2 Student Musicians From Parsippany Honored By Band Director

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Two student musicians from Parsippany are among those honored as the Mayo Performing Arts Center Music Students of the Month of January for outstanding percussionists.

Abhay Prajapati, an eighth-grade student at Brooklawn Middle School, was nominated by Mike Leone, and selected by the theater's Education Department for his dedication to and excellence in the performing arts.

Prajapati is a member of the eighth-grade band at Brooklawn Middle School. Before this year, he played the flute; however, this year Prajapati decided to learn a new instrument and has since joined the percussion section.

"He has adjusted spectacularly to his new section of the band. He is learning each of the percussion instruments with ease and blending into the group as if he has been in the percussion section for years. He is also always very responsible and polite," Leone said.

Deric Yoon, a junior at Parsippany High School, was the second student to be nominated from Parsippany. Yoon was nominated by the high school marching band director, Gregory Dalakian.

According to Dalakian, Yoon has been a dedicated member of the high school's music program since the moment he entered Parsippany High School as a ninth-grader.

"He is a talented percussionist who shows enthusiasm and talent in all aspects of the program, through his participation in wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, pit orchestra, and marching band," Dalakian said.

Yoon has served as a student leader in the high school marching band with and without a title for the past two years and has been an "excellent role model for his peers," Dalakian said.

Every month, the theater honors a group of students, and those who are honored throughout the season are invited to participate in a recital on stage at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

The program has been running for 20 years and has been recognized as "outstanding" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Hundreds of students have been honored over the last two decades.

The 2023–2024 Music Student of the Month program is supported by The Walter F. and Alice Gorham Foundation, Inc.