For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Student Musicians at Hull Public Schools Participate in Successful Community Band Night

Music Program Continues to Grow, Flourish in Schools

HULL — Superintendent Kathleen Tyrell, High School Principal Michael Devine and Memorial Middle School Principal Anthony Hrivnak are pleased to announce that Hull Public Schools’ Fifth Annual Family Band Night was a success.

Held on March 22 at the middle school, the event featured more than 100 student musicians from the Memorial Middle School and Hull High School who performed for family, friends and the community.

The concert included the sixth-grade beginner band (playing “Magma” by Larry Clark), the seventh and eighth grade concert band (“Pulse Pounding” by Sean O’Laughlin) the high school concert band (Dances of Innocence” by Jan Van der Roost), the middle school jazz band (“Funky See, Funky Do” by Dean Sorenson) and the Hull High School jazz band (“Don’t Forget the Sunscreen” by Dean Sorenson and “Lunch at the Spot” by Dean Sorenson).

Family Band Night first began in 2013 as a part of Music In Our Schools Month, an event promoted by the National Association for Music Education, to support and promote music education.

“This is an opportunity for not only students and families, but the entire community to see the progression of student performance and to celebrate Hull’s commitment to musical excellence,” said Andrew St. George, Memorial Middle School’s Music Director.

Years ago, Hull’s marching band, the Marching Pirates, was well respected all over the South Shore and performed at national events. Over the years, however, participation dropped and the marching band stopped performing. In 2011, Superintendent Tyrell set reestablishing the Marching Pirates, and revitalizing the band program as a whole, as a priority for the district.

“When I became Superintendent, I knew bringing back the marching band and increasing participation in our band programs would be a major part of the foundation of continuous improvement in the district,” Superintendent Tyrell said. “It was the right thing to do for children.”

Today, 122 students participate in band, the highest its been since the revitalization of the program. The Marching Pirates are once again performing on the field and in the stands at home football and basketball games.

With the increased level of participation in band, more opportunities have been made available to students. The middle school and high school offer an elective jazz band for students who wish to explore a different genre of music. Middle school students also have the opportunity to practice and perform with the high school band during their first period rehearsal and are then bused back to the middle school in time for the start of classes.

Beginning in the spring of 2016, the middle school concert band revived an older annual tradition of performing at a local music festival, Trills and Thrills, where they are critiqued by highly respected music educators in the New England area. In April, the high school concert band will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to participate in the WorldStrides OnStage Music Festival to further challenge themselves on a national level.

“The growth of our music department has changed the culture of our public schools for the better,” Principal Hrivnak said. “We’re so thrilled to host concerts like Band Night and I look forward to seeing students further their music skills and perform at national level events.”

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