SV celebrates 30 years of music performance assessment event

The Seneca Valley Choral Program is proud to celebrate 30 years of hosting an annual Choral Adjudication! For the 30th consecutive year, the Seneca Valley (SV) Choral department hosted a Music Performance Assessment (MPA) event on March 25, in honor of Music in Our Schools month. Since the inception of the event in 1997, thousands of SV Choral students have been assessed by collegiate judges to support and fulfill the requirements of the choral curriculum. Many other schools have also attended music performance assessments at Seneca Valley including CAPA, Mars, Gateway, Moon and Peters Township, among others. However, our SV choral program has grown so much that additional schools no longer fit into the day’s schedule!

This year, approximately 800 Seneca Valley Chorus students in grades 6-12 participated in this Pennsylvania Music Education Association (PMEA) event. The goal of an MPA adjudication is to provide opportunities for students within ensembles to receive a clinic with a collegiate judge, scores, written and recorded comments, and a rating that reflects performance levels. It provides a “snapshot” evaluation of the implementation of music curriculum and provides meaningful feedback to the directors and students via adjudicator verbal and written comments. The PMEA assessment forms correlate to state standards, testing terminology and traditional grading. Ensembles can receive comments only, or ratings of Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor. Attending an adjudication is valuable; however, hosting one is an even greater indication of the dedication of the SV Choral Department, Choral Boosters and SV Directors!

The adjudicators for the event were Dr. Mark Boyle from Seton Hill University, Dr. Ryan Keeling from Westminster College and Dr. Brian Hart from Slippery Rock University.

“I’m so honored to be here judging,” said Dr. Mark Boyle. “I have time in my schedule to work with high school choirs around the Pittsburgh area every Friday. This Chorus program is far beyond the norm. There is something very special at Seneca Valley!”

High School director Ms. Bobi-Jean Alexander added, “I am so very proud of the tradition our chorus has built from my first adjudication here in 1997 to celebrating our 30th anniversary of the event! I truly believe music performance assessments have been an integral part of the strength and success of our choral program!”

The SV Choral directors participating were Ms. Bobi-Jean Alexander, Ms. Chessa Crum, Mr. Kyle Masson and Ms. Ellie Schroder. The Seneca Valley Choral Boosters provided support as chaperones and as assistants in organizing and implementing the many details of the event!

The Madrigal Singers, Concert Choir, Treble Choir, Men’s Choir, Grades 9-10 Choral Union, Eighth Grade Choir, Seventh Grade Chorus, and Haine Sixth Grade Choir all participated. Congratulations to all! The collaboration of District officials, students, parent helpers, teachers and collegiate judges made the day a fantastic educational experience and a great success!