Pal-Mac Hosts All-County Instrumental Festival for First Time in Over a Decade
For the first time in 12 years, the Palmyra-Macedon Central School District hosted the annual Junior and Senior High All-County Instrumental Festival this past weekend, welcoming student musicians from all 13 Wayne County school districts.
The festival, held on Friday and Saturday, is a longstanding tradition in the county, with hosting duties rotating among participating districts. Pal-Mac’s music department had been preparing for more than a year to organize the event.
Middle School Band Director Liz Kockler, along with High School Band Director Debra Davis, led the planning efforts. Kockler emphasized the importance of the festival in giving students an enriching musical experience.
“It’s a lot of work to host the festival, but all of the teachers in our county feel passionately about providing this opportunity for students,” Kockler said. “The students work so hard on their audition music just to be selected, and then continue to work hard to prepare for the festival.”
As part of its role as host, the Pal-Mac music program selected guest conductors for the festival. The Junior High group was led by Heather Trapiss, a 1992 Pal-Mac graduate who now teaches at Pittsford Sutherland High School. The Senior High group was conducted by Dan Hayes, a teacher at Three Village Central Schools on Long Island.
Students rehearsed as a group on Friday before performing on Saturday. The preparation leading up to the festival was demanding, with participants having just six weeks to learn their music before coming together for the event.
The selection process for the All-County Festival is highly competitive, requiring students to audition and earn a spot. Kockler also credited a team of parent volunteers from the Middle School and High School Music Boosters for their role in supporting the event.