Danvers High Students Poised To Be Pitch Perfect On National Stage

DANVERS, MA — Danvers High student vocalists are poised to hit all the right notes on a grand stage after being picked to perform during a concert at the National Association for Music Education Conference.

The group Vocal Alliance will perform at the Hartford conference this week, with junior Piper Brett also selected to perform with the All-Eastern Mixed Chorus of top student musicians from a dozen East Coast states and U.S. territories.

Brett, who was nominated based on her previous selection to the Massachusetts All-State Chorus, is one of a handful of students chosen from Massachusetts. She is a singer, flutist, color guard member, and actor. She also serves as an officer for PRISM, the school's LGBTQ+ student organization.

Vocal Alliance includes juniors Bella Drakos, Ella Guitard, Kaelin Hampe, Dailin Martinez, and Brett, along with sophomore Brooke Wilichoski. Freshman Emma Anderson is joining the group for the conference performance, filling in for Wilichoski, who is competing at DECA Nationals in Florida.

The group sings under the direction of choral director Alex Grover and focuses on social justice themes through music, regularly performing at events such as PRIDE, Trans Day of Visibility, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"The participation of Danvers students and educators at the NAfME Eastern Division Conference is a significant honor and a testament to the district's commitment to excellence in music education," Grover said. "Their contributions will be seen, heard, and celebrated by music educators from across the eastern United States."

Danvers elementary music teachers Grill Gall, of the Highlands School, and Jennifer Dennett, of the Riverside School, were selected to present multiple workshops at the conference, sharing their expertise with music educators from across the Eastern Division.

Dennett will lead a session titled "Play and Possibilities: Exploring the Principles of Orff Schulwerk," while Gall will present "Creative Movement for Musicians." They are also co-presenting "Folk Dance as a Springboard to Student Creativity."

Both teachers are recipients of the Donna Nagel Award for Excellence in General Music, presented by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association, and frequently share their work at state and regional music education conferences.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)