This spring two students will travel to Baltimore to showcase their musical abilities among some of the country’s most talented young musicians. Justin Wong and Pauline Jung have been selected to participate in the prestigious Music Educators National Conference (MENC) Eastern Division Conference from March 31 to April 3.
Wong and Jung were chosen for the Eastern Division Conference based on their performances at the All-State Conference for New York students last year. Rockville Centre sent more than eight students to compete at the state level this school year, which is a record number for the district, according to the district's director of the arts, Brian Zuar.
“I’m very proud,” Zuar said. “We have a really strong music program and it’s been a big year."
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For the Eastern Division Conference, each student will receive a packet of music to learn before his or her arrival in Baltimore, according to Zuar. They will then rehearse as a group at the conference for six to eight hours each day, leading up to a series of concerts at the end of the trip.
“It’s a huge commitment and it’s exhausting, but at the end the level of music making is mind-boggling,” he said. “It sounds like a professional orchestra.”
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Wong, a junior at SSHS who is studying the cello, saxophone and piano, said he received the news of his All-Eastern selection back in November. “I was at play rehearsal for one of the high school productions and my orchestra teacher, Mr. Law, came into the auditorium to tell me,” he explained. “I was so excited.”
Although he hasn’t yet received the music he’ll need to prepare for the orchestra portion of the conference, Wong said he looks forward to finding out what has been selected. “Last year they played Shostakovich's fifth symphony, which is difficult but very rewarding,” he said.
In the meantime, Wong plans to practice with the two extracurricular symphony orchestras that he is a part of — the South Shore Symphony and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. As for his future plans, Wong said, “I plan on double majoring in music performance and music education in college.”
Pauline Jung could not be reached for comment.
