PERU, N.Y. (WCAX) – Music echoed through upstate New York on Friday as We Are Instrumental’s music summit gave kids a chance to learn from some of the region’s best artists.
Students from five North Country counties had the opportunity to improve their musical skills at the second annual Music Summit.
At Peru High School, approximately 400 students worked with 25 professionals to improve their skills on instruments such as drums and saxophone.
“How often do we go to have professional musicians teach our kids for free? It’s a great opportunity for them to network and see other kids doing the same thing. It’s a great opportunity to meet people,” said Joseph Iannaconi, band teacher at Chateauguay Central School.
We Are Instrumental’s summits bring together the region’s best talent and allow children to learn from multiple teachers at once.
Evan Mack, the organization’s executive director, said it’s also an opportunity for the district to record the sessions and preserve them digitally for future music lessons.
“Typically, that requires multiple private lessons nearby. The average teacher, private tutor, takes an hour and a half, two hours. So we bring you here and give you that We’re giving them experiences,” Mack said.
It’s a big boost for music students like Alexa Markovitz, a fourth-year student from Peru who has been playing percussion since fourth grade.
“I’ve been playing for so long that I’ve really only had one teacher and only seen that one teaching style. So I had to look at other teachers’ styles. “I think it’s very valuable for people to love going around and learning new things from other people,” Markovitz said.
There was also support for music beginners, such as Peruvian senior Liam Clowney.
“My brother gave me an electric drum set, so I was able to get started really quickly,” Clowney said.
Beyond the music, Clowney says the connections he’s made are just as important.
“The people and the personalities that we’ve seen and the energy and positivity that’s going on throughout the building right now is amazing, and it’s all incorporated into the music,” Clowney said.
The third annual music summit will be held next October at Au Sable Valley High School.
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