Medfield Public Schools Music Department Celebrates Banner Year

Student musicians and vocalists from Medfield Public Schools are being congratulated, together with their teachers, for a series of highly successful events in 2026. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)

MEDFIELD — The Medfield Public Schools Music Department is celebrating a series of successful events that have made this a banner year for the program.

Superintendent Jeffrey J. Marsden and Medfield K-12 Director of Performing Arts Jason Bielik are proud to share that the school district’s music performance program began its recent spate of achievements in early March.

Blake Middle School and Medfield High School sent 14 band and chorus students to perform at the 2026 Eastern District Junior Festival held at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School on March 7-8. These 14 students were selected after auditioning alongside 1,000 other students seeking placement in one of five elite festival ensembles. 

That was immediately followed up on March 9 with more than 350 band students from grades 4-12 participating in Medfield’s annual “Band-o-Rama” event, showcasing student musicians from through the district in the high school gym. The next night, more than 200 orchestra students, also in grades 4-12, participated in Medfield’s annual “String Fling” concert.

Soon after that on March 20-21, six band and chorus students represented Medfield High School at the 2026 MMEA All-State Music Festival held in Worcester. These students were selected after auditioning along with over 700 students, seeking placement in one of six elite festival ensembles. During that same weekend, 10 choral students representing the Dale Street School and Blake Middle School participated in the 2026 MMEA All-State Youth Treble Chorus held in Worcester, after these students were selected through a teacher nomination process.

The following weekend, on March 27-28, Medfield High School’s music students participated in the 2026 Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) State Festival, where more than 250 instrumental and choral groups participated from nine locations across the state. At the end of the festival, the Medfield High School String Orchestra was awarded a Silver Medal, and the Concert Choir, Treble Choir, Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra each received Gold Medals.

Medfield was one of only five school districts across the state to receive Gold Medals for three different kinds of ensembles — band, chorus, orchestra. As a result of their success at the MICCA State Festival, the Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra went on to perform at the world-renowned Groton Hill Music Center as part of MICCA’s Gold Medal Showcase on April 12.

Meanwhile, the Medfield High School Jazz Band has been keeping up a busy schedule, participating in the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators (MAJE) District-Level Festival on Feb. 26, joining dozens of bands across four state-wide locations.

As a result, the Medfield High School Jazz Band was awarded a Gold Medal and subsequently was invited to MAJE’s State Finals event on March 14, where the Jazz Band was awarded another Gold Medal.

The Medfield High School Jazz Combo and the Medfield High School Jazz Choir then competed in MAJE’s State Combo and Choral Festival on April 13, with the Jazz Choir earning a Silver Medal and the Jazz Combo awarded a Gold Medal.

Thanks to their Gold Medal performances, as part of MAJE’s Gold Medal Showcase events, the Jazz Combo is being invited to perform on Monday, April 27, at the Regatta Club, and the Jazz Band has been invited to perform at the Hatch Shell on Sunday, May 3.

In addition to its festival performances, Medfield’s entire Jazz Program presented its annual “Jazz Night” on April 10, featuring a guest artist, Grammy-nominated saxophonist Donny McCaslin. The evening was highlighted by the Blake/Dale Street Jazz Lab Ensemble, the Blake Jazz Band, the Blake Jazz Choir, the Medfield High School Jazz Lab, the Medfield High School Jazz Choir, and the Medfield High School Jazz Band, performing alongside McCaslin.

On top of that, Medfield held its first ever “Chamber Orchestra Night” on April 14, featuring the Chamber Orchestras from the Dale Street School, Blake Middle School and Medfield High School.

Two days later, 6th Grade Band students participated in the district’s annual “Students as Teachers Night,” where they gave their parents mini-lessons on their instruments, and then came together to play as a group of beginners. (This event was able to be held due to the generosity of David French Music, who brings in 60 instruments for parents to use.)

Superintendent Marsden and Director Bielik congratulated all the students who participate in the district’s music programs for helping to make this school year such a musical success.

“I couldn’t be more proud of all the hard work from both the students and music staff this year,” said Director Bielik. “Day in and day out the entire music department demonstrated the pursuit of excellence and a true love of making music, resulting in these tremendous achievements.”

“Congratulations to all of our musicians, vocalists and teachers who make up our music education program,” Superintendent Marsden said. “The efforts that you’ve all put forth in your performances this year have been remarkable, memorable and a source of great pride in our community. Thank you to everyone for your work to make our music program so special and so successful.”

Superintendent Marsden and Director Bielik also thanked the district’s team of dedicated music educators, including the following individuals:

• Amanda Tumbleson, Grade 4-8 Bands  
• Ryan Dexter, Grade 4-8 Bands, MHS Jazz Band  
• Theresa Fritz, Grades 4-8 Orchestras, Dale Street and Blake Chamber Orchestras  
• Brenna Evans, Grade 4-12 Orchestras, MHS Chamber Orchestra and MHS Symphony Orchestra  
• Ann Marie Tremblay, Grade 4-12 Choruses, MHS Jazz Choir  
• David Ruggiero, Grade 4-5 Choruses   
• Matt Kelly, Dale/Blake Jazz Lab, Blake Jazz Band  
• Joe Esposito, MHS Jazz Lab  
• Steve Skop, MHS Jazz Combo  
• Renee Hersee, Blake Jazz Choir

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The Medfield Public Schools Music Department is celebrating a series of successful events that have made this a banner year for the program. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)

Superintendent Jeffrey J. Marsden and Medfield K-12 Director of Performing Arts Jason Bielik thanked the district’s team of dedicated music educators for its work to support a series of successful events in 2026. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)