Music teachers Kathryn Bocciarelli on keyboard and bassist Mike Albaine, accompanied more than 60 seventh and eighth grade instrumentalists and singers, who performed favorite tunes ranging from "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to "Rise Up" to "Build Me Up Buttercup," in a coffeehouse-like setting at the school cafeteria that included dinner. The event was presented by the GMS Exploratory Team teachers.
While the students were taking their regular band or chorus classes during the day, they also practiced for the performance during their enrichment block at the end of the school day, said Bocciarelli. In addition, vocal and instrumental soloists stayed after school to hone their performances.
After performing short musical plays each spring for some years, Bocciarelli said she decided to shift the performance focus to a musical revue format four years ago.
"I wanted it to have a coffeehouse feel," she said.
Songs in a variety of styles from the past century were strung together with a narration to create the program. Ensembles performing included the GMS jazz band, rhythm section, and select choir.
Among the instrumental soloists were saxophonists Mason Williams and Izaias Sardo, trumpeter Liam Gervais, and flutist Emma Retan.
Vocal soloists included Mikayla Lebron, Makayla Neilson, Delia Bousquet, Ysabella Radecki, Aiden Danieluk, Presley Austin, Connor Benoit, Rily Dziadul, Nadia DeRose, Andrea Socastro, and Rachel Tetreault.
An audience of 220 people purchased tickets for the pasta dinner and performance. The students also performed for GMS fifth and sixth graders during the school day the day prior to the public production.
Proceeds from the sale of tickets are funneled back into the exploratory program, which provides arts-related enrichment opportunities for GMS students.