The North Bellmore School District is proud to announce that 28 students have been selected to participate in this month’s All-County Music Festival, hosted by the Nassau Music Educators Association. Fifth and sixth grade musicians from the band, chorus and orchestra were selected based on their NYSSMA solo performance scores and teacher recommendations.

Ensemble rehearsals take place at schools throughout the county during the weeks of Jan. 6 and Jan. 13. Weekend concerts are held at the LIU Post Tilles Center. 

Congratulations to the following musicians on their All-County selections:

John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School – Band: Ethan Andreau and Nicholas Truglio; Chorus: Jake Duverneau, Charlotte Giannetta, Brooke Murphy, Elliot Renz and Brooke Sheehan; Orchestra: Arianna Lettieri and Alayna Mangels.

Martin Avenue Elementary School – Orchestra: Isabelle Dang.

Newbridge Road Elementary School – Band: Elianna Lopez; Chorus: Nina Cannistraci, Henry Cohen, Marion Chelsea De Jesus and Kyra Devlin; Orchestra: Lauren Corace.

Park Avenue Elementary School – Band: Andrew Udilovich; Chorus: Marco Artale, Xcenia Benden, Veronica Calise, Elianna Macaluso and Micah Millington; Orchestra: Temitayo Otuyemi.

Saw Mill Road Elementary School – Band: Frank Figueiredo; Chorus: Rebecca David, Isabella Rodriguez and Eliana Weissman; Orchestra: Mariam Subhan.

The students learn under the direction of music teachers Skylar Berkley, Christopher D’Orio, Maritza Lopez, Ed McCullagh, Carol Ng, Alexander Roff, Patrice Ryan and Lisa Uckardes.

Click here to view the District Boasts 28 All-County Musicians slideshow.

Date Added: 1/8/2025

Second graders took a winter train ride in spirit at Park Avenue Elementary School. In the week leading up to the holiday break, students participated in activities focused on “The Polar Express.”

Youngsters in Melanie Purificato’s and Nancy Del Rosario’s classes read the book, listened to a reading of the book by Liam Neeson, and watched parts of the movie. Students analyzed “Polar Express” story elements such as character development, main idea and theme, make text-to-world connections, wrote about their favorite parts of the story, and compared and contrasted the book to the movie. The teachers said it was a fun and seasonal way for them to be fully immersed in a literacy experience.

Parent visitors helped students make bracelets with small bells. During a game of bingo, children tried to complete a row as “Polar Express” characters and objects were called out. The activities culminated on Dec. 20, as students wore their pajamas and had their train tickets punched.

Click here to view the Park Avenue Second Graders Board the ‘Polar Express’ slideshow.

Date Added: 1/6/2025

The gentle ringing heard in the music room at Park Avenue Elementary School was an indication of the progress sixth graders were making in learning a new instrument.

Under the direction of music teacher Carol Ng, students were becoming masters of the hand chimes. The aluminum, squared-tubed instrument that is played similarly to a handbell, has been a recent fascination for Park Avenue’s most experienced student-musicians. They have enjoyed playing familiar holiday music composed of soft, mellow sounds.

Ms. Ng explained that the length, tuning and tines of a hand chime determine its pitch. In creating music as a class, students had to understand which chime they had to know their part in a song.

“Using hand chimes in the classroom offers bountiful benefits,” Ms. Ng said. “Perhaps the greatest is that the chimes generate excitement with their simple beauty and ease of use. The music skills that can be taught by ringing are many.”

Students learned how to move their wrists to create the sound and hold their arms to sustain it. Use of the hand chimes reinforces several musical concepts such as note duration, rhythm, harmony and melodic line. They increase their listening skills and physical coordination, while improving their music-reading ability. It’s also a great way, Ms. Ng explained, to work cooperatively and collaboratively with their classmates.

Click here to view the Park Avenue Musicians Learn to Play Hand Chimes slideshow.

Date Added: 12/6/2024