February 2025 | Volume LXXXIX, No. 2

Thanks so much Amy Ranta of The Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, CT and Lauren Churchill of Griswold High School in Jewett City, CT for organizing revisions to the lists of the NEMFA Vocal Ensemble and Winds and Percussion Performance Repertoire. These revised lists are already being used now. Amy notes that when she is working with her students on a NEMFA Vocal Ensemble selection, she incorporates it into the concert that her group is preparing at the time so that is not an extra piece to prepare, but may be performed both in the NEMFA Solo and Ensemble Festival and in her own school concert.

NEMFA Choral Directors who are interested in commenting on this Vocal Ensemble Revision List should contact Amy Ranta at aranta@woodstockcademy.org . Comments regarding the NEMFA Winds and Percussion Performance Lists should be directed to Lauren Churchill at LChurchill@griswoldpublicschools.org .

LOWELL MASON HOUSE PROGRESS

[Medfield, Massachusetts] – Video and still interior room renderings continue to be developed for the Lowell Mason House as the group moves into the phase of creating a traveling presentation for fund-raising purposes. Specs for a elevator for the facility have now been fleshed out and the ADA Compliant Wing is now being designed. This addition is the key to making the house handicapped-accessible, allowing the house to be enjoyed by all without worrying about physical impediments. This is the result of technical consultant work being continued as a part of a $35,000 grant from the Mass Cultural Council to support the organization mission and development of the historical home. Grant funding has been provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of the state of Massachusetts administered through a collaborative arrangement between Mass Development and the Mass Cultural Council.

“Design and permitting processes are moving forward so that the critical infrastructures of Heating-A/C, HVAC, Dehumidification, ADA compliant building access, plumbing and electrical services may get addressed next.” said Thomas Reynolds, Executive Director of the Lowell Mason House. It is indeed a transformational time for the Lowell Mason House, as now we can turn the dreams of using the house into practical reality.

The Mission of the Lowell Mason House is to create and program an active space for music making, music and arts education advocacy, and historical preservation within the original structure of the Lowell Mason birthplace. The architecturally significant house, located on 59 Green Street, was already decades old when Lowell Mason was born in 1792. Portions of the house have been age dated using dendrochronology to 1651, making the house among the oldest in Massachusetts and North America. The Lowell Mason House has raised over $880,000.00 up to this date for the purpose of turning it into a study museum, practice/chamber performance space, and a meeting place for arts education advocates. We are grateful to the 15 music educators associations around the United States that have made contributions towards its restoration, including the New England Music Festival Association. Your continued interest and support in this project is very much appreciated.

Thank you for considering making a tax deductible donation today. Please make checks payable to: The Lowell Mason House, P. O. Box 913 Medfield, MA 02052. If you prefer, you may also donate directly online by going to our website at http://www.lowellmasonhouse.net . Your contribution is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution to the extent provided by U.S. tax.

John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band Festival - Upcoming Dates: July 12-15, 2026

THE JOHN PHILIP SOUSA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HONOR BAND WAS HELD FROM JULY 14-18, 2024 at THE BOXBORO REGENCY IN BOXBOROUGH, MA WITH A FINAL CONCERT ON JULY 17 in MECHANICS HALL, WORCESTER, MA. The Sousa Foundation presented the 15th biannual edition of the John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band for 2024, showcasing high achieving musicians from across the US. Check us out at https://www.sousanhsband.com. Michael J. Colburn, former conductor of the "President's Own" United States Marine Band and former New England Music Festival Association Guest Conductor and Student member from Vermont lead the 2024 John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band Festival.

The Mechanics Hall performance venue remains significant because this site was visited by the original Sousa Band in Worcester, 27 times. A plaque commemorating the historical significance of Worcester and Mechanics Hall to the original Sousa Band was presented to Mechanics Hall in 2019 by the John Philip Sousa Foundation and is prominently displayed there.

We especially wish to thank the New England Music Festival Association and all of its members for being an ad sponsor along with the students from schools all over the six New England states and from the rest of the country. Be watching for the next version of the Sousa National Honor Band to be held in July 12-15, 2026.

BAND WEBSITE:

https://www.sousanhsband.com