SCRANTON, PA — More than 200 talented high school musicians gathered at Marywood University for the annual Senior Wind Band Celebration, a regional festival that brings together 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students from 24 schools across New York and Pennsylvania. 

Some of our local schools, including Eldred, Port Jervis, Honesdale and Delaware Valley were represented, giving students an opportunity to collaborate with peers from across the region and even state lines. 

Eldred Central School has proudly participated in the festival since 2017, and each year the event continues to inspire students to push their musical abilities further. 

Students are nominated months in advance by their band directors, and the final selections are made by the festival director, Andy Kolojejchick, based on both nominations and the balance of instruments needed to form a full ensemble. 

When the students arrive on Friday morning, the hard work of the weekend begins. Student musicians audition on the spot and are placed into either the Celebration Band or the highly selective Honor Band. From that moment forward, they spend two full days rehearsing challenging music they have never seen before, culminating in a final performance on Saturday afternoon. 

This year, three of the youngest participants were from Eldred, under the tutelage of band teacher Brian Nivision. Sophomores Tyler Mendies (clarinet), Hailey Gochenour (tenor saxophone) and Jaxen Counts (French horn) rose to the challenge and performed with more experienced students. 

Of the 27 clarinetists from across the participating schools, Tyler earned a spot in the top 12 and performed with the Honor Band. Haley ranked third out of 18 tenor saxophones, and Jaxen earned the top seat among six French horns. 

The festival celebrates more than competition; it highlights the power of students working together to create something extraordinary. As directors often remind their students, when young musicians practice hard, play with stronger players, and challenge themselves with new music, the entire community of performers grows together.

One of the pieces played is short but deeply expressive, and is tied to important American musical history. The students played “Old Boatman,” which is by composer Florence Price; not only was she a groundbreaking musician of her time, she was also the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra—in 1933. 

“Old Boatman” comes from a set of pieces based on traditional songs, and even though the piece is simple on the surface and isn’t built on technical ability, it asks players to listen closely to each other, shape the melody carefully, and blend their sound. 

In the end, festivals like this remind students that bands are not built around trophies or competition, but are about building something meaningful together, with each musician doing their best so the whole group can sound better as one.