the Monticello district, was also impressed. “A show like this shows how the music ability develops over the years of instruction that the students will receive. What a great idea to build the concert to show the levels of performance of the different elementary grades here at Duggan,” he said.